Thursday, May 28, 2009

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

My car needed servicing. Regular servicing to be sure, overdo for an oil change, replacement of air filters, windshield wipers worn out when it's been raining pretty consistently for the past two weeks (we really needed it and I have no problem with it continuing as long as we get some sun time to let the steam rise on the weekends). The thing that nagged at me was the squeaking noise that seemed to be emanating from the wheels and was telling me I had a brake issue developing. Some things I will let go for a while, like a general washing of the vehicle, or changing oil somewhat beyond 5000 miles instead of at 3000. But tires and brakes have to be right or they become dangerous very quickly.

So as soon as I had more than an hour to spare, I went to my dealer (who does oil changes as cheaply and quickly as any quick change specialist and allows me the chance to gaze longingly at the Ferraris next door) and told them what to look for and then call me before starting any work. I was gonna wander. By the way, in addition to the necessary servicing, my car is on a lease which is up in 4 months, and I was also already on the verge of crossing my yearly mileage allowance, which I knew would happen the day I got the car not quite two years ago. The gas tank was on fumes. Ok so maybe I had some ideas when I got there.

Instead of going to the Ferrari side of the shop, I went to the regular side and immediately saw my salesman Husein, from whom I have bought every new car I've ever bought, and who came right up and greeted me by name. This means I've seen the guy once every year and a half or so for six years, exactly 4 times, today being the fourth. I would like to think I am just that memorable a guy, but honestly, I think Husein is just a talented salesman and has learned the art of memory. At that moment the call came from the service department that the brakes were weirdly shot and everything altogether was going to run between $400 and $500.

My intent was to essentially do a straight swap and exchange the '07 Honda Civic I was driving and extremely pleased with, with a new one and keep the same payment, extended terms, more mileage and no cash out. Apparently my return customer status granted me a little juice since my credit score though excellent in normal times, was just under the current ridiculous line for top-rated credit. They gave me the top rating anyway. Sure maybe that was a car sales hose job, but I came in with an idea of what I wanted anyway so they could puff my ego all they wanted. I retained the power of no which is the key to any bargain oriented negotiation. As long as "that one" isn't "the only one" or the stuff that dreams are made of, you can walk away and go anywhere else and get another version of the same thing, or maybe even the exact same thing, especially if it's a car you're talking about. Yes my current car wasn't going anywhere without the servicing, but Husein didn't know that.

So Husein had me hooked up pretty quickly and assured that it would be a smooth transition from one Civic to another. I was hoping that the 2010s were in because I expect that I may wish to get out of this car before the new lease expires because I hope that the economy will improve, bringing my fortunes with it, and my kids are growing and hopefully inspiring me to make roadtrips like I did with my family as a kid. So I was thinking ahead to my best trade out value and having a 2010 will be better than a 2009. No luck there, the 2010 Civics weren't out yet. Oh well.

We went to go look at the cars in the lot and choose a color. I was leaning towards a sharp looking silver, although there was an interesting red one as well. For a variety of reasons though I can't say I will ever allow myself to buy a red car. Can't have black where I live because the heat makes it truly hot enough to sear flesh, and then there was the same blue I already had, which seemed boring now. But there was one that was such a dark blue it was nearly purple; pimpin for sho' and my kids would love it, but it had a black interior, which is even worse to have around here than a black exterior.

So I was about to say ok on the silver when as an aside I asked about a hybrid. Was there anything comparable in my price range? "Well," says Husein, "there's the Insight, which is about the same with a smaller rear than the Civic but besides that, more or less the same for your purposes. But it's a more expensive car because of the demand and limited production." So I asked him to see what he could do, and he comes back with a price $70 a month more than my current payment. So he figured it was out of the question because I'm really tight right now as a real estate guy in this economy.

But I thought about it a moment. Gas is already popping $2.50/gal again and slowly drifting higher. I'm of the opinion that the current crash in oil prices is temporary as the notion of peak oil is real as is increasing Chinese and Indian oil demands. I think we'll be looking at $4.00/gallon again for good sometime in 2010. I'm also unusual in that probably 90% of my driving is not on the highway. I'm basically the prime driver for a hybrid. At 40 mpg in the city, it almost doubles what the Civic gets. I will be cutting my gas consumption in half. That savings will essentially make up the difference in the monthly car payment, shifting from the oil company to the car manufacturer. If I get any break at all on my insurance for whatever reason, I'm ahead of the game. And my kids can say their daddy is cool 'cause he reduced his carbon footprint (if that's how they would describe it at kindergarten and pre-k). And I can give a little room to stretch my hippie proclivities while being a Mighty Liberal, all at once. As long as the speakers sound good, basically, I'm good. The deal is done.

