At 34, one of the ways that I have noticed I am getting smarter, is that I am making better decisions when making big ticket purchases. The first time I bought a new car, I brought my dad along for guidance, and I bought a Mercury Mystique.
Clearly, my father wasn't helping me much. At least we were able to take advantage of my 1996 university degree in securing a grad discount on the 1998 "Mistake". Car was pretty much dead by 150K.
The second time I bought a car, I went for a brand new model, a 2003 Toyota Matrix. Because it was in short supply, I paid full price for it. I hate paying full MSRP for cars, because so many cars can be had at substantial discounts. Still, it was a good car for two years. The next person who got that Matrix got it at a substantial discount - he stole it.
We needed to buy a replacement for the Matrix, and we needed it quick. By now, I had found Car Talk Canada. I discussed my options with forum members, and my unique financial situation. The car would be for the wife, who just started commuting. It needed AWD for winter ski trips, and added space for a future family would be nice. Our search came down to the Subaru Forester and the Nissan X-Trail. Still burning from paying full price for the Matrix, we had APA pre-arranged deals for both, and when we compared what we liked about each with the cost of each vehicle, we chose the X-Trail. I searched long and hard for a better price on the X-Trail than the APA price, and I eventually beat it, by $100. Ended up paying about $1800 under MSRP, and my wife's new degree came in handy, securing us another grad discount.
Now my wife has a car, but I don't. Unable to buy a second new car, I look at used cars for the first time. After the debacle of the Mystique, I want something that will last. Consulting the board here again, I settle on a Honda Civic, but I find the tarted-up Acura 1.6EL isn't much more money. I find a nice example on AutoTrader with 123K, and I bring the seller down from $9600 to $8000. We arrange a meeting at a mechanic shop that specializes in Hondas. The car is clean, comes with most service records, and the mechanics agree that it is a nice example. Only stupid thing is, the hood release inside the cabin is broken - and the seller suggests I carry around a pair of pliers. Dumbass. The shop suggests the fix will cost $200 with labour. I get another $50 out of the seller, who is still pissed at me for haggling him down $1600 in the first place, and I buy the car. I fixed the hood release myself - $15 for the part and an hour of my time.
Later that year, it was my dad's turn to buy a new car. He had been through two awful Fords himself - a electrically-possessed 2000 Windstar, and a 2003 Expedition that needed a new transmission at 50K. Unwilling to buyout a large SUV that had just been the recipient of a rebuilt transmission, he turned to me for help. I felt proud. I may be a structural engineer at work, but my father the carpenter has little faith in my construction abilities, but he clearly realized that I had surpassed his automotive knowledge. His needs were for a mid-sized SUV with towing abilities. He was considering the Ford Explorer and GMC Envoy. I did some homework, and directed him to look at the Nissan Pathfinder (new for 2005) and the Toyota 4Runner.
My parents crawled around both. My dad liked the new rugged lines of the Pathy, liked his test drive, and would have bought one quickly, if it not for my mother. The Pathfinder in the local showroom was white. My mother hates white trucks. We pointed out that we could choose the colour of her new Pathfinder, and white was not mandatory. But she couldn't get that white Pathfinder out of her head. I guess you have to meet my mom to understand.
My parents ran out of time. The Expedition was due back at the end of the lease, and they borrowed my grandparent's car (my grandfather gave up driving by that point, and held on to the car only so he wouldn't have to admit he no longer drove). My dad took another look at the 4Runner, and started to see the finer points of the truck. My mom liked it - the showroom model was silver. So my dad was convinced this was the truck. His test drive in Hamilton confirmed it, but the local dealer would not budge of MSRP.
"You're not buying a Ford, you know..." was the explanation.
"We're not buying from you, you know..." was the response.
