After years of having lovable, high maintenance, “mature” cars, I have treated myself to something very special indeed. I have a beautiful new car. Prior to now, the idea of having a brand new car was practically appalling what with depreciation and all of that. Before last Monday I thought it would be at least another four to six months before I would consider buying a new car. It’s amazing how concepts change when things are on sale!
On Monday, 12 October 2009, I was doing laundry and noticed I was running low on detergent and was reminded I had been out of fabric softener for about two months. I got ready and put together a small shopping list and was setting out to go to Costco to pick up a few sundries when something unexpected happened. After a weekend of not driving my old car, I had a small moment of anxiety over whether it would start. And what if that squeak I heard the other day means the axle will fall off and what would happen then I would be stuck on the freeway or even worse I-could-get-hit-by-A-SEMI-TRUCK-THEWORLDCOULDENDOMG!
So on my way to Costco I stop at the Kia dealership to test drive the new Kia Forte. It’s a beautiful car and if I had been blessed with a small stroke or a sugardaddy at that moment, I would have purchased one. Instead of having a stroke deprive me of my good sense or a handsome rich man buy me a new toy, I was treated to the rather aggravating and disrespectful behavior of the salesman on that lot. He was rather scumtastic and after some very “special” accounting methods which I think my mortgage company should be made aware of. That way I could buy my home while only magically paying them half of what traditional accounting methods would indicate.
(Don’t take this as a reflection against Kia at all, however. I loved my Kia and am generally completely in love with Kia and their parent company Hyundai. They both manufacture amazing vehicles which are grossly under-appreciated and undervalued. As we all know, some car salesmen are just scabs.)
In a fit of pique (and while coming down off of the crack which is driving a new car) I drove directly to the Hyundai dealership to see what they had to offer. I test drove a couple cars and after seeing the price tag on the 2009 Accent and how fun it is to drive, I promptly spent the next hour brutalizing over the bo dy color and trim I wanted. The price was unbeatable, the car a joy to drive, the dealership I worked with were amazing. I had been giving this whole idea a great amount of thought and so I went ahead and dove in. I justified it with the understanding that cold weather is upon us here in Utah and I want something reliable I can count on to get me to work. I felt that was a pretty foolproof justification at the time. Now I justify it with the sheer amount of happiness it brings me.
I had set out to buy laundry detergent and fabric softener and just a few hours later I ended up driving home with a new car instead.