10 comments:

Pudgy McCabe said...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/29/business/AP-Oil-Prices.html

The Sotten Libertine said...

The carbon footprint you leave now will be that of a Hobbit rather than that of the Sasquatch(sp)? it once was. Now go replace all your home lighting with flourescents (they are bad if you don't dispose of them properly) and LED's. Get a Solar Battery Charger for your Cell and your Laptop. Find yourself A Bicycle-Powered Generator like the one Ed Begley Jr. uses to run your computer at home. Then let's not forget the Solar Reflector for your Hot Water Heater, The Egg Beater Wind Mill for electricity (attaches easily to the corner of your roof) and a smattering of solar cells as well or your roof with a capacitor bank for those cloudy days. That first step was a doozy and I applaud you on making the hybrid choice. Pat yourself on the back and I hope you like the color.

jawrat said...

umm, you seem to have forgotten that my dad is a mechanic at your local honda dealer....we probably could have gotten you out of there for a whole lot less than 4 beans....next time call me, eh?

Gravitar Profundus said...

that would be corruption my friend.

Gravitar Profundus said...

provide links for all the items you list so that my dear readers and myself can engage in the consideration of the products.

The Sotten Libertine said...

As Per your Request... Here;s some great reference links to meet all of our alternative energy needs. Don't forget Tax Credits will help on alot of these expenses... Time is always a factor in making these energy investments pay off.

The Energy Store:>
http://www.energystore-usa.com/
LED's, Solar, Wind etc.. power...

Bicyclye Power Generator with Portable Power Pact to run your laptop or a Toaster!
http://www.windstreampower.com/Bike_Power_Generator.php

Home Power Magazine: for on or Off the Grid
http://www.homepower.com/home/

Great Section on DIY Solar Hot Water Systems
http://www.homepower.com/article/?file=HP123_pg82_Inouye

Search Tool for Energy Efficient Vehicles ie; Hybrids and Alternative Fuel Vehicle
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/progs/vehicles_search.php
Search by Make, Model and Year!!

Gotta Spend the Green to save the Green and the Planet it seems,

The Sotten Libertine said...

As Per your Request... Here;s some great reference links to meet all of our alternative energy needs. Don't forget Tax Credits will help on alot of these expenses... Time is always a factor in making these energy investments pay off.

The Energy Store:>
http://www.energystore-usa.com/
LED's, Solar, Wind etc.. power...

Bicyclye Power Generator with Portable Power Pact to run your laptop or a Toaster!
http://www.windstreampower.com/Bike_Power_Generator.php

Home Power Magazine: for on or Off the Grid
http://www.homepower.com/home/

Great Section on DIY Solar Hot Water Systems
http://www.homepower.com/article/?file=HP123_pg82_Inouye

Search Tool for Energy Efficient Vehicles ie; Hybrids and Alternative Fuel Vehicle
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/progs/vehicles_search.php
Search by Make, Model and Year!!

Gotta Spend the Green to save the Green and the Planet it seems,

Daro said...

For all the people who think the Japanese are gifted visionaries for coming out with these hybrids, before it becomes lost in time I point out that the Prius was a happy accident. Originally released as a small run (about 7000) concept car, it's main purpose was as a PR stunt. It wasn't even all that good really. Stripped of weight and safety, you could hear the road rumble through the floor (even when the engine was "on") and the thing flexed when it went round corners. But at that time (slightly before The Crash) enough people had enough money to make a purchase for novelty's sake and they all got snapped up in record time. There was a pause of silence from Toyota for a few months as they digested this fact and then a loud sawing and hammering noise emanated from their production facilities as they started to pump these things out.

Gravitar Profundus said...

daro, thanks for your comment and i hope to hear more from you. by The Crash, I am guessing you mean the one in Japan in the mid-90s. if so, my follow-up comment would be that it's a shame that the Big 3 US automakers didn't draw a similar conclusion as Toyota (and Honda) otherwise i might be driving something from a homemade company not in bankruptcy (or a Ford).

Tom Garcia said...

The Mighty Blue Dog here loves the irony that my "American" car was made in Canada and that my "rice burner" Jap bike was assembled by American workers in Ohio.