DUDS – Dumb Unilateral Decisions – Car Shopping

Now, I’m the first to admit that one of my hobbies, which my wife does not support, is to take cars…nice cars…for test drives. Some of the sales guys know me and humour me since I am a potential customer. It may be three years after my lease expires, but I will need another car. So, I find the car business fun and interesting.

When the big car companies spend kazillions of dollars on advertising to get customers into their showrooms, you would think they might spend a few bucks on common sense training.

I took a Mercedes Benz for a test drive only to return and learn from the sales guy that there was an error on the price. By the time I returned from the test drive, the vehicle’s price had increased by $5,000. I was shocked, and this turned me, a potential Mercedes Benz new customer, into a very dissatisfied, skeptical, and grumpy person. My hobby wasn’t fun on this day.

Down the street to Lexus I go. Gorgeous car, ventilated seats (very handy when I’m wearing my three piece suit), smooth, quiet, great dealer reputation, and the sales manager seems to enjoy my hobby as much as I do. I want to take the car home to show my wife, the true economic buyer and ultimate decision maker. They want a deposit. Since the car is worth a few bucks, this makes sense to me.

As I’m driving home, excited to show my wife the car, she calls me on my cell phone. “Do you have something to tell me?” she seethes. Sensing something is wrong but having no clue what it might be, I innocently reply “Nope!”

I could tell that she didn’t like my answer. Apparently, Lexus had called our house, spoke to her, and confirmed some details about my ‘deposit.’ Good thing her parents were over for dinner, and I had time (so I thought) to think about the situation.

I slink into the house, regretting my hobby, and she corners me, away from her parents, so as to not make a scene. “Did you just buy a car?” she asks in a furious whisper, which now seems pretty funny, but my life was flashing before my eyes at the time.

“Uhh, no” I answer consistently if not meekly, believing I’m innocent until proven guilty, no matter the evidence. I’ve since changed this approach!

Here eyes and face are approaching the colour of the sun, which likely isn’t good for her complextion, so I keep on going, trying to diffuse the situation. “I just gave them a deposit so that I could bring the car home to show you” was my honest response.

“We’ll talk later” was her molten reply as we headed back down to have a relaxing dinner with her parents. Talking later, well, it didn’t help.

And that’s why I drive a BMW!

Copyright 2010 Phil Symchych. All Rights Reserved.