My New (to me) Car!!
// July 16th, 2010 // 13 Comments » // I Love LA.
I bought a new car! As you can see from my previous blog, my Beetle outlived it’s welcome and so my most wonderful Stanley looked online for me, eyeing a 2007 Honda Fit. The Honda Dealer in Carlsbad was asking $12,000 and so we went in to test drive it and negotiate price. Two guys who were the unpleasant versions of Anderson Cooper and Michael Clarke Duncan were pretty insulting perhaps because I appear goofy and naïve. So I took my business elsewhere, where a nice guy named Jonathon had listed his 2007 Honda Fit for $8,500. Yes, $3,500 LESS. Recently I read a book entitled “How to Outnegotiate Anyone.” It proved to be useful as I told Jonathon after the Pep Boys inspection “I want your car. I have $6,500 cash now to hand you! Or money order, or cashier’s check! Whatever you want!”
“Cash.. Hmm… That’s very tempting. How about $7,800?” We finally settled on $7,400. I’d been nervous during the entire day, all skeered and shit about anticipating having to negotiate as we test drove Jonathon’s vehicle, asked questions, requested to have it inspected by Pep Boys (I paid the $100 cost), drove Jonathon back to his car, ate lunch with Stan at Costco’s while we awaited the inspection, etc. I pretended like I wasn’t though, even though at one point I had a minor meltdown, outbursting at Stan during lunch, as the car awaited inspection “OKAY, I WILL!” when he’d insisted I should offer a little less than I’d originally thought so I’d have more negotiating room. In the end it turned out to be simple and perfect and the best car-buying experience I’ve ever had with Stan and I browsing Autozone together, buying the two items the car was lacking for under $50. Brand-new silver hubcaps and clear floor mats.
Goofy? Yes. Naïve? Not this time.
