On a crazy whim, last Friday I jokingly stop by my friendly neighborhood Ford dealer. I ended up test driving a Ford Edge, actually 2, even brought them both by the house for the wife to see, but since Ford didn't have any good deals on the Edges we passed. Fast forward about a week, and we now have a new Mercury Mountaineer.

My Lessons learned:

•      Don't drive from out of state to pick up a car unless you have a firm deposit

•      Don't go looking if you don't intend to buy, at least for me Mr. compulsive obsessive

•      You can get anything from a dealer, even a big display bow if you promise to rate them excellent on a survey.

•      Names of Dealers change, but they stay the same.

Words of Wisdom for ones who wish to sell me a car:

•      I'm buying an expensive item. I want to drive it on the real road and get the warm fuzzes. The parking lot just does not work.

•      If you say your going to hold a car for someone. Do it, and set a time limit up front.

•      Tell me you strive for excellence and make sure I'm completely satisfied. Don't tell me how to fill out a satisfaction survey, and have me  practice on one for you.

How the lessons were learned:

If you couldn't tell by all the commercials, automobile manufactures & dealers really what to clear out last year's inventory before the new year, so incentives are plentifully. After looking into the Edge, where even the 2007 don't have a good deal I spent the weekend (did I mention I'm compulsive obsessive? ) browsing the net for 07 Explorers, and coming up pretty much empty handed. We decided to skip the new car for now . Then yesterday I happened across a Mountaineer with all the options the wife wanted, and sent the link over her way.  

This car was exactly what the wife wanted, so I gave them a call around closing and Bob the salesman side he'd look into it and give me a call in the morning. So early this afternoon I get a call, and Bob states that the car already in process, and he'll let me know if it falls through. The wife calls and i let her know the news. I also send her a couple links to some used 2006s, and we decide go check them out. Since the original dealer is on the way to the other dealer,  wife wants to stop by Bob's place, and look at the other two 2007s they had sitting around that were not quite the "the one".

So we get to Bob's place, and ask to drive one of the other Mountaineer. Bob pulls the car up and says we can drive it around the lot since it is almost out of gas, and he would have to send a porter to go get gas. What are you kidding me? I can't take the car off the lot? Figuring Bob had slipped on ice and bumped his head while retrieving the car in question, I played along. After the parking lot cruse, we come back in and meet up with Bob. He states "Those drive nice huh?". Poor Bob he must of really hit his head good.... I chuckle, and ask about how the deal was going on "the one". Bob says it's still pending, so here I figured we would part ways. I told Bob that we were heading to the other dealer to look at the used ones then all the sudden he wants to check on the status of the one.

Bob comes back with the paperwork for the one, and this time we actually get to drive it, what a concept. We get back, I tell Bob that we'll take it, and introduce concept of trading in the 2004 Trailblazer. Bob comes back with an off the wall low ball offer. I guess Bob did hit his head. I pass on the trade in offer, and move to writing up everything. Bob now mentions that we don't need the guy from Illinois paperwork in passing, and I think nothing of it.
At this point, while the paperwork is being written up the wife and I step out for a smoke. This is when first notice the guy who pulls up with an Illinois plate. Oh yeah I'm in Michigan,and the dealer is here also. More on this in a minute.

So we do the signing thing and are wrapping up.  I have been hinting to Bob that I want a bow for the wife all night, but the option has been shutdown. In walks the satisfaction survey. Now don't get me wrong, for us the experience was very good, but these guys want everything to be exceptional, and prep me on how to fill out the survey when it arrives and even have me fill, and sign a mock survey. Here where I realize the deal is not over and bring up the bow. Bob becomes flustered at this point. I casually state that I have a short memory, and a bow would remind me of the exceptional service I received otherwise I might forget and circle a very good. Needless to say I now have a big red bow that I can use as marketing material for this Trailblazer I still have.

We wrap everything up and, as we're moving the car seats into the new car, I notice the couple staring at us through the window. We set to depart and the couple gets in there Illinois plated car, just giving us a passing glare as they go. This is where it hits home. Now don't get me wrong the wife loves the new car, and we wouldn't have bought the other one, but that couple drove over 3 hours to get this car and had it bought for underneath them. Now in their situation I would have been on fire. It actually left a very bad taste in my mouth, and even though we had an fairly good buying experience. I don't think  we would ever purchase another vehicle from them.