Friday involved revising a few payroll deductions (i.e., tax, 401(k), etc.). Then I moved on to cutting back on the cable channels. Right now I'm usually the only one who watches the majority of TV. In the spirit of saving money, I significantly reduced our cable channels but kept the Internet, which results in $75 monthly savings. In addition, my beloved Bravo, Style, and Lifetime shows will still be available On Demand for free, along with a ton of movies, so nothing will really change in my viewing habits.
Next up - the car. Although I truly love my Chrysler 300, it was time to dig in and get a more fuel efficient rig. Michael surprised me by showing up Friday night so Saturday morning we hopped in rig and cruised into the Vancouver Auto Mall for a look-see. The first rule of our investigatory efforts - Michael does all the talking. He knew what I had in mind along with trade in and financing requirements, and he also plays the car dealer game with steel. I simply sat back and watched the show.
First stop was Mazda - nice but not me. We then moved over to Dick Hannah Kia. My original choice was the Soul (yes, funky looking but that's my style); however, the Forte offered much better MPG. There was a Forte EX on the showroom floor - red, spoiler, tinted windows, and 36 MPG on the highway. The salesman Mike gave us the scoop on the Forte. Michael then did a little back and forth with Mike but in the end, we were unable to make a deal so we left the Auto Mall and headed to Kia in Gresham.
After a lovely lunch at Heidi's of Gresham, we stopped off at Weston Kia to explore their inventory. Michael had already browsed their dealership on Friday so I was already aware of what they had based upon his reconnaissance efforts. Denny met us at the door and was eager to meet my needs. He could get me any car in any color - he could even get me the red car from Dick Hannah at an even better price. He was about a 6 on the Slick Willy scale and I didn't have a real good vibe from him. I ended up test driving a black Kia Forte, without all the bells and whistles. It was nice but not as nice as the red one in Vancouver.
It became apparent Denny could not obtain any color in the Forte nor could he obtain the red one I so desired. He also wanted to charge me the same price for the black model as we saw for the red one with more features. After plenty of bantering, back and forth, and game playing, it was finally too much and we called it a night. It appeared slick Denny was not being honest or forthright about what he was able to offer; another salesman jumped in, trying to salvage a sale but it was not to happen. We made our way back to the Chrysler, disappointed with Denny's dishonesty, and hit the road to home.
Sunday morning we awoke refreshed and renewed. I pulled out the laptop and we began crunching numbers to determine how we could achieve my goal - getting top dollar for my trade in and low dollar for a new vehicle. We made a plan, checked it twice, then Michael called our Dick Hannah salesman. He outlined a new deal, in which they had to meet our original trade-in amount from Saturday. Mike the salesman got off the phone to receive verification from his boss and the trade-in amount was approved.
We then hopped in the 300 and made our way back to the Auto Mall, where they had the red Forte all ready to go. Following the test drive, we went back and forth on the final details before finalizing the transaction in under two hours. The red 2013 Kia Forte, with spoiler and tinted windows, was mine! With Michael's negotiation, I received an excellent trade in and a super reduction on the new vehicle price. There's no leather, but this new vehicle will give me significant cost savings in gas ($200+ per month) and my monthly payment is staying virtually the same. In addition, I'll be saving an additional $10 per month for my car insurance!
Thanks to my Michael for his excellent negotiation skills, inability to put up with salesmen B.S., and for keeping my best interests at heart. I love you babe....let's go for a ride!!!
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