The Princess Buys a Car!

Okay so this really has not much to do with miles, but I will tie miles into the story, I promise!

As of this past weekend I was still driving the car I went away to college in, my 1990 Red Nissan 240SX Sport Edition. I thought I was the coolest thing on 4 wheels! Well now this it is 2003 it isn’t exactly the coolest thing nor is the most reliable thing anymore.

My dad and I started scouring the paper for a good deal on a late model used car. My sports car days are over, so I decided a SUV was the way to go. I test drove a few and my dad MADE me walk away from a very cool black 2000 Grand Cherokee. My dad said it was too much for that particular car. My dad said he didn’t understand why women get so emotional about particular cars and didn’t understand why I came home and whined and lamented about wanting THAT car. He said a better deal was to be had. Reluctantly, I agreed and drove home in my old car.

Saturday was a new day and we hit the other Jeep dealership in town. There on the lot was a sparkling 2001 White Jeep Grand Cherokee decked out to the nines with all the things I wanted, and the price was reasonable. Once again Dad, the voice of reason, said I shouldn’t jump into anything without letting our mechanic look at the car first. Of course it was Saturday and the mechanic wasn’t open on Saturday so once again I had to drive off in the old college car.

I had to wait till Monday morning for the mechanic’s shop to open. This made for a very long weekend. I went Monday morning back to the dealership so I could pick up the car and drive it over to the mechanic’s shop. The car was given a clean bill of health except for a few minor cosmetic items and the fact that it needed new tires.

Dad and I drove back to the dealership to do a few more negotiations. Okay really Dad did all the negotiating, even though it was my money. All I did was sit there just ready to burst inside. Every time the guy left to “talk to the manager” I would blurt out to my dad “I WANT THAT CAR.” He just continued to tell me not to get emotional about a car. We all finally came to consensus. I have no idea why I can’t negotiate a car deal. I can wheel and deal at work all day long but the thought of buying a car sends chills up my spine! The manager finally just came down to the little sales guy’s office because the poor little sales guy must have made about 10 trips down this little hall. Part of the agreement was new tires which Dad thought were absolutely necessary and that I shouldn’t go any further without them. The dealership needed to order the special tires that I wanted and they agreed to fix the few problems I found. So, once again, there would be no car for the princess today.

Now here is where my mileage earning came into play. I have heard that a few dealerships balk at taking credit cards for a car, but I figured I should take a chance and see what happens. I asked and they said no problem, we take them all. I whipped out my SPG Amex and asked them to put my $8,000 deposit on the card. The card was run through the little machine and was accepted without even a call. AMAZING! I figured it would take at least one phone call to Amex to get it approved for such a large amount.

Reluctantly I drove off once again without my new car but at least I knew I would have it in a day or two. Patience is not a virtue I have in my repertoire.

Wednesday finally came and my car was finally ready. Bryan the salesman drove it out to the house and I am now the proud owner of 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Sport Edition.

Congratulations...looks like a beauty!

Congratulations!

I went through a similar experience when I bought my 99 Explorer.

I took the day off work and my dad and I went to about eight Ford dealerships in Dallas. I knew EXACTLY what make/model/color/features I wanted and so we would go straight to that car on the lot and get a quote. No test driving, nothing.

He would then take me to the next Ford dealer, show them the quote from the last dealership and ask them to do better.

Finally we got to the last dealership (which is the one he WANTED to deal with) and he sat down and negotiated.

We went through the same ordeal. Every time they would leave the room, I would say "I WANT that car!". Every time he would tell me to be quiet and prepare myself to walk away.

Luckily, we got to a great deal... and then I got to drive it home late late that night!

I am glad I am not the only professional adult out their that took her dad car shopping to be the negotiator!

My dad took me to the first dealer to watch him. He then made me go to the second dealer alone and I did the negotiating. He helped with the car deposit though, so it worked out fine.

Its time to buy a new car though. Now I have to buy him a ticket back to Seattle to do it.

lala

Congrats Princess. It's always fun to tie in the purchase of a new vehicle with our FF habits.

Enjoy!

Cheers. Dogstar.

Hmm.. try that trick with a BMW dealer.. especially one in CA.. you'll be lucky if they'll sell to you at MSRP.. but there are other tricks to get discounts..

I fly to Munich Germany to pick up my BMWs and save about 7% over MSRP in the process.. Quick MR to MUC (8000 miles) drive up and down the autobahn at 130mph for a bit, drop off the car, fly home.. BMW does the rest

Try it folks its fun.. got my 330cic for 4k off list.. and It was one of the first 100 built.

Congratulations on the new car!

Don't you just feel great that you got 8,000 "free" FF miles for buying your car? I did that when my parents last bought a car. They called me when they were ready to buy and I gave the dealer my AMEX #. Free miles!

So I need to vent a little. I sent this same trip report to some close friends minus the part of the FF miles and down payment amount just to let everyone know how excited I was about my new car and one of my friends wrote back and said

I was in shock and offended. This is the same friend who sends me tons of pictures of her three kids and all their accomplishments along with pictures of her new house, that by the way was bought for her by her parents. I think she is way out of line. Any opinions?

I think she is way out of line too. This sounds like a case of sour grapes or jealousy to me.

Friends like to share in each others proud moments and it sounds like you have really been looking forward to a new car for a long time.

Geez... it isn't like you got a new car a month ago and then traded up for another... and I certainly don't see anything frivilous or boastful about your report.

Sorry that she spoiled your glow.

I too agree, she was out of line! Boy, of course you're excited about a new car, its not like you get one every year. Also, the who story behind it was the more to the point. You didn't just walk in, plunk down your hard cash (receiving no mileage points) and drive out. This was an EVENT, so from me and other FT'ers Good Luck and Happy Driving

Your friend is out of line. Sheesh, I don't even know you and I am genuinely happy for you...always wear your seat belt and change the oil every 3 or 4k miles!

My wife and I gave up working with the miserable Volvo dealerships in northern Virginia (Don Beyers Volvo is the worst in the US!!!) and ended up getting the deal we wanted from a tiny little combo Chevy-Volvo dealership in rural Pennsylvania near Scranton. They must have had 500 Chevys and 5 Volvos. Anyway, they allowed me to put the tax, title and tags on a mileage earning credit card to the tune of around $2,500. However, since they were in Pennsylvania and I reside in Virginia, they made errors on the paperwork...Fed Ex'd me a refund check for the full amount originally placed on the credit card and some new documents to sign. Sent back the corrected documents and they recharged the $2,500 to the credit card again! Woohoo! 5,000 free miles.

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[This message has been edited by MileageAddict (edited 01-10-2003).]

Your last par. about your friend stated it all. Your "friend" even though an adult and a parent, is still being supported by her parents. She actually sounds envious more than anything else.

You purchased the car due to your hard-earned work ethic.

You should be proud.

[This message has been edited by ljp99 (edited 01-10-2003).]

I don't like your friend very much.

I don't like your friend either! By the way, I thought my daughter was the 1 and only Princess