The APA pre-arranged deal was 100km away, and $5000 lower, after taxes. I took the drive with the parents to meet the APA salesman in Toronto for an appointment, where he promptly forgot my parents existed. We waited an hour for him to finish up, and from there, it went remarkably well. The paperwork was signed, and we were on our way. Picked up the black 4Runner a week later. They never even tried to foist extended warranties or rustproofing on us. APA-armed customers are clearly not fools.
Not a month has gone by since August 2005 that my father doesn't thank me for suggesting the 4Runner. It accelerates briskly, it tows his trailer well, and it gets great mileage - he averages under 12L/100km (unheard of, even for the 4Runner).
I bought, or helped to buy, three cars in 2005. That year, I took a job that has me on the road a lot. I put 40K on the EL in its first year, and was well on my way to another 40K this past year. It gave me some minor trouble in the past, but never left me stranded, which was more that I could say about the Mercury.
This did NOTHING to stop me from wanting a new car. I was making better money, was on the road a lot, and dammit, I deserved a nice car.
In 2006, I looked at the Civic and the Mazda3. Resident auto journalist James (Wing) had recently leased a Mazda3 for an excellent rate, but I just didn't feel the Mazda was enough of an upgrade to justify it. The Civic, as well, lacked in areas. I didn't need a snobbish badge, but I wanted something
more. I looked at the Subaru WRX and the VW GTI. I really liked the GTI, but again, I would have to pay almost full price for one. My car still ran fine. I waited.
A couple of weeks ago, word came through this site that Acura was selling the TSX at a substantial discount. My financial situation had improved, and I thought I just might be able to pull it off. $3000 was the rumored discount.
I dropped by Stearne Acura near work. I walked their lot in the second week of March, looking for a 2006 TSX.
Any 2006 TSX. At noon on a work day, I was an easy target. Chris the salesman walked towards me over the ice-encrusted lot in dress shoes. In cross-trainers, I had the decided advantage. I contemplated leading him on a slow-motion chase through the maze of cars, then I remembered that I promised my wife I wouldn't torment salesmen or waiters anymore. I stop as he stumbles towards me.
Informed that I'm looking for a 2006 TSX, he shoots me a "fat chance" look, and suggests we come inside so he can look for one. He has none left in stock. I follow, slowly, because he still can't figure out that ice is slippery.
Chris finds a 2006 TSX, silver, non-navi, with an automatic transmission. I ponder. Would like nav, but it is expensive. Auto...would make my wife happy. I know the TSX was described by James as "the perfect daily driver". Even in auto? Chris gets the keys to a 2007, and we head out.
The TSX, I note, is more car than the EL. Duh. It drives beautifully, but everywhere we go, there is traffic. I can't
do anything with the car. We reach the 404, and I try out the acceleration, only to find myself wedged in again. In the time I was accelerating, I wasn't exactly floored. /thank you! tip your waitress!
Upon return, I tell Chris I'm not impressed by the auto - I really want a manual. He goes looking. "No manuals available."
Chris wants to discuss a 2007 manual. "What will it take for you to buy a 2007 manual TSX today?"
"You to write 2006 on the invoice and give me the 2006 discount."
Chris is not impressed, but not yet defeated. "There are no more 2006s left. I can still give you a very good deal on a 2007. Why not do that deal today?"
I explain that the sense of urgency was due to the 2006 discount. My car runs fine. No discount, no sense of urgency, no need to buy today. Chris is trapped by the simplicity of the logic. I get up and leave before he can think of another line.
I call the dealer to the south - North Toronto Acura. Lo and behold, he finds a 2006 manual with navi - in silver, but it's not at his lot. I tell him I will try to be by today. Now, that car has to be pretty close by, and I would rather deal with the dealership who has it on their lot - I want to see it.
Here's where CTC comes in. I PM a CTC member who seems to know all the dealers, if he can help me find a 2006 manual with navi. 2 hours later,
he finds the silver one at Sherway Acura, and gives me the contact info.
People here love to live vicariously through the vehicle purchases of others. I know I do. It's fun, and remarkably cheaper than buying a car yourself.
