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Show ( O, f JCIST STUFF L Unlike most women, shopping ( has never been one of my most fa vorite things to do. I don't mind spending money (if I have some to ' spend) and I enjoy new things as much as anyone. I just don't like to shop. In fact, I detest shopping. I'm not sure if it's the looking that I don't like, or making the final fi-nal decision to purchase. I'm just I not a shopper. I like to be able to I go into a store, find what I want I and buy it. No matter what it is. Unfortunately, there are some i things for which that type of shop- ping is just not feasible nor advis able. Like buying a new automobile. automo-bile. Kraig and I decided that it was time to trade in my car and get a new set of wheels. We were resigned re-signed to the fact that we were going go-ing to have to dig ourselves deeper into debt, but when you're already in over your head, we figured, what's a few more feet? ! Buying a new car is an interest ing lask and can be divided into the 5 D's Driving, Dickering, Dealing, Deal-ing, Deciding, then, depending on the decision, either Debt or Do-it-' i all-over-again. In our attempt to find the best deal, we came to the realization that most car dealers are about the same. They all claim they "are the best in town," "can beat the other guys" and "have the best service in the state." But gone are the pushy, plaid-jacketed, loud-mouthed salesmen sales-men we all know and love to laugh I ; at. Instead, there are soft-sell, ! ' friendly, I'm - going - to - sell - you - this - car - with - a - smile -if - it - kills - me type salesmen. Still a bit pushy, but with a smile and gentle shove. j We found that every dealership i is equipped with an entourage of enthusiastic salesmen eager to sell us a vehicle. And every salesman I has access to a little office that he could use when it came time to Dicker and Deal. All salesmen speak in such terms as "Where do we have to be?" and "Let's not play around what's your bottom line," or "What do we have to do to let you drive that vehicle home today?" to-day?" Buying a new vehicle can be rather discouraging. I paid an arm and a leg for my car; I couldn't even get a little toe for it, and they wanted more than a pound of flesh for a new one! We shopped and looked, dickered and drove, until we were tired of wheeling and dealing. The thing that finally made our decision wasn't that we made the deal of a lifetime or found the car that we absolutely couldn't live without. No, we finally had just had enough from my car. Every place we looked, which wasn't just one or two spots, came up with something different that was wrong with my car. And it was a legitimate "something," not just something they had dreamed up to decrease the value of the vehicle a buzz here, a rattle there, a ping in the engine or a hitch in the get along. As we got out of my car at this particular lot I asked Kraig what was leaking from the car. "Oh, it's just the air conditioner," he replied. It sounded logical. We'd had trouble with that, too. A few hours later, after we'd looked and talked and were trp.ttino sp.rinns nhonf nns ve hicle, the used car appraiser came in and said "Did you know that your water pump was going out?" "No!" we said, in sincere surprise. "Well, that car won't get you across town," he said. We lived clear across town and around a few bends! Buying a car simply to make it home from the car dealership is, perhaps, a poor excuse to buy a vehicle, but we Drove, we Dickered, Dick-ered, we Dealt, we Decided and we are definitely in Debt, but we're sure delighted with our new automobile. |