Scratch All That

I bought a car yesterday. I bought a Mazda 3 with the safety package and other amenities. I bought it off the lot and got very fair deal--not a total steal like my dad prides himself on getting, but a good one--below MSRP. Our payments will be very reasonable per my credit and overall I feel really good about it. Actually I have been rolling my eyes ever since this car fiasco began. Tell me if you see a pattern in how long it takes me to choose things:

Spouse: 3 days

House: 2 days

Dog: Received from Puerto Rico after having seen one photograph

Car: 2 hours

The GOOD part about this is I almost always make great decisions on the fly--it's when I think about them too much that I make bad ones. I showed up to look at the Focus and the Mazda 3, as they are fairly comparable in base price, and drove the Mazda 3 (having driven the Focus for a week before). HUGE DIFFERENCE IN QUALITY. I could feel it when I was driving it. The salesman said that the Mazda 3 is made on the same frame as a Volvo, and that is why it drives like a better car. It sits very differently than the Focus. It responds better, is MUCH quieter, glides over the road like butter on a hot knife, and in my opinion it also looks better. It has a five-star safety rating that my salesman said has helped his customers get breaks on insurance, but I'll reserve judgment on that until I get the insurance bill.

I bought this car alone, but I didn't feel panicky about what my husband would say. He is away for work again. We've had many conversations, but here's the jist of what we discussed:

1) No sense in getting a fancy over-30k car because it will take a beating on the Boston roads and I will want to wash the salt off EVERY DAY in a panic

2) No sense in getting an absolute crap car that won't last more than 7 years, so we wanted quality without paying through the nose for a Volvo or Audi or something

3) His jeep will poop out within five years (it's a 96), so we wanted to get a car for me that would LAST awhile so as to stagger choosing autos

4) I will need something semi-businesslike, which we were debating on the Focus (is it "nice" enough looking? doubtful--for now would be fine but after six years it wouldn't say "business executive-in-training" well.)

and, finally, here is what he said:

5) "This is YOUR car, honey. Get something YOU like to drive. We can afford the payments (within reason)."

So, my Mazda 3 was about 2k more than we would have spent on a Focus. I don't feel guilty about that, even though I otherwise would, because the feel of the car is absolutely superior, the safety is superior, and the resale value of Mazda 3s is considerably higher than a Ford Focus. Also, I generally just don't feel a sense of regret. I always do when I've screwed up, but I don't feel it.

The dealership is very, very convenient to my house--about 15 minutes of "main street" driving rather than highway. Tomorrow morning I have to go get my plates off my Chevy and take them to the dealership, then the salesman is going to follow me home, bring me back to the dealership, and give me a "loaner car" until I come back to pick up my tagged, inspected, washed, shined, and fully insured car (he's handling all of the phone calls and preparation on that). I realize I'm probably paying for all that through the price of the car, but ahhhhhhhhh it's lovely. I'll pick the car up around 4 because I am to pick up my husband at 5 in Milton.

In general, this dealership is similar to many because any time I have work done on my car (free, of course), I get a loaner car for the day if the work will take 4 hours or more. This will likely be negotiable if I *cannot* miss work and the tune up will take a couple of hours--I could always bring the loaner car back and pick up my car at lunch if I brought it in before work. (I'm told they give preferential treatment for loyal, local customers.) Also, they open at 7 for those of us who have to hurry to work and they provide breakfast, internet, phone, etc. They are also open Saturdays. They have roadside assistance anywhere in the country, 24/7 for free and a whole bunch of other perks. I'll tell you what, I am hoping this dealership seems to be as honest as it seemed yesterday because it would be SO nice to be able to trust a dealership to take care of my car. The salesman yesterday seemed honest--told me the specs, offered to show me other cars, even cheaper ones, and said, "I get a flat rate commission, so I don't want to tell you what car you should like--you will like what you will like, and I'm just here to help you test drive and tell you about the cars." I had assumed I'd get a salesman pushing me toward the more expensive cars, but nope. He didn't even show me the fancy car I ended up buying until I said I wanted side air bags, and then I got to test drive THAT one too. My car-buying experience was totally up to me, and he more facilitated than anything. I felt pretty solid about my decision, even though I've never bought a car before and my husband was out of town. I made the best decisions I could, and my husband trusts me. Frankly, in almost every financial situation, we agree, so I'm not worried. He's much more willing to spend money on cars than I am, so I think he'll be excited about a non-Focus.

As an aside, this car has the antenna right in the middle of it. Very symmetrical. I LOVE that.

Now I just have to figure out a way to tell my husband. "Honey, you know how you told me to get what I wanted?...welllllll..."