Finding the right car is all relative...

     So now that I was forced to get a new car, I strapped on my body armor and prepared to face the ruthless car salespeople.  

     But I did my homework; I had gotten many tips and opinions on what to look for and how to go about finding the best car for my needs.  I knew it needed to fit my bike but my kids are all grown so I no longer need a mini van or "mom car".  However, I had spent the last two decades with a vehicle that could hold a million kids and all of their gear, and now that my taxi services are no longer needed, it was time to find a "me" car.

     If I wanted small but still needed to cart my bike it would have to be a crossover SUV, but there are a million of them out there.  I didn't need anything fancy. All I wanted to do was slither in, without drawing attention and ask for a grey one and be on my way.  After all grey is a nice safe color and it doesn't draw a lot of attention.  

      After a few suggestions I had finally narrowed down the three SUVs that seemed to fit the bill.  But that meant going to three car dealerships and facing three pushy salespeople trying to convince me they had my perfect car.  

     But I studied the three and knew they were all equally comparable, so if I really liked the first one I could just ask them to wrap it up and leave.

     I realized I had to actually go inside to buy a car and as soon as I did, the nicest young man was right there to assist me (you know your getting old when you start saying "young man",ha).

     But Alex wasn't like the typical salesman I had feared.  He let me ask a million questions and tried to answer every one of them.  Ironically, after some random chit chat we discovered that we're cousins by marriage; a couple times removed.  Small world!  Now I knew I was in good hands:)

        We found the perfect crossover SUV, and we even put my bike in it:)  He told me he had a road bike as well as a mountain bike and both of them fit in this car.  You know what this means... of course I had to try to recruit him to join my Bike To The Bay team next year, and I think I may have him hooked:)

    At this point I had my mind made up on the car that felt like it would be perfect for me, though I  just had to compare one more car dealership so people wouldn't think I was totally crazy for not shopping; and so I did.

     That's where I found that stereotypical salesman I was dreading.  He rambled on, explaining why his car was the best, and after he answered my first question with "It's simple math!" I knew I was done.

          So the next day I was right back where I began my hunt, and now that I knew what car I wanted, all I had to do was figure out what to do about my broken down old metal carcass; it had been sitting in the Tireman parking lot draining every last ounce of transmission fluid for the past three days.

     After agreeing on a modest trade in for this useless piece of junk Alex offered to go fill it with transmission fluid and drive it back.  I told him he was crazy, but I guess it runs in the family:)

                          
     I couldn't believe how well everything was falling into place; I picked out the perfect SUV to fit my budget and lifestyle, and my old car was finally no longer my problem.
                           
      Now all I had to do was make a commitment on what color to choose out of about ten options... UGH!  They sure do make things complicated...

     So my next step was to go home and ponder and ponder about what color I would get, and the commitment felt so permanent; I lived with my color choice of my last car ten years. But I knew somehow the answer would eventually come to me, and everything would make sense.

                                  


           I'm so fortunate to have so many people looking out for me, and as overwhelming as it seems to find, I have to say at the end of the day... finding the perfect car is all relative:)

Check back to find out what color I chose!

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)