what an exhausting day. we went test driving cars for the better portion of the morning.

first we went to a VW dealer. i wanted to drive an automatic to see how they handled. before we were even able to see their selection, a salesman came out to see what we wanted. i made it fairly clear from the get-go that i was not looking to buy today, hoping that he’d back off.

so i found a jetta that i was interested in, so i asked to take it for a spin. i was a lil worried cause the first thing the guy said was to keep the speed low due to local police. before i even made it out of the neighborhood, he was asking me “what it would take to get [me] into the car”. i repeated what i already told him. not once did he mention features or benifits. instead he hammered on and on about how i need to buy the car today, despite my telling him i wasnt wanting to buy today. i never got to take the car about above 40, and he had the nerve to ask me if i liked how it drove. we left, and i still feel that i never got to test drive a jetta.

next was the gunn honda dealer across the street. i was interested in checking out civics. they had some ‘04 civics for $16k new. i decided i wanted to test drive one. this time, the guy focused on showing features and functionality. before he let me drive, he pulled into a car lot to show me everything about the car. the features were basically the same as the accord, so i was already pleased. i liked the vtech engine and the fact that it was a quiet ride. it had plenty of power even though it was low on the horse-power. the drive went well. i was able to take it to the highway, around some curves and punch it a lil. i liked the way it handled. smooth acceleration, responsive steering and braking. the salesman wasnt pushy. in fact, he said he was paid on salary. i walked away with a very positive feeling of the dealership and the car.

then we went to a ford dealer, northside ford, to test drive a focus. the kid who was took us on the test drive couldn’t have been older than us. the only thing i can say about the focus is that i didnt like it. it felt cheap. it drove cheap. i dont think i’d like driving it after a few years. it felt much like a car that crystal’s parents own and affectionatly refer to as “the pickle”. the kid was desperate to get me to like anything. he showed me a focus wagon, YELLOW! i don’t know what it is about me that says i would like a yellow stationwagon. they were apparently moving locations on monday, so they didn’t have much inventory. but the inventory they did have, which sucked ass, he was desperate to sell me. he even showed me a smelly altima with a big brown stain on the passenger seat. i wont be buying a ford.

that leaves me with a jetta, impreza, and a civic. i think the impreza’s will be out of my price range but im still very interested in them. i should prolly do some more research on these models’ consumer report.