Live and learn....

PREPARATION

My wife and I recently went through the process of purchasing a new vehicle.  I'm sure you are all aware that this can be a challenging process.  Being a very laid back person, I hate feeling rushed or pressured into anything so the process is doubly uncomfortable for me. I went into this process with my hackles up; I was playing defense, doing everything I could to keep myself from being taken advantage of... I just knew those evil, conniving salesmen were out to get me.  Here is the story, as it unfolded.

I'm in the market for a truck.  Without looking for other brands or models, I've got my heart set on a Ford F-150.  Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, et al  are out of luck.  So, I begin like I always do when I'm about to purchase something.  I read everything I can about it.  I start by building a truck on Ford's website, with the options I want.  I read, read some more, and keep reading... then build a vehicle on Ford's website with the options I think I need. After mulling this over for a few months, thoughts like "would I really ever use that" and "is that worth the extra money" bounced around for a while, until finally I was able to nail down the configuration I wanted.  I'm now ready to shop.

What I wanted is this:

A used 2009 or 2010 with less than 15,000 miles on it (2009 or 2010 due to new design - better engine for towing and I like the look)
Ford F-150 XLT, 4x4
4.6L V8 3V EFI Engine
Electronic 6 Speed Automatic Transmission with Tow/Haul mode
3.55 Non-Limited Slip Gears
Regular Cab
8' Bed
Towing Package
Remote Starter
4" Stainless Steel Tubular Running Boards
A color - blue, red, whatever was available, just not black, white or silver
No carpet - vinyl flooring is easier to clean up

... that's all... nothing fancy in that right?  Should be lots of those floating around...

THE INITIAL HUNT

Not quite. I searched on Ford's website for dealer inventory within 100 miles of me.  I searched Craig's list, I Googled, I hunted, I found not a thing.  What I did find out is this:
1. There are not many 2009/2010 used trucks for sale
2. Those few that are for sale at not regular cabs; they are super cabs or crew cabs
3. Those tiny, tiny few that are regular cabs are XL models, not XLT, so no power anything, no better engine, etc, etc.
4. Those infinitesimally limited few that were actually regular cabs AND XLT models had every option under the sun... Sync, XM Radio, chrome everything, bigger tires, rear sliding window with defrost, color matched carpet, a kitchen sink, etc...
5. Those used vehicles listed in #4 were the same price as a brand new truck configured the way I wanted it....

So, I guess I'm buying a new truck.

SO THE HUNT BEGINS

Have I mentioned that I hate being pressured into things?  So, after Britt and I managed to hit a few car lots without having to speak to a single sales rep, I decided to email them my specs and see what they could do for me that way.  I sent off my email to three sales reps at three local Ford dealerships; Chris, Joe and Mike.  I made sure to: 1. Give the exact configuration I wanted, 2. Tell them I wanted the final price, after tax, fees, rebates, discounts, blah, blah.  No funny numbers.  3. Let them know that I realized nobody had it in stock, so they should not try to sell me a model they have on the lot with $3000 more options, just tell me the cost to order it.

Having done that, I got three responses back.

From Chris:  Chris responded with an extremely brief email.  He said "here is the price, rebates are based on time of delivery so I can't give you a final number, when do you want to come in and finalize the sale?"

From Joe:  Joe gave me a nice long email detailing the price with those options, the rebate I would receive, the tax, the fees, and the total I would be expected to write the check for.

From Mike:  Three days after the other two, Mike responded with a label from a truck he had found on a nearby (within 300 miles he said) lot, that had $1800 in extra options and when can I come in to buy the truck?

Sigh.  I guess one out of three ain't bad when it comes to sales people right?

Sounded to me like Joe was my man.. Not only that, but the $ figure that Joe gave me was dead on what I was expecting/hoping to pay!  Mike apparently didn't really read my email, and Chris was playing games. However, I wrote back to Chris to find out what the deal was - where was the rebate #'s like Joe gave me? His response? That rebates were only offered at the time of delivery.  He didn't know what rebate would be offered when my vehicle was delivered, and since tax is post-rebate, he couldn't give me that either. Then how did Joe do it, I asked my wife.  She mirrored my opinion that Chris was a shady dude. Oh, and Chris offered to throw in a free bed-liner if I ordered from him.  Blah.  Joe was my man.  I called him to tell him that we need to meet.  He says awesome.  This month is truck month and they are giving out free bed-liners if you order this month.  HA HA, vindication - Chris is a slimy jerk.

DEALER #1

So, my wife and I drove out to the dealership to meet with Joe.  First, he had a nicely detailed used vehicle in great shape sitting there that he "had to park.. Can you believe this guy had his car detailed before trading it in?  Look at what great shape it's in!"  Hmm, I thought - not doing my car any favors.  I haven't washed it in forever and it's got a good spot of rust on it.  Oh well, we'll see what he will give me for it.  After we talked with Joe for a bit, he sprung on us that "I was wrong, I can't give you the rebates now - I don't know what rebates will be offered until you take delivery", meaning that the price he gave us was a load of crap.  You're telling me that a guy who has been selling cars for almost 20 years (so he said) didn't know the rule on that one?  So, he tells me he can't give much for my car. After all, look at that car I saw earlier! He only gave this much for that one, how could he give me more on mine? Oh, and the free bed-liner is only available if I purchase a car off of the lot.  The deal won't still be on when I receive any vehicle were I to order.

See ya Joe, have a good life.

