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Buying a Car
Fired by the car salesperson

started Oct 5th, 2019
Background:
I am your basic techie (like Dilbert). Way too careful to be taken on a sales call by a salesperson. (maybe)
   - I'm willing to give the sucker an even break.
I was willing to take what ever raise the boss is willing to give, never negotiated.
   - If I don't like it, time to leave.
Previous to the present, if I wanted a car, I picked a price, take it or I leave.

Our "second car" is 17 years old, and does not have some desirable features, such as "blind spot detection". My neck is no longer very flexible, swiveling my head about is more difficult.
Normally I drive a car "into the ground", have to pay the junk yard a modest fee to leave it there.

So - approaching my 88th birthday, I thought it a good time to join the rest of the negotiating world
- and the wife, having been in sales, "encouraged" me to learn to negotiate. Having watched the TV show "Pawn Shop" for a few years, I felt somewhat prepared :-)

I talk with friends, ask what they like and don't like about the car they are driving. My final selection of brand and model is by studying "Consumer Reports" with particular attention to reliability and gas mileage. Just like Dilbert

Pass One
Wanted to start into the swing of things by starting with an out-of-town dealer. Called the dealership and talked with a sales agent. Yes they had the model, color and options we wanted - set up an appointment for the next day for test drive and talk.

Next day we drove 30 miles to the out-of-town dealership, but no one knows where that agent is, and no we don't have that color option in stock. Home we drove. Called the agent the next day - he said that he had to take his daughter somewhere.

Grrrrrrr

Pass Two - Fired by the car salesperson
Went to local dealership. The agent said that a car we desired would be arriving in about 10 days. He would give us a call when it arrived. Fine, I would move some money to the bank and will be able to pay for it. He also said that they were not very interested in our 17 year old car, maybe give us $200 and wholesale it away.

The car arrived, he called. So I e-mailed back an offer that I figured was too low for them to make a buck, figuring he would make a counter offer, just like the TV show "Pawn Shop".
This is the heart of his response to my attempt to negotiate -
I no longer have the car . :(
   PACKAGE 21 is hard to come by, and sell fast.

50% of Subaru buyers walk in and buy at MSRP, or just under. Top Quality, Top Safety, Top resale!

Subaru buyers are like VOLVO buyers. No time to waste on haggling for chump change. They just buy for the quick fun and safest car.

Well - "haggling for chump change" - clearly we are out of our league - didn't know we were talking to a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley dealer.

I'll close your file, I think you are pretty firm on the color white with black. I just don't have it anymore.

OK, I've been fired -

Think I'll pause for a while in replacing our 17 year old car. Our other car has "blind spot detection" but is way too smart for me, (among other things, need to start the engine to enable raising or lowering windows,) like one of these way too smart cell phones.

Somehow, getting
    - stood up by the first sales agent
    - getting told to get lost by the second
has reduced the urgency of getting a new car.

Looks like the added money in the bank
    will be re-purposed ;-)