Thinking about getting a new car can be like a sickness or compulsion. Once you start thinking about it, it’s like a dog with a bone. I was very happy with my nine-year old Lexus RX 350 (SUV). Then some friends picked me up in their new car. I asked what it was, and they said it was a Lexus RX 350! What a difference nine years had made. So, the bug had bit me.
If I leased for three years, it would cost less. And in three years, I could see if I were still driving. I checked the value of my low milage Lexus with Kelley Blue Book and came up with $18,000 to $20,000. CarMax would give me $18,000. Take that off of a three-year lease and boom, I’m golden. My Lexus salesman from nine years ago was still there and we set up a meeting. Compulsive, who’s compulsive?
I drove the car and it was great. I was hooked. We picked out the color and the interior. I told him I wanted to trade in my Lexus. He took the keys and had someone check it over. Later, he came rushing up to me, all excited, and said, “Write this down, $15,000!” Well, that was that. We who are elderly are always concerned about someone taking advantage of us and I felt an attempt had just been made. As I told him later on the phone, when the clock strikes 13, you begin to wonder about the first 12.
Well, Lexus was no longer an option, but the fever was still there. I got the name of a salesperson at BMW and started the process over. I drove an X 3 (SUV) and liked it a lot. The salesman said he had other X3s with more powerful engines. I asked him if the car I was driving had more power than my Lexus. He said, “Oh, sure.” I told him that was all I needed. We picked out the color and interior and he advised that he had the exact car I wanted in a reserve lot somewhere close. The issue of trading in my Lexus had disappeared as I was shipping it to my daughter, Becky, in Arizona. We decided I would pick up the car the next week. I arrived early for my 1:00 appointment, but there was no car and no salesman. At 1:30, someone came up and advised me that my salesman was retrieving my car and would be there shortly. Now, don’t get ahead of me. At 2:00, my salesman showed up in a car that had three months of dirt and pollen on it. He said the crew had cleaned and detailed the wrong car (now, I wonder if that was true).
We decided on a change in plans. I would next meet with the BMW “genius” and she would explain all the bells and whistles. When she arrived, she took my cell phone and linked it to the car. Then, she got a call and disappeared. Thirty minutes later, the salesman came back and ask how it was going. I told him I had lost her. He checked and told me that she had just found out that her dog had died, and she was in the back crying. There are certain things you cannot complain about, and this was definitely one.
So, the new plan was that the car would disappear to be cleaned and I would do the paperwork. Then, they would find another BMW “genius” to help me. While waiting around, I saw the young lady and told her I was sorry about her dog. She smiled and thanked me.
The rest of the afternoon went slow but steady. Because of the delays, they were going to give me a free Cilajet coating for my car. Don’t feel badly if you don’t know what that is, I didn’t either. The second BMW “genius” set up everything I requested. But since she did everything and I just watched, I wasn’t sure what I was learning. This was confirmed on the way home when I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the radio!
We set up an appointment for the Cilajet treatment the next week. When I arrived, I had no appointment, but 30 minutes later, my salesman showed up, grabbed my key fob and made it happen. While there I saw the young lady who had lost her dog. She recognized me and said hello. I asked how she was doing. She smiled and said, “Great, and the vet did a wonderful job of fixing up my dog.”