DEALER #2

So, frustrated and more than a bit annoyed, my wife and I start talking and realize that Chris told us all of this up front!  Whoa... maybe he's not such a jerk?  So I email Chris and say dude, can you come down a bit more on that pre-rebate price?  He responds, well I was able to meet that price, will that work? I say "let's meet".

So, we meet with Chris who doesn't have a "plant" vehicle sitting out front.  He offers us something to drink, calls me Altimus Prime (with 0 prompting on my part), and says "dude, the bed-liner thing is only for this month but I'm going to give it to you anyway."  I like this guy.  What I first mistook for him being a jerk is really just him being straightforward and plainspoken.  Now I feel bad for ever doubting him.  We work through the truck, he suggests I make a change to the axle ratio (3.55 Non-limited to 3.73 Limited).  I mull it over for a bit and decide the extra towing capacity and traction is worth the small increase in price, let's to that.  He tells me what my car is worth, and bam! We have a deal.  Now that is how I like to do business.  No games, no B.S.  Just honesty and a tell it like it is attitude.

THE END

Mike (dealer #3) called me almost a week later and said "have you had time to look at the truck I showed you? Did you want to come in and talk about it?"  I told him no, I purchased a truck from a different dealer; one that had given me the numbers I requested, not ignored the whole gist of my email.  "ok then, let me know if I can help in the future...click."

Moral of the story?  Things are not always as they seem.  My wife and I were convinced that Joe was playing us straight and Chris was the shady character.  In reality, Joe was a slime-ball and Chris was a real cool straight shooter.  Man am I glad that I was able to walk away from Joe and give my business to Chris!

On living, not existing.

So the past few weeks Britt and I have been getting into a routine (see Britt's recent blog for the details) but I find that I am more busy now than I was when on the road.  I think it's just that I have more time and so am more willing to fill it up with projects.  The big project this spring of course, is the yard. 

Since we are renting the house, Britt and I are reluctant to put too much money into the property.  However, since I've never had to manage a yard before, I think this is good practice.  We plan on doing some basics like fertilizing, laying down some grub-ex (we have major grub issues), planting some new seed and figuring out a watering schedule. There was a raised garden out back, but since it was built in the shade, nothing will grow in it.  I'm taking the wood and top soil used to build that and transplanting them to the front flower bed.  Using the wood to build a new wall around the flower bed will help keep the rain out, thus the mulch in.  There is a cement patio in the back yard (literally in the middle of the yard) that I'm hoping to turn into a nice entertainment area.  We bought a fire bowl and some chairs, and plan on fixing up the yard a little so it's a nice, relaxing place.  We're looking forward to some grilling and evenings around the fire with friends!

Recently we were able to pay off my student loan.  Whoa, what a feeling! It's great to be out of debt! Now we can focus on saving for the house (we're on the two year plan... down from the 3 year plan - so I think we're on track!).  We've also been able to save up to replace my very aging car.  I'm currently in the market for a new truck, which already this spring I could have used many times over.  I can't wait to have a way to haul some big stuff! Not to mention being able to haul all of our gear to camp :-)

Last, but not least is my new job.  I'm now on my third week at Confluence and loving the company.  The position is pretty challenging, but I think I'll catch on pretty quickly.  My experience at CBORD has helped me hone my ability to learn fast and autonomously as well as giving me the wisdom to make better decisions on what I need to learn and when.  The biggest challenge here is not the technical aspect of the position - to be quite honest, there isn't much to it that I haven't already conquered in the past; it is the financial knowledge that I need to learn.  Much of what I will need to do in the future involves understanding the business needs of our clients.  The only way to do that is to talk the talk.  Of course, Brittany thinks this is great since she has a background in finance.  Now we both have a technical position in the finance industry!

And that about wraps up the current goings-on in my life.  I'm eagerly awaiting the new truck while adapting to my new job and spending my free time trying to whip the yard into shape.  I know now what my dad means when he keeps wishing there were more hours in the day. How did I find time to live while on the road?  I think the answer is that I didn't, I just existed.  Well, here's to living - it's time to get to work!  Till next time...

My new life...

So, I stand now at the start of a new era in life.  I recently accepted a job offer for a non-travel position at a local software company.  For the first time in over 6 years, I will have free evenings.  I can't say that I remember exactly what that feels like but I know that for a while I have been sorely missing them. 

I think for many people a job change might not be as big a deal as this one is for me.  It's not just a career  move, it's a complete change in lifestyle.  I no longer have to live out of a suitcase, sleep in a different bed every week or feel like a visitor in my own home. I thought it was funny to find out yesterday as I did laundry that we don't have enough pants hangers in the house.  Turns out that we haven't needed hangers for my work pants since we moved in together. Little things like that keep cropping up to remind me of just how a big a change this is.

So, instead of kissing Britt goodbye before heading to the airport at 4am on Monday, then not seeing her again until Friday evening when I return home, I now look forward to kissing her goodbye at 8am on Monday morning when I drop her off at her building, then picking her up at 5pm and driving home together. I look forward to evening meals with my wife, to sleeping beside her in our bed and enjoying our shower in the morning. I'm excited to plan evening meals out with friends, mow the lawn after work, and have friends over to sit around the fire pit outside on a random Wednesday. 

As my new life begins and some sense of normalcy kicks in, a warm feeling of relief is growing. So this morning I breath in a deep sigh, sit back and enjoy some coffee at home.  Ah, home at last.