Car buying is exhausting

Why is it so exhausting? I was at the Buick dealer for 3 1/2 hours yesterday. Another 3 hours today.

I have to think CarMax is faster. The no haggle thing has to be faster.

Not that we did haggle. I went through AARP to TrueCar. They give you a certificate with the total price + the dealer documentation fee. When we sat to do the numbers the documentation fee was more and they added on the costs for GM Certification and dealer prep. Aw heck no! When we asked what was the best price he could do, he took off the dealer prep fee (almost $1,000). But that certification fee (over $2,000) was still there. That’s when I got up and left the building. I called TrueCar Car Dispute Resolution. I went back inside and told the salesman he needed to take that off, it was not in the TrueCar price. He left for awhile, not sure if TrueCar had called him right away or not, but he removed the fee. Later in the transaction a mystery fee of $400 appeared. At this point I was beyond exhausted. I tried to get them to remove it but got double teamed by the salesman and the finance manager (he finishes the sale, no matter the method of payment and sells the extended warranty.) I tried. At that point it was either walk out, no car, no coming back or give in. I caved. Then came the extended warranty. This is what jacked the price up over what I planned on. 

I’m not broke, but we won’t be getting new central a/c. We’ll continue to deal with window units as we have since 2007 when the storm and tornado hit and zapped our central a/c. Oh well. It was important to me to not have to worry about future repairs. I really got burned badly with the van that has sat in my driveway for over 2 years as I still make payments. We have until the end of the month to sell it, I’m not paying insurance beyond that. We are covered until the end of the month, so that’s it, it goes. If we can get it running it will go to our mechanic to get checked over (so we know exactly what’s wrong with it and how that affects it’s value.) If we can’t get it running I’m screwed. I will definitely be upside down and have to pay instead of get paid. Praying we can get it running.

We spent 3 hours there today getting a tour of the vehicle, having all the electronics demonstrated, showing us what all the buttons did, how the remote start and the power liftgate work. Then our salesman set up our iPhones and then I had to play with the equalizer. I couldn’t get it to adjust the way I like. Our salesman was at lunch, so another volunteered, but ended up sending us to the service department. They ended up resetting it so I had to re-do the iPhone setups. Then we lost text to screen. I still haven’t figured that out. It worked before the service department did the reset. I’ll figure it out, I just hope I don’t have to read all the manual books in the glove box.

Am I happy with my purchase? 😎 Am I happy with the games with the price, no and if TrueCar calls me back I will tell them so. The extended warranty was more than I wanted to pay, but, it is bumper to bumper. About the only thing not covered is brakes. Roadside Assistance is included. That’s important to me because I can no longer change a tire due to my back injuries. There’s also a cool feature that not only is power seat memory, but when you exit the vehicle, you push a button and the seat moves back so you can easily swing your feet out to exit. On the Pilot I have to power the seat backwards myself. Ohh, and the front seats have lumbar support.

There was a lot of weirdness with the finance manager. Said my SS was required because of the Patriot Act and Identity Theft. I asked the salesman not to have my credit report run and he said they don’t. Well, the finance manager ran my credit report. I immediately got notified by my bank and went in to confront him. That’s when he told me that bs. So I told them I have to be who I say I am, or how would I get a notification and know they ran a credit report? Sheesh!

So Sunday is Mother’s Day. I may actually break my Sunday rule (I don’t leave the house at all on Sundays.) Maybe we’ll go for a nice ride.

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019

If you ask for help and are super specific....

The article caught my attention:

https://www.romper.com/p/why-meal-train-dad-is-so-divisive-17132173

I was a bit appalled at this dude’s gall. I get all the mansplaining towards the end. He did not know what he did, maybe he took what his wife said too far. 

Both times I was pregnant I was on my own. No help whatsoever. My ex-husband was of no help. My sister only came to visit me at the hospital for 5 minutes with my first born and didn’t bother with the second. I’ve had 4 surgeries. My partner and 2nd spouse did help. Spouse moreso.

I would never ask friends, relatives, marginal acquaintances for help, except for the GoFundMe campaign. We were desperate and I do apologize, I felt creepy doing it. I still feel creepy about it. It was a dire situation. Having your wife bring home a new baby and asking for gourmet meals with high end ingredients so you and your wife have meals while trying to get accustomed to parenthood is not a dire situation. No new parent died from eating PB&J’s for a week because they were too exhausted to toss a Lean Cuisine in the microwave oven.

I wholeheartedly believe what my Mom always said, “You do for family.” I don’t think many people nowadays believe in this. I only recall one person doing for me. It was the “family” of my neighborhood growing up. One of the neighbor boys my Mom babysat was very generous. I do for family whenever I can, if I have the means to help....even if that means cutting finances close. Another axiom from my Mom, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Back to the article. I’ve heard of Meal Train and other systems that people use today for help with meals or whatnot after coming home with their baby. I think how it is received by friends and family is reflective of the relationship. In some circles what this guy asked for could be completely acceptable. If his family and friends have the means to buy high end produce, foods, they might not think what he asked for was outrageous. Or, they may know him to be socially awkward, so they cut him some slack about his asks. 

