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Shopping for Cars

I mentioned in my last entry that we were trying to buy a new car. Let me state upfront that I hate car shopping. Hate it with a passion. I don't get excited about cars, and I hate the "let me talk to my manager and see what we can do" bullshit that every car salesperson engages in. I hate when they want to negotiate the payment and not the price of the car. I'm not stupid. I know that a lower payment over a longer period of time means that I will pay you more money. I also know that you can pay $100 dollars a month for ever and still not be done paying off a loan (see also: student loans). I hate when they get in the back seat of the car and point out really obvious features like the glove compartment. The whole process irritates me.

We have to replace my car because quite honestly, I'm surprised its lasted this long. The gas guage no longer works meaning the fuel pump is ready to give out. The plastic covers over the door locks and windows are falling off. The airbag light likes to come on, but no repair person has ever been able to explain way. The passenger window control will roll the window up, but not down. There is hail damage all over the hood and the dent where my neighbor backed a U-Haul into the front panel is now rusting nicely. I drive a piece of shit 1998 GMC Jimmy. My name is Jennifer. I like the cool stuff - booya.

Ryan likes cars that go fast. He hates the earth and doesn't care that he is looking at small hatchbacks that get the same gas mileage as my older and larger SUV. I've all but given up on influencing the car choice at this point, because I have no better suggestions. Thus we are looking at purchasing either a Subaru WRX or a Volkswagen GTI. Oh - and he wants the car to be manual versus automatic. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I would think with a kid on the way, a slightly larger car in an automatic would be the way to go. Ryan insists otherwise. Because both of these cars are cheaper than the vehicles I've suggested, I've decided to give up the fight and move towards the point of selecting the final vehicle. And this, my friends, is where the real suck starts.

Have I mentioned that I hate car shopping? Our first lovely experience was at the Subaru dealer. Ryan was convinced that he wanted to buy the most outrageous 300 horsepower WRX STI despite the fact that I could purchase an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series for the same price. Begrudgingly, I went along to the dealership to see this wonderous automobile that would CHANGE MY LIFE!!! Luckily, we ended up with a 3 month old salesperson who was a blubbering idiot. He unsold that car in no less than 7 minutes. He informed us that the 2009 standard WRX would be out soon with 265 horsepower and heated seats (woo!) He then proceeded to get jumper cables so that he could start the STI for a test drive. People - this is a brand new car with a sticker that read over $38,000. JUMPER CABLES! On the test drive, he blabbered on about the stupid things he's heard the salespeople do with Subarus in the winter to test their offroad capabilities including driving both this car and another into a big ditch and trying to see which could get out first. Slowly, but surely, the sheen of the car faded. By the time we left the lot, Ryan had crossed the STI off the list and we were only considering the new WRX. I feel as if I should send that salesperson a Chili's gift card as a thank you for saving me over $8,000.

The other car we are looking at is the Volkswagen GTI. From a creature comforts perspective, I'm a bigger fan of the GTI. It is a bit more refined than the WRX, however the WRX does have all-wheel drive and a better reliability record. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to test drive the GTI yet because the dealership closest to me closed down and the other dealership we went to didn't have any on the lot. Weird, right?

Either way, I just want Ryan to make a decision so we can be done with the whole affair. Any minute now, I have a feeling my Jimmy is going to shed a passenger door while I'm driving down the highway just to piss me off. I really hate cars.

12:05 p.m. - September 16, 2008

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