The only reason we went shopping for a new car is we had no other choice. We accept that our lifestyle requires two cars. One of our cars is in its death throes and even with very costly repairs it is only a matter of time until we must say goodbye to our old friend.
And so, as much as we would rather have avoided the entire process, we spent the better part of last week deciding what we needed in a new vehicle. To make it more palatable, we tried to approach it as a new car seminar.
Becky and I are what some might call fiscally conservative. Or cheap. Our goal has been to keep our cars at least 10 years and/or 200,000 miles, so longevity figured into our shopping research as well as other money-saving features. We attended Dr. Google’s introductory class, of course. But we also went old-school because that’s how we think of studying.
At the Trafalgar branch of the Johnson County Public Library we nestled in a quiet area and perused the various consumer magazines which rate new cars. We settled on three candidates to be our new family friend. We made notes and photocopied some handy lists.
Then we headed to the first car dealership on our list. We told the salesperson who greeted us the model we were interested in. He procured some keys and soon we were on the road. Right off the bat we realized things have changed quite a bit since we did this nearly 10 years ago. In those olden days, we bought a car with a curious device in the center of the dashboard we called a radio/CD player. Now, that space is occupied by the ubiquitous 21st century touch screen.
All of the vehicles we drove warn of other motor vehicles coming up in the driver’s “blind spots” or of on-coming cross traffic. They brake if you get too close to something in front or behind you. They adjust the cruise control to keep your distance in highway traffic. They keep you in your lane and warn you if you drift. One feature I found fascinating was a button you can push while waiting at a stop light that puts the vehicle in park so you don’t have to keep your foot on the brake until you are ready to move again.
That feature and the power rear door opener almost made me feel both lazy and guilty for letting the car do all the work. Surely these technological innovations are incremental steps toward the self-driving cars of the future.
We were probably too optimistic as to how much time it takes, and we spent more time at Dealer No. 1 than we planned. Still, we followed our self-designed syllabus and, after a short stop for lunch, drove to Dealer No. 2. We went through a similar routine learning how this model was our best choice. We told all three up front which three vehicles were on our list.
None of the salespeople actually put the others down, but it was clear they were partisans for their model. A similar thing happened when we mentioned at church choir practice our car shopping goals. Three members, each who owned one of the brands mentioned, sang the praises of his or her particular vehicle. Loyalty is a big part of car ownership.
After we left Dealer No. 3 we were running on empty, so we waited until the next day to discuss what we had learned. Then we approached our task somewhat like cramming for a final. After examining the facts and our gut feelings, after some debate and discussion, we decided on the vehicle that will be part of our family for the next 10 years and/or 200,000 miles.
Instead of a term paper, the final for our new car seminar was based on getting through the arduous process of paperwork. I think we passed.