Part of me also thinks that in some ways this goes back to entitlement. This dad seems to feel entitled to continue to eat the kind of meals he and his wife had prior to the baby coming home. He couldn’t figure out how to make a PB&J, or microwave a Lean Cuisine or some other frozen meal more conforming to his tastes?  Heck, On-Cor frozen entrees or canned ravioli saved us in a pinch.

This kind of reminds me of the articles I’ve read about Brides and their wants for their shower gifts and wedding gifts. 

Be happy with what you get, be thankful for the generosity of others, if someone asks you how they can help have it be something simple that either costs no money or is frugal. Which reminds me, I forgot a couple things from the grocery store. A friend of my spouse’s had rotator cuff surgery reversal on Friday. (I feel so badly for her. She had a pit bull attack her at a shelter and it flung her around by the arm like a rag doll. She had rotator cuff surgery a few months before and everything got all torn up.) Anyway, my spouse promised a tray of homemade mostaccioli.

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

Happy Easter!

I think this is my all time favorite photograph of me.

Well the time has finally come...a break from tradition. So far the kids have not brought it up and they were super enthusiastic about selecting 2 bakery pies from Meijer. It was my son’s idea. (🤫It just occurred to me there will be no pineapple upside down cake.) It is a favorite of mine I look forward to every Easter, however, pineapple is pretty high in carbs. I have none of the ingredients and I am so done for today, I’m not going out to buy them. I haven’t bought pineapple canned or fresh since finding out how many carbs are in it. Yes there are carbs in pie, but I could have pie anytime. Pineapple upside down cake is just for Easter.

I or my spouse will do hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. Enough to color and enough for 1 tray of deviled eggs. Spouse is handling the ham today and baked potatoes Saturday night.

I had big plans for Saturday’s dinner. Good thing I didn’t share them with the kids. They asked me to make kishka. I had a great recipe for mock kishka using corn flakes and foil instead of sausage casings and other nastiness, but I can’t find it. I tried Pinterest and Google. Anyway, I had wanted to make the kishka in with a pot roast. Didn’t happen. My back has been acting up...much more than usual. A Saturday night Passover meal just wasn’t something I could handle. I spent too long at Meijer, got super irritable and came home and waved the white flag. I bought raw chicken breasts and ingredients for French bread pizza. I told my spouse to pick one or the other to make for dinner. Yes, I did! I shopped, spouse can cook.

So I still want to incorporate something Passover’ish for Sunday. The plan is a savory kugel. Again, my recipe...gone. I found a couple on Pinterest. If I have help, or if I supervise, it might happen. I usually try to do some Jewish recipes for the different holidays because the kids remember them from when they were little. And yes, I can make from scratch a kick ash matzo ball soup, kugel, potato latkes, kishka...and gefilte fish.

My son wanted the Cauliflower Mock Mac n Cheese he saw last time at Sam’s Club, but they didn’t have it Friday, so that’s out. Yes, I have a kick ash recipe I’ve made several times but I’m just not feelin it. Yes the back pain is a factor, but I think my depression is off the rails too. I think it took a turn when I found out a road trip back home probably wasn’t going to be possible till the fall because of the crazy road construction. It just wasn’t the road construction, it was the way one of my childhood neighbor’s conveyed it. Whatever. I’m going to have to figure out a different destination. I have no clue where.

UPDATE:  The ham was good. The kugel...not so much. Bad recipe. The Potato Onion Kugel just tasted like onion. I think the leftovers will become breakfast potatoes.

I should have done the Spinach, Cheese, Noodle Kugel. Next time. 

Lola’s Diner cc   2008-2019

Friday Funday

I went for 3 test drives today. I took my son along. I think he had fun and was as excited as I was.

I am supposed to get a $50 visa gift card for the first one. The salesman told me if I just wanted the gift card to just tell him and he’d do the paperwork. But I really did want to test drive the Hyundai Santa Fe. I liked it, 

but it just didn’t have much umph. And I have a thing about cars with 4 cylinder engine. I don’t like like them.

Went to the Honda dealer we used to buy from. I test drove a 2018 Honda Pilot Touring. Besides being out of budget, it has a funky way of shifting gears. There is no gear shift. There are buttons on the center console. You change gears by pushing buttons and they put the buttons right near the cup holders? 

