Buying A New Car.....

Any way you look at it, getting a new car is a major purchase, and a major undertaking. I don't find the process a pleasant one. Whenever that much money is on the table, sales people do all kinds of things to complete the sale. In addition to spending your money, you will be burning your time. Plenty of it.

Goodbye to the Mazda MoneyPit.

Actually, this is my wife's new car. My car is doing fine. My wife had been driving a 2007 Mazda CX-7. When it was new, it was great, and even fun to drive. It was as stylish as an SUV could get. All wheel drive, navigation, leather seats, the works. Over the years we used it plenty driving back and forth to various college campuses. Moving kids in and out and road trips. But as time  went by the car became extremely unreliable.  I have never spent more money on repairs on any other car in my life. It became a nightmare!

Now you could ask why I didn't get rid of it sooner. But it would need repairs frequently. These repairs were major expenses that made the car virtually useless until repaired. For example, a few weeks ago the power window motor broke. It's tough to sell a car on a rainy day with the windows down. But finally it was repaired, so it was time for it to go.

Now on to the process of finding a new car. This is my wife's car, so I had to listen to her needs and desires in the search. She likes SUV's so you sit up high and get a good view. She also loves all the new safety features that are usually only available on brand new models.

First, I showed her a slightly used BMW SUV. I loved it, but she hated it. It had too many controls and gadgets she was not familiar with. She drove a Buick, but didn't like it for an unknown reason. But eventually she found some cars she was comfortable in. She really liked a Kia she tried. She was also comfortable in the Ford.

2017 Subaru Forester Touring

The Kia salesperson seemed to be a good guy. But all I will remember from there was that he frequently had to bring his very young son with him to work. He was exceptionally well behaved and quiet, coloring while Dad was off working with customers. But actually, it made me sad. Kids that age should be laughing and running around.

The Ford car and test drive was great. But the Ford sales guys were a piece of work. Code words and phrases like, "What can I do to make a deal today?" and "What monthly payment do you need to be at?" Then we got two-teamed by bringing in the boss. Always a pleasure. But the Mrs. held her ground and said she wanted to look at one more dealer.

We went to a Subaru dealer. Our daughter, the microbiologist, now has her second Subaru and is quite satisfied. While not too sporty looking, they do have reputation for being great cars. She took a test drive and loved it. Plus, most importantly, they had a blue one. She wound up picking a model that had almost every conceivable option. The sales lady took great care in explaining the features to my wife. That' a good thing because I had never used all these safety features.

Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist: Somethings watching the road,,
even if the driver isn't.

Not only does this car beep if you go into the next lane, it will steer the wheel back on track. It will apply the brakes automatically to avoid an accident. It will adjust your cruise control if the car in front of you is traveling at a different rate. you can press a button for the weather. You can press another button to find nearby gas, sorted by price!

So, my long Mazda nightmare is over. I say Whoop-de-doo for our Subaru!