i love that car. even at 167,000 miles, she runs great with only a few minor dents and dings. trouble is, she just isn't big enough for 2 kids and 2 dogs and all the crap that goes along with that. plus, if i get my way, definitely wouldn't fit the 3rd kid in.
so what will i drive now that the civic has been passed down to the younger generation?
well...
i am now the proud owner of a *gasp* mini-van! i probably posted somewhere on this blog at one time that i never wanted to drive a mini-van. i really wanted a new chevy traverse. but seriously. times like this, practicality wins out.
for the last month or so i have been diligently researching types of vans and decided on a honda odyssey. i trust honda as a brand and the odyssey always ranks high in reports. plus, once my b-i-l spencer got one, i knew lincoln would be easier to convince.
now that i am just 7 weeks away from baby boy's arrival, i knew i better get hustling. offered the civic to my pops. he agreed. started scouring craiglist and other online sites, compiling lists and pictures. made some calls and sent some emails. it's a tough market out there. for whatever reason, BOTE perhaps, used cars are increasing in value. i noticed that with my own car. plus, people are getting over their pride of being anti-mini-van and they are selling pretty fast.
we were really hoping to find a private seller (preferably older because they tend to get top of the line vehicles and barely drive them) but weren't having much luck. we ventured to a honda dealership late thursday night to take a look at the few they had. i hate dealerships. i've said it before, i'll say it again. they all seem shady. no offense to any salespeople out there. i know you are just doing your job. but doesn't mean i have to trust you.
at first the guy we met at SS honda seemed to be alright but eventually used the same tactics i've seen before.
"i like you guys, i'm gonna see what i can do for you."
"my boss would kill me if he knew i told you this..."
he acted like he was doing us this huge favor by knocking over $3k off the price to get it close to our limit but this great "new price" was the same that was offered online. then the fees are outta control. it costs almost $400 for someone at the dealership to process the registration but my mom did it with my civic for a total of $50. then when we told him they didn't have what we were looking for, he brought out his manager and the 2 of them kept trying to push a chrysler van on us. telling us we wanted too much vehicle for not enough coin. even when i told them i had seen better deals online.
they kept talking about "buyer's remorse" and how you don't want to regret your purchase in the morning. or throw up with anxiety. i told them if i had to buy the chrysler i would throw up on the way home. then we left. feeling stupid. flashbacking to 2004 when we bought lincoln's colorado.
i had made arrangements with what i thought was a private seller in phoenix for a 2006 odyssey to meet on friday. we drove up there, linc test drove the van, and gave me the thumbs up. the van is in near excellent condition. 8 seater, moderate mileage, a few minor dings and scratches, but the interior is practically flawless. and a huge step up from my civic with non-power windows and semi-power locks.
we made an offer. he countered. we offered again. then we split the difference. we still ended up getting it for $3k less than the dealership, even with T&L. the guy turned out to be a car broker, which complicated matters a little with the credit union. he had to drive to gilbert with us to get the paperwork processed and his check but it all worked out in the end.
as i drove the car home for the first time, i literally burst out laughing. it was such a difference. it handles like a car but then you look behind and it goes back forever! now i am spoiled with all these fancy controls that i still need to figure out.
no buyers remorse here.
4 comments:
My 02 civic is at 186k miles and still holding strong. I would have a hard time parting with it, too.
Just think of your odyssey as being your civic, ...except pregnant and smarter.
yah, I think all couples vow to never buy a minivan. It's part of the contract when you're young and unrealistic.
I still remember when we got ours, Art would wake up early and drive it all around by himself (like a nerd). And then he even offered it to Lincoln to take to prom once. Lincoln politiely declined and took Taylor's truck or something cool.
nope he took Dad's bug cuz as he left the driveway he played bye bye bye from n'sync
Oh man - I remember when you bought the Civic! A week after I bought my Xterra. I just sold the Xterra a couple months ago. It was at 190k miles. Crazy! I was looking into minivans, too, and I wanted an Odyssey or a Sienna. However, I couldn't get Jeremy to cave, so I got a Hyundai Sonata which is actually working out well with the two kids. Thankfully, the trunk is huge and the 2 boys fit fine so far. We'd be hard pressed to fit another child in the car, but I'm not entirely sure we will have another child. =)
I'm glad you got a good deal and a nice roomy vehicle!!
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