It’s been an interesting six weeks, but my husband and I have finally taken the plunge and purchased a new-to-us family vehicle.
Although the papers have been signed, the process hasn’t been an easy one.
The discussion about what would be our next vehicle started about a year ago when our 11-year-old van started acting up.
With two sporty kids, who are competitive swimmers who go in opposite directions almost every day after school, our family needs two reliable vehicles and you certainly can’t describe our minivan as such.
Nearing 200,000 kilometres, the vehicle, which has taken us to all four corners of the province, into B.C. and down the Oregon coast, is on its last legs. Having replaced the transmission, and a couple of batteries, putting more money into a new starter or alternator just isn’t feasible.
But I digress.
My husband, ever the practical one, started looking at vehicle styles in the summer of 2011. With a ton of research under his belt, he finally decided the best vehicle for us would be a crossover, as it would afford more carrying space for the swim bags, running shoes and overnight bags we are currently stuffing into the back of our second car, a Nissan Altima.
The busy fall and winter season afforded us little time to think about a large purchase, and frankly, I wanted to put off buying a new car for as long as possible, preferring to keep the money in my jeans to help pay for some of these extra-curricular activities.
As the summer approached, we started talking about a new vehicle again and, once again, the research began with hours spent looking up makes and models on Google.
My husband finally settled on his top five choices of crossover. Then the fun began.
On a weekend when the kids were away visiting family, my husband and I started the daunting task of visiting car dealerships. Having purchased a few vehicles over the course of our marriage, we were nervous about beginning the hunt as we are familiar with sales pitches. However, we needed to get a closer look at what each of our top vehicles had to offer.
The first visit took a lot longer than we expected, as we were unable to avoid the sales pitch. We were, however, able to cross off one of the cars from the list as we deemed the backseat space would quickly become too small for our 5’6” 11-year-old.
For our second visit to a dealership, we had to leave our hometown and travel to the big city. It was a good visit, and we really liked the salesperson, who we discovered had a lot in common with us. We test drove two vehicles and came up with a whole new choice to add to our list. This was getting complicated.
We decided to cool our heels for a week or two and put the vehicle search out of our mind. After all, we were getting a little bit carried away with shiny chrome, leather interiors and heated seats and needed to really sit down and decide what we could actually afford.
After a peaceful week, our old van decided its last legs couldn’t keep it up any longer. My husband, headed to the local pool, turned the key on the old beast and… nothing.
That’s when I got the call letting me know I had to come home and give him the car so he could get to practice on time. Right in the middle of a pile of work, the idea wasn’t too appealing, but I did it.
However, we both decided the next weekend would the be the fateful one. We had to find a car.
After a busy Saturday morning, we finally made it to the next dealership on our list around noon. Feeling stressed with how long my errands took, I was really not in the mood to car shop, but was adamant we would find a reliable, affordable vehicle that day.
We started with a test drive of our top vehicle. It was smooth, we liked the way it accelerated and we loved the reliability and gas mileage. Next came the decision – new or used? With several vehicles on the lot to choose from, the choice was easy. I wanted to buy used and keep the savings.
Lastly came my least favourite part: the negotiation (cue symphonic music to set the mood).
After sweating over an offer, and counter offer, we reached a final agreement and even got a couple of extras thrown in. Surprise, it wasn’t that painful. In fact, we made it home in time for dinner!
Looking back, the vehicle-buying process wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. And now I have a shiny, new-to-me vehicle with a sun roof and heated leather seats.
