where's bob barker when i need him?

car dealers are funny. so far i've gone to 2 dealerships and i'll probably hit up a third tomorrow. the one i went to today seemed like a better place, whereas the one i went to last week was much more your stereotypical car dealership.

today i went to a place right in town (and it was the more normal one...weird, i know). i asked for the guy to whom i spoke on the phone yesterday, and i'm glad i did. he was a nice guy. very low pressure, willing to just talk about the cars and what i need. i didnt feel so much like he was trying to convince me to buy a car as just showing me what he had. it was nice. there's something to be said for that. plus his name was kenny cramer. seriously. same name as the real-life guy that kramer from seinfeld was modeled after. but i digress.

i took one of the cars out for a test drive. we went back to his office and he quoted me some prices on 2 of the models i looked at. he fucked up the price on one of them by $500 and just said "my mistake, we'll leave it." hey, free $500. i asked a few more questions, he responded, i left. i was there for an hour and a half, but it felt like half an hour.

rewind to monday. i had an appointment with a saleswoman, but as i walked toward the building a salesman in a suit quickly sidled up to me and enthusiastically asked me what kind of car i was looking for. i told him i had an appointment with someone and went inside. he quietly opened the door for me, his ego deflated.

i met with the woman and took a car out for a test drive. she asked questions about me...am i a student, do i have siblings, etc. when she found out i had a dog, she suddenly had two. we came back and went to her "office" which was just a desk against the wall in a row of desks. she continuously asked me if i might be purchasing that day, and did not seem ready to offer me a discount if i paid in cash (the other guy would take $1000 off). she frequently caucused with her manager, and upon each return numbers seemed higher than they were before she left. then the manager came over and they worked the strength in numbers routine. the manager was even pushier than the saleswoman. she suggested that perhaps i ought to consider a compact car. i said no, that's not what i want, and besides, i have a dog so i want more room and something where he wont fuck up the back seat and render it unusable like he did with my corolla. all of a sudden she (the manager) was a dog owner too! what a coincidence. now i'm not saying that either one of them really doesnt have dogs, but frankly i dont give a flying fuck. that in no way impacts whether i trust you more or less, or if you're being fair with me or not.

i'm probably going to hit up 1 more dealer tomorrow, then call it a day and make a decision. i can't wait for this to be over.