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in which our hero procures an automobile
Dec. 1st, 2006 11:12 pmAnd the winner is the Scion xA.
I drove![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
frobzwiththingz's xB (the Kenmore) yesterday, and liked it, but it was a reach down to the shifter, a long reach to the rear-view mirror, etc. Francie would probably hate driving it. OTOH, it does come in screaming crayola green, as well as safety yellow; OTOOH, dealers don't tend to stock challenging colors, so it might be a problem finding one, especially in manual transmission.
I test-drove the Toyota Yaris sedan (even though I'd told them I was only looking at 4-door hatchbacks - Yaris is a 4-door sedan or 2-door hatchbach); it has the same drivetrain as the Scions, and it claims even better mileage (better aerodynamics?), but I just didn't like it as much.
Test-drove the Toyota Matrix as well, but again didn't like it as much as the xA. It has more cargo space, and a fold-down front passenger seat for long cargo, but not as good mileage, and I found it hard to shift.
The xA is in some ways the polar opposite of the xB - small and cute vs. big and...love it or hate it.
I won't actually take delivery until the 11th, after I get back from a week at the corporate Mothership in California. Partly because I wanted a color the dealer didn't have in stock (but which they verified they could get from 3 other area dealers), partly because I paid by personal check out of a brokerage account, and that requires a 10-day hold (they apparently can't figure out when my check has cleared, only whether it's bounced).
Anyway, big shout-out to David Brown of the Auto Advisors, who was with me on the phone the last two days, and with me in the dealership for 3 hours this morning. He'll help you decide on a car, if you need that. He'll help you arrange financing, if you need that. He's got pre-negotiated deals on negotiable stuff, and he'll go to the dealer with you to make sure you're treated well. In the event, Scion has non-negotiable pricing, and I wasn't going to buy the extended warranty, Lojack, Simonizing, or pre-paid service, so I could have gotten the car from any Scion dealer, but by that point I figured David was entitled to his cut, and his credibility with the dealer. It turns out that his cut comes from the dealer's advertising budget, so the sales guy doesn't lose any of his commission, my credit union doesn't pay anything, and I don't pay anything. It's practically a free lunch. The dealer gets a stream of pre-qualified customers who they can sell to without a lot of work; the credit union gets more of the financing business; and I get someone else to find a car for me, and find a dealer who won't try to sleaze me. The downside is that he has a small pool of dealers who are willing to work this way, so my new car will be waiting for me in Framingham, about 40 miles from here. Anyway, David's a nice guy, and the phone number on the home page is his personal cell phone.
Yikes, that wasn't supposed to be an ad, it's just where my head's been for the last two days. This has been a huge distraction, at a time when I don't really need it - final project for the design class, Arisia, Christmas shopping, and that's not to mention the trip to California to meet with a cow-orker from Texas to have discussions that could just as easily have been done by teleconference. Except it seems to carry more weight to say "I disbelieve in your little fantasy world" in person. Even that wouldn't matter, but if this project becomes the tar baby that I suspect it will, it would be nice if it wasn't a tar baby rolled in shit. Oops, sorry, that was the cynic talking.
Oh, and while I was at the dealership, the insurance company called - the car is totalled (big surprise), and is worth $800, plus $40 sales tax refund(?!). Assuming the deductable applies, I'll be getting the princely sum of $340, which is frankly about what I might have gotten on trade-in in running condition.
I drove
frobzwiththingz's xB (the Kenmore) yesterday, and liked it, but it was a reach down to the shifter, a long reach to the rear-view mirror, etc. Francie would probably hate driving it. OTOH, it does come in screaming crayola green, as well as safety yellow; OTOOH, dealers don't tend to stock challenging colors, so it might be a problem finding one, especially in manual transmission.I test-drove the Toyota Yaris sedan (even though I'd told them I was only looking at 4-door hatchbacks - Yaris is a 4-door sedan or 2-door hatchbach); it has the same drivetrain as the Scions, and it claims even better mileage (better aerodynamics?), but I just didn't like it as much.
Test-drove the Toyota Matrix as well, but again didn't like it as much as the xA. It has more cargo space, and a fold-down front passenger seat for long cargo, but not as good mileage, and I found it hard to shift.
The xA is in some ways the polar opposite of the xB - small and cute vs. big and...love it or hate it.
I won't actually take delivery until the 11th, after I get back from a week at the corporate Mothership in California. Partly because I wanted a color the dealer didn't have in stock (but which they verified they could get from 3 other area dealers), partly because I paid by personal check out of a brokerage account, and that requires a 10-day hold (they apparently can't figure out when my check has cleared, only whether it's bounced).
Anyway, big shout-out to David Brown of the Auto Advisors, who was with me on the phone the last two days, and with me in the dealership for 3 hours this morning. He'll help you decide on a car, if you need that. He'll help you arrange financing, if you need that. He's got pre-negotiated deals on negotiable stuff, and he'll go to the dealer with you to make sure you're treated well. In the event, Scion has non-negotiable pricing, and I wasn't going to buy the extended warranty, Lojack, Simonizing, or pre-paid service, so I could have gotten the car from any Scion dealer, but by that point I figured David was entitled to his cut, and his credibility with the dealer. It turns out that his cut comes from the dealer's advertising budget, so the sales guy doesn't lose any of his commission, my credit union doesn't pay anything, and I don't pay anything. It's practically a free lunch. The dealer gets a stream of pre-qualified customers who they can sell to without a lot of work; the credit union gets more of the financing business; and I get someone else to find a car for me, and find a dealer who won't try to sleaze me. The downside is that he has a small pool of dealers who are willing to work this way, so my new car will be waiting for me in Framingham, about 40 miles from here. Anyway, David's a nice guy, and the phone number on the home page is his personal cell phone.
Yikes, that wasn't supposed to be an ad, it's just where my head's been for the last two days. This has been a huge distraction, at a time when I don't really need it - final project for the design class, Arisia, Christmas shopping, and that's not to mention the trip to California to meet with a cow-orker from Texas to have discussions that could just as easily have been done by teleconference. Except it seems to carry more weight to say "I disbelieve in your little fantasy world" in person. Even that wouldn't matter, but if this project becomes the tar baby that I suspect it will, it would be nice if it wasn't a tar baby rolled in shit. Oops, sorry, that was the cynic talking.
Oh, and while I was at the dealership, the insurance company called - the car is totalled (big surprise), and is worth $800, plus $40 sales tax refund(?!). Assuming the deductable applies, I'll be getting the princely sum of $340, which is frankly about what I might have gotten on trade-in in running condition.
