So, it's time to start looking for a new car....what do I do? Stick with what I have been driving, go with something more fuel efficient, or go hybrid....there is something in me that nags like the Tell-Tale Heart...go hybrid-go hybrid....
Off I go to test drive cars on a Saturday afternoon. I go into the local Toyota dealership, confess that I have driven semi gas guzzlers for the last 17 years, and ask to test drive a Prius. The sales guy laughs, calls his buddies over, and they laugh. Yes, they laugh at my request.
You see, they tell me that I can't test drive a Prius because they do not have one. They go further and state that no dealer in the Denver Metro area has one. I am still a little suspicious about that fact, but I take their word for it. My salesman hands me a shiny brochure, and begins telling me about the '09 version. Wait, I did not ask about the 09 version. Part of my strategy for looking at cars at this time of the year is that I think they may have some 08 models they want to get rid of. HA....that is not true at all.
The salesman encourages me to give him a 1,000-nonrefundable deposit. So I can order a car....a car I have not driven....oh, and by the way, we are not really sure what the final price will be or when you will really get it. He brings out the spec sheets. Really I think that this man believes I am just going to fill out his form like I am ordering Girl Scout Cookies from my colleague's daughter. That is how casual he seems....
I push to get a test drive...I receive a laugh, again, and a suggestion that I try to rent one to see if I like it. Seems ok and smart at first, but then I think....are you kidding me? You all want me to rent a car, pay for the rental, and then come back and give you 1k for a car I am not so sure that I like? "Do you have a rental agency you work with", I inquire. NOPE they say back to me...this is absurd! I leave....and go test drive another SUV @ the Honda dealership.
Still the nagging....go hybrid, go hybrid....in my head....guess what I did today? I called 4 different car rental agencies looking for a Prius to rent for the weekend. I still do not have a Prius, but I do have a reservation for a car. My instructions were to call the night before to see if they have one. If they do, they will "save" if for me.
See, why I feel like Kermit???