Went to a different Honda dealer. ❤️I’m in love!❤️ I test drove a 2018 Honda Pilot Ex-L, the same model as the Pilot I have, so it has everything I want. Not only am I in love with that SUV, I’m in love with the dealership’s way of doing business. When I bought the 2006 I paid, they gave me the keys, that was it. They didn’t explain or demonstrate anything. This guy went through all the options, explained the rear camera and the side camera and the different views, and explained to me everything about nitrogen instead of plain old air in tires, and how to view your iPhone’s map programs on the screen.

Can’t do anything till I get my check. Since when do you have to pay the sticker price, unless you are at CarMax or a True Car dealer? I swear car salesman think I have “sucker” tattooed on my forehead. I did some research when I got home. The price is in the middle of the KBB range, so the price is fair. It’s just that who wants to pay sticker? It’s Honda Certified and has low miles. 

I have my reasons for my choice. I plan on keeping the next Pilot I buy at least as long as my first, or longer. It has to be comfortable and have the options I want. I have had the first for over 13.5 years and still going strong. 

I’m really hoping I get a call early in the week from my attorney to come get my check.🤞

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019

It’s been a good day

I heard from my attorney today about the car accident. Settlement time. All along he kept saying that there wasn’t anything left for me after paying medical bills and the firm. We were sure that meant I was really getting zero, or maybe a couple hundred. He pulled a rabbit out of a hat and negotiated down the medical bills. 

I plan on getting the Odyssey running (probably rebuilt transmission), and then immediately taking it to CarMax to get an offer and then shop around for a good used vehicle. Whatever I get, I will be buying an extended warranty. Boy howdy did I learn a lesson the hard way with the Odyssey. I will not be buying a mini van, done with that! Very doubtful I will buy a Honda. They are very hard to find used.

I’m seriously looking at the GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave. I also looked at sedans, Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler. I think SUV will win out, but that depends on how easy it is to get in/out of the vehicle with my bad back. A friend of my spouse’s who just had a similar wreck to mine on Friday had an “in” at a local Chevy dealer and they have a deal going. I’ll check it out, but I doubt I will go that route.

I guarantee a road trip is in our future. I can’t wait! Because of the issues (now all repaired) with the Pilot we were limited to local, short trips.

All I need is some good car shopping juju.

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019

No Sunday Quiet Day, Mother Nature has other plans

It’s April 14th and we are having a snow storm.

We went from 70° to this.

Randomness

My son and I were picking up a few things at Wally World and decided to stop by the thrift store. Last time I was in I found 1/2 price oak furniture feet, just over $1 each. (Needed them for the tv cabinet.) I looked for Old Navy pants, no luck. Today? BINGO! I scored a pair of Old Navy jeans, one size smaller than the khakis I had just ordered. AND THEY FIT!!! I also found a pair of black jeans. They fit too! Woot woot!

The apartment complex deal was before the village last week. Several residents brought forth objections to a zoning ordinance and insist on a modification before ground can be broken. These residents are afraid the building will go section 8 and we’ll be getting a lot of riff raff in there. Riff raff is basically code for not Caucasian. First of all, the building is for the developmentally disabled and mentally disabled, as well as low income seniors and is run by the same group that runs the group homes. They are not going to rent to anyone outside those 3 groups. They have dozens of empty group homes because of lack of staff, they aren’t renting those to Section 8 program people. I found out about this via an article posted on one of our burb’s Facebook pages. Those pages don’t take long to devolve into character assassinations and other nastiness. People were calling out others for being racist. And then, someone went...THERE. Someone wrote that they don’t want “those kind of people” living near their homes. Another Mom of mentally disabled children and I opened up a can of whoopash. I think the admins shut down comments after that because I got no further notifications on that post.

Why is it necessary for everyone to shop with their phones glued to their ears, wandering the aisles with their carts weaving like a drunk on a highway? Every single person was blocking 2 way traffic or abandoned their carts in the middle of the aisle. I just want to get in and get out. Wtfork?

Why is there always that one jackash that has to either make a comment or do something because the fat lady is using an electric cart? Usually it’s the “get up and walk and leave the electric carts for the disabled or seniors, lose some weight.” Why thank you jackash I wouldn’t have thought of that on my own. First of all I am disabled, second of all, I am a senior and third, I tried twitching my nose to magically lose the weight all at once but it’s just coming off slowly. To the 30 something motherforker who thought it was funny or cool to ram your shopping cart into the electric cart I was sitting in at the checkout lane, fork you! This motherforker did this to me on Monday. I am still having horrible back pain, much more than usual. I edited this Friday morning. It’s still bad. I didn’t really get a look at the guy, but my son said he smirked after he did it and gave a fake apology. It was done on purpose. Karma will take care of him.

So tomorrow begins my daughter’s 3 day birthday celebration. Hasn’t always been that way, but for the last 2 years it has become the norm. 

Oh joy! The texting started at 9am. And she’s been texting her brother all morning. She told me to pick her up at noon. It will be noonish by the time we get there. Sucking it up, putting on my happy face 😃 and getting ready to head out the door. 

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019