We didn’t expect to spend the whole day at the car dealers. But I had a feeling when I saw the Ford Focus on line that it could be just the car I was looking for.
Jon and I have visited a few used car dealers in the past week and I’ve been looking at cars online. Gathering information on the types of cars I want and getting a feel for what is available in our price range.
The last time I bought a car it was easy. There were plenty of inexpensive used cars at the dealer right in our town. But since covid that all changed. Buying a car is a new reality.
I don’t know enough about cars (nor does Jon) to use something like Facebook marketplace, although I did look there to get an idea of what was around. But there are plenty of car dealers an hour or closer to the farm. Dealers that survive on word of mouth and good online reviews.
I wanted a small, simple car, with good gas milage, not too old and low mileage.
And that’s just what I found in the Ford Focus.
It’s a 2018, which I read in several places was a good year for the car (before that it had lots of problems) with 44,000 miles. And with the help of Carfax, which the dealer provides, I could see that the car had two owners, no accidents and was well maintained by the same car dealer.
This car is more likely to rust out before I wear out the engine.
Jon and I made a good team when taking to the salespeople. I’m pretty practical and I know what I want and don’t want. I get down to business. Jon softened things up, keeping the conversation going. Two of the salespeople had read his books, and the sales person who eventually sold us the car, used to sell us fish at Petco when he was the manager there.
“We don’t have fish anymore,” I told him, “but I still have a bowl with snails.”
It didn’t take me long to know that the Ford was the right car for me. But it did take long to get all the paper work in order. We left the farm after breakfast and a few hours into it, I was having a late lunch of salty popcorn and sweet hot chocolate supplied by the dealer.
We got home long after feeding time, but the animals are good natured about it. The car wasn’t quite ready, so tomorrow we’ll go back and pick it up.
I’m very glad to have a car again. All the things I wrote about having only one car are still true, but right now, it feels right for both Jon and I to have our own cars.
Yep, having a car available when you want it and need it is invaluable. You thought proceed around having or not having your own car got me thinking about my own mother’s limitations in mobility. Not going back to that.
KJ, It makes me wonder if younger women still feel this or if it was generational and is no longer a “thing.”