One of the first steps into adult-hood for me will be buying my first car by myself. I've owned my 98 Olds Intrigue since I was 16 and she has been there through thick and thin. Currently we're at the thin part of our relationship; every part of her is broken or dying and there is no hope of a return. I've been putting off car shopping for months now, taking my dad's advice to drive her into the ground so to save as much possible.
Last week must have been the ground because after I took a test at my satellite campus the engine wouldn't turn. I made a promise to myself not to put anymore money into the succubus I call my car so that was it. My tax return sits idly waiting for an impulse buy so I decided it should go to a shiny new car!
Like any over eager shopper, I started my search by making my budget at $10,000. The cars were definitely shiny and almost new. I found a BEAU-tiful 2007 Nissan Altima that met all of my needs. But the bank seems to think differently, I got to the dealership today to be greeted by your run of the mill salesman who was wouldn't answer direct questions and pulled the puppy dog sale on me. Needless to say my dad (Big Mike we'll call him) and I weren't impressed and Big Mike gave him a piece of his mind. So naturally we left, and ate lunch, then test drove a station wagon (eek!), then went to see a Saturn that was getting work done. The day started to feel REALLY long when another slimy car dealer insisted his brakes were fine when they CLEARLY weren't. We obviously decided to throw in the towel for the day and keep looking.
At the end of the day I'd rather not fully embrace my independence because Big Mike will always be there to duke it up for you :-)
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