A while ago, years ago, Leslie picked out a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix (used) for herself. Nich and I went with her, and he helped her decide - incredibly cute to watch a 10 year-old take notes on different car features and discuss them with his mother. And he was pretty sharp about it, really helped us make a decision (well, it was Leslie's decision, but she asked for my opinion).
Anyway, I was at the casino last night (I was earning my comic book money) and I got a call from her that she needed help. Turned out that the ignition was doing something odd - she could remove the key and the car would turn off, except the transmission indicator would remain lit.
So I called a car-pro buddy of mine who came over and looked at it. Turns out that it's fixable by her pressing a button as she takes the key out, so the battery won't drain. But it started our conversation about a new car, which we started over a year ago.
We had the conversation again this morning, and she's decided that she doesn't want to drive her Grand Prix into the dirt. So at the end of this month, on the last day, at the last hour, we're going to go to a Toyota dealer and negotiate to buy a Prius. If I'm lucky, I can get the monthly payments down below $500 a month (over 48 months), but it depends on what they have in stock. We may end up driving one off the lot that is cheaper, but with fewer options - It'll be Leslie's car, and she doesn't give a tinker's cuss about options.
I'll be spending the next few weeks studying the Prius and the options and the pricing, in order to negotiate the best deal I can. Meanwhile, I'm excited that Leslie will be in a new car, as I'll feel safer about her being on the road with something new. I know she's a grown woman and incredibly capable, but I still worry. And that piece of crap that she currently drives always has me nervous. Sometimes it sucks to care about someone. But just the tiniest bit.
The Gift
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[Christmas, 1965 or thereabout]
The boy was very young; perhaps 7 or 8 years old. He loved everything about
Christmas - the lights, the music, Santa ...
8 months ago
5 Comments:
Best of luck on your purchase. The Prius, a wonderful choice!!! May it run forever, always... :)
-- Dave
Funny. I have a '97 Pontiac Grand AM. Great car.
And, uh, if I might inquire, as an old gambler: HOW were you earning your comics money?
Advice my Mom received from an actual car dealer: Never buy new. Buy gently used, perform maintenance religiously, drive it into the ground.
A new Prius is pretty pricey, and drive any new car off the lot and you could lose as much as 25% of it's value.
I'm just suggesting you check out autotrader in the course of your research. You want to get the best deal you can on such a substantial investment.
Of course, I'm probably preaching to the choir here...
Luvs you Stu!
I second what Sharfa said... Excellent advice for any car purchase.
Actually, in Los Angeles, we'll only save about a thousand dollars on a used model from last year. To me, there's nothing like the satisfaction and lack of stress in knowing that the vehicle is being cared for properly. When you buy used, you *never* know what it's been through previously. To me, it's more than worth the extra money.
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