New car!

Yep! Did it. So easy to say... not so easy to do.

I car shopped on Friday. Dropped Ladybug at school and went shopping. Who cares about work? I had done some research on line and knew the 2 dealers I wanted to visit. One was in C-Town -- the town I work in. The other was in R-Town -- just one away. Since I have worked in C-Town for just over 5 years I am familiar with it. I know where the auto mall is. Kind of. I didn't bother to mapquest it. So I turned down the road and found the auto mall. I found Hummer. I found Porsche. I found Audi. I found Land Rover. I even found SmartCar. I went up and down the road. I finally I saw the sign, tucked back behind 3 buildings. How does anybody find it?

I test drove 4 cars, I think. And drooled over a few more. Oh how I would love a Mini. Then I made it to R-Town and test drove another 4 cars. When I bought my first car I had 5 requirements. I wanted a foreign car - preferably a Honda. It could not be red. It needed to be an automatic. It needed to have a functioning radio. And it had to have intermittent wipers. I got a red standard Corolla with no intermittent wipers and the radio broke a week after I bought it. My requirements this time were... let it work without major repairs, 4 doors, power locks, and power windows. And I would prefer a standard.

I came with a realistic list of about 5 options -- including keeping my current car. I called my dad to get his opinion. Not very helpful. All he could tell me was all were good options. Well, I knew that. I woke up at about 6am. On a Saturday!!!!! And sat at my desk for roughly 6 hours before I yelled to Ladybug to get dressed because we were going car shopping. I tried calling my mom -- not available. I tried calling a friend -- not available. I still needed to be talked into it or out of it.

I tried to act cool at the dealership. I tried to act that I didn't yet have a preference. Whatever!! He saw right through me. We started negotiating. This is so new to me. My dad did my negotiating for my first car. I bought my second. And my third was given to me. I stuck to my guns. I insisted on a certain value for my trade in. I asked for money off the price. I asked for a certain interest rate. And eventually I got it all. Calm. Cool. Collected. And then he asked if I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Cold sweat. Heart palpitations. Fear. So glad I remembered deodorant.

Everything signed meant it was time to clean my stuff out of my old car. I was so sure that I was buying a car that I remembered to bring all the keys and all the paperwork for my old car. I was so sure that I was not buying a new car that I did not bother to clean it out. I had at least grabbed 2 garbage bags before heading out the door. 2! I pulled out one full garbage bag of trash. Yes I clean my car. About once every other week. But anything I wanted to keep, but was too lazy to take up to the apartment just got put in the trunk. So I had one full garbage bag of things I wanted to keep. Also jumper cables (which I insisted I needed when I got my first car but have never had to use on my own car), windshield wiper fluid, laundry soap, dryer sheets (oh yeah, my washer and dryer are broken too and I have to use a laundromat), 2 toy rakes, a toy broom, a box of shoes, and a Kitchen Aid mixer. I think it was the mixer that made the salesman raise his eye brows.

My new car... is foreign, not red, a standard, has a good radio, intermittent wipers, power locks, power windows, and 4 doors. And I love it!!! Might not so much once I have to start making those payments.

Mean Mama