I arrange a meeting with Sal, and my wife tags along. During the initial chit-chat, it becomes apparent that Sal doesn't know the difference between halogen reflector headlights, and HID projectors. With a heavy heart, I explain the difference. We take a test drive, and I decide the manual is much better than the automatic, and that the navigation unit is frighteningly simple.
Press button. "Find nearest gas station!"
Answer: "Shell, Sunoco, or Petro Can?" Wow.
We get down to numbers. That damn piece of paper. Sal writes a number on it. I forget what it was, but to me, it looked like a likely purchase price before the $3500 discount. I agree, mention that the rebates must be on top of that, and Sal looks confused. I bring out my CarCostCanada report (I won a membership in a CTC thread by the CCC president, and decided the APA couldn't help me with this one-off car). Sal runs away. Sal come back a few minutes later, with his sales manager.
By coming in prepared, knowing more about the car, the discounts, and what the car can sell for than even Sal knew, he went for backup after the opening salvo. I'm laughing so hard inside, it hurts.
The initial offer included the rebates, it turns out. And the rebates total $2500, not $3500 like I thought, says the manager. $500 is a merchandising rebate, which means for each 2006 TSX he sells, Acura gives him $500 for signage, hot dogs, cake, etc. The other $500 which is apparently on TSX navi models, is actually on TL navi models. He shows me the internal documents, and indeed, the model numbers are for the TL, not the TSX. I agree. Confident his salesman can take it from here, the manager goes away.
But of course, I don't like that their first offer is basically $200 under MSRP. That was a lousy offer. I counter with $700 over invoice, less the $2500 rebate. Sal takes it to his manager, and we wait the customary 5 minutes. Sal comes back with $1200 over invoice and asks politely that we consider it. I do not. This is the last 2006 left, he argues. The car is a year old, I remind him. How is it that it takes you that long to sell that car? Sal likes me less now than when I was teaching him about his car's headlights.
And this is where Sal makes a critical mistake. Thinking way back to his sales courses, he tries to relate this situation to a made-up story about his past. His mother, it seems, was the...um...
"Cook?", I offered.
No, turns out she was the peacemaker in the family. When his siblings would fight over something, she would split the difference down the middle. He wrote a number that was $950 over invoice in the piece of paper, offered his hand, and says, "Deal?"
After having to listen to that bit of
, the price just went down in my mind. Now I'm playing hardball, mother#&^*@%.
After failing to extend my hand, he looks hurt. Not only does Sal not like me, but now I've offended his mother.
I explain that I think his deal is OK, but that I have a lot of informed friends on this forum, and want to check with them.
"The car may not be here tomorrow..."
"Then I guess I won't get a chance to buy the car." We start to get up.
Sal, in desperation, knocks another $50 off. "OK?"
"No, as we said, we're going to sit on it for the night."
"Please, let me get my manager."
Sales manager comes back, and after the re-introductions, he writes the $950 over invoice number on the page again.
"That's great, but Sal offered us less five minutes ago." They clearly have their signals crossed.
They talk some more, and we get bored. We start to get up again, and the Sales Manager suggests he drop the "admin fee" (always $295 of our "over invoice" calculation) and writes the $700 over invoice number on the paper. I get my asking price.
"Now this means you don't get the 'Protector Plus' package."
"I'll survive."
Also, because my wife graduated within the past four years, we got
another grad discount. That makes three.
The best part of the story, is from the finance office. We declined the usual rust protection and extended warranties. But suddenly, the price on the bill of sale was back to $1200 over invoice. We catch it before signing, and it is fixed. In signing some of the paperwork, I become confused about what the finance manager is asking of me, and make a self-deprecating joke about how "I'm not that smart."
Without skipping a beat, the finance manager drops his forehead and his voice, looks at me, and says, "Actually, I understand that you are too smart."
Best thing anyone said to me all day. Way better than a made-up story about someone's mother.
