dissapointment

I think I'm pretty optimistic. I try to think the best of situations and people. I have to say that it backfired this weekend. I had tried to find a car through a guy that some of my dad's co-workers have used in the past. He has his dealer's license, but he mainly finds cars at auction and has them delivered to his clients. I wouldn't call my dealings with him as shady, but he isn't good at following through when he says he'll keep me updated, and he made some assumptions for me that I didn't like. I wanted to assume that he is just busy and that he isn't always good at communication, but if he got me a good deal on a car it would be worth it. But this was the most unprofessional, ridiculous business (almost) transaction I have been in. Now it's laughable how bad it was, but at the time I was pretty irritated by it.

It had been over 3 weeks since I first asked him to look for my car when last Tuesday he bought me a car in FL. When I told him that I could fly down this weekend to pick it up, he said that he could have it to my by Thursday. So I decided to save the extra effort and let him have it delivered. He told me he would keep me posted. Wednesday he told me that I could pick it up on Friday and if that didn't work for me, Saturday morning. I worked a 12 hr shift on Friday then had a party that night, so it would have to be Saturday. We set up an 11am appointment. Saturday morning, as I was driving to my parents' house to pick up my mom (so I could give them back their car and drive mine home) he text messaged me to ask if we could meet at 1pm instead. So I went home and hung out with my family for a little while and then picked up my dad from work since now he could go with me instead of my mom. Man am I glad that I didn't take my mom. It was a very frustrating experience that I don't think she would have enjoyed.

Dad and I were a few minutes from the car showroom he shares with a few other guys when I got a text message saying that he left the car and paperwork with one of the other guys, that it was ready to go, but that he wasn't going to be there. Irritating! Dad and I walked into the showroom and were greeted by the guy, Matt, who was in the middle of helping another client. He didn't know it was us because he told us to feel free to go into the showroom and look around; he would join us when he finished with his current client. We told him we were there for my car and he pointed us it it's direction. We walked out to it and upon first glance my heart sank. There was a 2.5" diameter circle of missing paint in the middle of the hood, and what should have been a glossy black exterior had several dings and scratches. The car emblems on front and back were completely worn. The brakes were worn out, the tires bald, and the interior leather worn and slightly dirty. The headliner was coming down in the back. It just didn't look great.

Matt came out and jumped into the car to pull it out, but the battery was dead- he hadn't closed the door fully that morning. So he had to jump it. He exchanged the emblems for new ones, explained that they had just replaced the windshield, and that there was a part on order that was needed in order for the car to pass emissions. He told me I could bring the car by this week and he would put it in and run the emissions. I told him that the guy hadn't told me of any outstanding issues about the car, so that all this was news to me. Matt was very cocky and insistent that the car was "straight", which I took to mean that it had no issues. However, when the guy was originally telling me how he picked cars at auction, he said he bidded on cars like he was looking for himself. I can guarantee you that he wouldn't have bought this car, at least not in the condition he was selling it to me.

I almost went through with the deal. I signed the papers and wrote the check. But as he pulled the car outside the showroom, it ran out of gas. He sent one of the other guys to get gas for it. As dad and I stood there waiting, he called and talked to mom. She said that I shouldn't settle, which gave me the confidence I needed to recant. We walked back in and told Matt the deal was off. He said that I could try calling the guy to tell him, but that he was probably already playing golf. I'm sorry, but if you're looking to do business, don't change the appointment time and then not even be there when you agree to because you're going to play golf. Dad and I left and immediately went on a hunt to look at other cars for sale that were the same make and model. We looked at 2 other cars that were in the same price range as the one I almost bought that looked nicer.

Then I went and looked at a Trans Am. After wheeling and dealing for over an hour with another cocky salesman who had more tact, I bought another American sportscar, known for its raw power. But because I didn't have cash on me and it was late on a Saturday, I couldn't pay for it. I also didn't have insurance for it. So it sits at the dealer, waiting for me.

It was a big decision for me to make. I had gone that morning thinking I was buying a more practical sports sedan with a manual transmission and I ended up with a beasty sports coupe with an automatic transmission. I must say that I really wanted the manual. But I am happy to have more horse under the hood. It was cheaper than the car I should have had, and it stands out. Big time. But the deal's not totally done and I'm not bound to it, I don't think, so I've wavered a little in my confidence in my decision today. I hope that I'm pleased with this car. The last Trans Am was fun, but it was such a pain too because it had been ridden hard and bore the scars (though not visibly). I hope this car hasn't been treated the same.