No more Volvo

Last week I took my Volvo in for an oil change and left minus $460. They found a few other things wrong with it and one big thing. I don’t understand all of it, except for the fact it wasn’t too safe to be driving it anymore. I decided not to fix the big thing, so a few days later I went to the car store and bought a used Ford Focus. I’ve never been to a big dealer’s store to purchase a car, but I thought Ford was a good place to start. So I went to Courtesy Ford hoping they would be courteous to a new buyer.

I made an appointment with a Jason B. over the phone but I got there pretty early. He was with another client, so Jeff took care of me. He was very nice – of course he was. He was trying to sell me a car! I looked at a couple used cars and found one that looked good. But what do I know about buying a car? Absolutely nothing!! So then we sat down to figure out what I could afford. I told him I could afford actually nothing, but we talked a while and I finally got to the point where I thought I could afford the car payment with so much down and financing the rest. So we talked a while and all of a sudden this other guy appears and we’re introduced. His name was Uriah! So I said “Like in David Copperfield – Uriah Heep?” Uriah Heep was not a nice man, and I was a little leery about this one. He took me away from my salesman and down a long hallway to a room where he hit numbers in a combination lock on the door. I felt like I was going into a CIA interrogation room, never to be seen again! But he also was very nice to me, so then we got down to the real business. He had me sign a stack of about 500 papers. I think I signed away my house, my clothes, my furniture, my art work, and possibly both of my daughters before we were done. He finally let me out and I found my way back to where my salesman was, but he was already with another client and I was told another salesman would help me. He was actually the one with whom I had made the appointment – Jason - but was busy when I arrived. So I met Jason who then drifted away to get keys for the car I would drive home as my new purchase had to be detailed or whatever it is they do to a car when someone like me buys one. Jason had to follow me home to get the check as I had left my checkbook home, not thinking I would ever be buying a car that soon.

I started over to ask the Jason a question, and he was standing on a sort of low platform so I had to look way up to see his face as he was 6 feet 8 and I’m 5 foot 3. So I was looking way up and didn’t see the big step up to the platform and hit it with my shins and went SPLAT! I fell face down and just lay there for a couple of seconds and then a woman helped me up. I felt ok so I went out the door to the car to go home. I told Jason not to follow me as I don’t take the freeways. So when I got home he was waiting for me. I assume he’d been there about an hour, but I never worried as I knew he had to have the check even if I drove around Mt. Hood to get home . . . which I did consider. I gave him my check and sent him on his way. I asked him if he saw me when I fell and he said he did and that it didn’t look good. I agreed. I had a few bruises and other hurts from the fall. I still do.

So a couple of days ago, Jason brought me my new car which is the picture above. My little monkey is sitting on it and getting all excited – he’s just about ready to clash his cymbals together. Today I took it out to the dealer for the DEQ check-up and now I feel like it’s really mine . . . and theirs, I guess, since I’m making payments. But I’ll call it mine. My car-buying experience wasn’t too bad, thanks to the people at Courtesy Ford. Today I saw Jason there, and he found my Volvo which was still there and took off the cover for the steering wheel. My brother gave me the cover for my other car and I really liked it – it has frogs on it. He put it on my new car which I think was so cool of him. I hope he sells a new car today!