Vroom Vroom.

It occured to me as I pulled out of the second car dealership in a row without actually looking at anything that the reason I have problems car shopping is that it embodies all the things I hate about shopping. You can't browse without being "helped". You can't buy anything without a salesman. The price might be the price or might not. The sticker has lots of installed things but 2 other people will try to sell additional items later. It's everything annoying you can put into one transaction.

This time I did all my footwork online. I had no clear "gotta have it" model like last time. I looked at many different options. I was limited by not wanting to spend the national debt on a vehicle. I was limited again by needing a vehicle that can take the family and dog on a road trip (hub's car is just too small for that). I had a short list when I headed out.

In the end I didn't look at one model I wanted to consider as a longshot because 1) I couldn't figure out where to park at the dealership and 2) I couldn't figure out where the door was for the dealership. It was a long shot anyway and it was too much trouble for me to deal with it. I truthfully think it didn't have dog crate space anyway so no loss.

After I exited dealer 2 I went home to regroup. Lunch, potty break and brief talk with hubs and I was out again. This time I had pretty much decided what I wanted. Sadly there wasn't much choice but really there's only 2 things about the available vehicle that I would have changed. I wouldn't have chosen to pay extra for sporty wheels (what's the point) and red was not my first choice of color. But needless to say I am now the owner of a little red mini-suv.

So my new toy is smaller than the mommy mobile was but still adequate. It only took me 4.5 hours of dealship agony to purchase. The first 1/2 hour 45 minutes was looking and talking and test driving. Then the computer system was loopy. Then there was the valuation (not very much) of the trade-in. Then talk to the mgr for a price. Then do the paperwork. Then wait while he goes to make a copy. Then wait while he goes to the financing lady. At the 3.5 hour mark he took me back to the "customer service manager" her job was to sell me under coat, top coat, rust protection, lo-jack and (almost) all the other add on's. I said no thank you she went out to "check something". She came back to tell me my previous vehicle had an undercoating and ask why I didn't want theirs (to the tune of $1200). When I told her my research indicated they weren't worth the cost. She started in on some other thing and I flipped. I went off on this poor lady. Yelling to get my old car key back to me because I changed my mind. Ooh baby did I make a scene. Funny how I no longer had to wait to get into the finance lady. Instant service just to keep me from walking.

Finance and I went around a couple times trying to figure out the pricing (she wasn't actually ripping me off, it just looked that way at first). Then she tried to sell me the extended warranty. Fortunately she knew I'd gone off once and took no for an answer, graciously.

After that it only took an hour to remove the tags from the old car, prep the new car and actually let me have the darn thing. I was so ready to flee by then. But then the sales guy was going to fill the tank and at these prices I wasn't going to say no to that so we drove out to the gas station where I was saved the drive back to the dealership only by the fact that another salesman was there at the same time.

So it took the whole freaking day, but I have a new car. I also have a car payment (boo) but hopefully the next time I have to do this my child will be old enough to drive.