#13: Life Plus New Cars

And don't be afraid to walk away, that's a big thing, I've done it before, I've been sitting

down doing a deal and they just, having you jump through hoops and just not working with

you and hours go by, it's like, what are you doing, just leave, just leave, you take

a few breaths, it's like, okay, all right, here we are with another fun-filled episode

of Life Plus Cars. This week we have for you a kind of a follow-up to last episode where we

talked about used cars, what to look for when buying used cars and collector cars and just

general buying it. We were going to talk about buying new cars. Our advice when it comes to

that, buying a brand new car and also our own stories when we each bought our first brand

new vehicles. To start out this wonderful episode, coming down to buying a new car,

we're going to toss it over to Ian and he's going to tell us about when he bought his

all-track back a few years ago. So Ian, take it away, tell us your experience buying the new car.

Hey, thanks, Brendan. Yeah, thank you for leading us into the conversation today.

To get things started here, if you listened to the last podcast where I talked about

Lana, my tornado red GTI that I bought used and walked through the whole process of the do's

and don'ts there, I had gotten to a place with the GTI that I felt like, okay, this car may not

be the right one for me. And what's next? And part of that had been inspired because I saw

that the Volkswagen Golf All-Trak was being discontinued that year, it was 2019. And I saw

that was posted and I thought, oh my gosh, this is the car. I mean, we were talking about

all-wheel drive, stick shift wagon, that recipe, which now doesn't exist. And so

that was what did it for me. So I ended up selling the GTI and then that left me without a car.

I had had my eyes on a couple of all tracks at the time. It was a point where there was a few

all tracks to be had, but not many on do or lot. So that's like the first thing that I would

speak towards is just like being able to identify what you want and just get a general sense of

what's out there because I had it in my head that I wanted one that was a particular color,

Great Falls Green, and there was nothing available in that color. So I was getting

to a point where like, okay, do I want the car so badly that I would take it in

white or black or a color that I'm like, maybe not so much. So I would say in that

regard, you're just thinking about like what rises the top as far as your priorities because

when buying a new car, you have some choice in that matter because you can really pinpoint

what you want. I mean, again, supply impacts that, dealer experience impacts that.

Oh yeah. Everyone has like the non-negotiables, right?

That's right.

Like some people will not get a car. It doesn't have heated seats. It's just an example.

Yeah. So that's some of the luxury of being able to buy a new car because I realize that's not

something that everybody can afford. So I've recognized that as a luxury to be sure.

And so I was in a place where I had been trying to find the one and it wasn't,

the one I had really identified was that like, oh, it's a Great Falls Green. It had a brown

leather interior. That was the one that was like, where is this car? And at the time,

there weren't any available. So I was trying out a few dealers, trying out the different cars.

And then finally, I found one that was in transit. And for the Westerners out there,

not sure what that means in transit meant the car that I found that I ended up buying

what had yet to be delivered to the dealer. I had found this car on the website. It was

posted and what stood out to me was it was night blue metallic. So this was the first

blue one that had popped up. And again, to the back of my, being in my story, I wanted one that

had to have the stick shift. Like that was, that was non-negotiable. Had to be a stick shift.

Absolutely. Absolutely. That was what I, that's why I wanted the car in the first place.

And so that's really why I was like, okay, it's this cool metallic like dark blue and it's

got the six speed. Yup. So I was fortunate to be connected with Shira Volkswagen up in

Burlington, Vermont. Shout out to Chris O'Connell at Shira Volkswagen. I bring that up because

this ended up being a fabulous buying experience in part because I was fortunate to be able to

put a deposit down and reserve the car. So that's something that you can do in that instance.

I mean, you can do that for used cars as well, which can help to just give you some peace of

mind, which is what I ended up doing in that moment, knowing that this was a car that was

thought after and knew that even though it wasn't yet at the dealership, I knew at that point that,

okay, yep, this is what I want. And I know, I knew that also because I'd test driven it.

I'm not sure I would have been so keen on just putting down a deposit on a car I've never

driven before. Well, that's actually a good question. I wanted to ask you, did you research,

like not necessarily research, but did you get prices or talk to other dealers

before you settled on Shira? Yeah. So I actually had test driven one nearby and then had actually

put a deposit on one that they were trying to get from another dealership that fell through.

So I had been communicating with a few other ones. And it was, I was looking for a base model

because that was where my price point was. Well, which is smart because you should shop

around like, you know, when they compete, you win. You know, I mean, unless you

have a dealership that you really have a good, you know, reputation with, but

I mean, you've never bought a new car before. So this is all brand new to you.

Exactly. This was new territory. And I'm glad you asked, Brandon, because

yeah, I had been looking around. I think I had like three other dealers that I had been in

communication with and had been getting pricing and just again, it really came down to the

color. I was just not sold on one that was like, I felt like I was settling a bit.

And so I hadn't even considered Shearer. And again, it was really that this color popped up.

I had at this point been without a car for about a week and a half. So I had been borrowing one of

my parents' cars. So that was a factor as well. I was ready. So that's something.

But then you also had this guy who was so annoying and pushing you, telling you what

to do. Like, I think his name was Brendan, you know, like sitting on your shoulder,

get the one you want. Just finance. Who cares? Oh my God.

Yeah. Well, you'll like this, Brandon, because my parents actually encouraged me to buy

the all track in the first place, because I was really looking at a golf sport wagon,

which was a step down from the all track. It's funny because my parents were the ones

that were like, well, if you just spend a little bit more, you can get the all tracks.

And for the listeners, that's rare. That is rare. I adore Ian's parents,

but for them to say spend more money, that's rare. Yes. I come from a frugal household

and the fact that they came around to this anyway. You know, this is, and I think to their point was

that, you know, this is, this was my first brand new car purchase and the sense that like, make

account because, and also I went into it knowing that this was a car I was going to have for a

long time. And that makes me think of another point I wanted to cover was just like,

think about your use case for this car. Like what are you going to get out of this car? Because I

think a lot of people go into a car buying thinking like, okay, I'll have this for a couple years and

then swap it out or, or I'll lease it or something like that. Whereas I was in a very different

headspace knowing like, okay, all wheel drive stick shift wagon, that car is going away after

2019. And then that's it. And then it was really so that's, that was where my headspace

was. So I think it's, I think it's important to think about, okay, what are you buying this

car for? Like what is its purpose? And if it is going to be like a daily driver to not skimp on

things to know that, okay, perhaps it is going to be a little bit more yet know that like, okay,

as I saw, like that was so worth it because I adore this car, like it has been such a great

fit. And I'm really glad that I did listen to my parents and, and went up to the all track.

Oh, yeah. Well, also, I mean, too, you, you could have just gone and bought like a Toyota

Camry or a Subaru legacy. But like, I remember talking to you about it. And I was like, you

really like cars and you love a manual. I was like, you need to look for a manual, whatever it is,

like just just get that, you know, because it's like for just your everyday commuter,

you could have just like, totally gone for the bare bones minimum, right? So you sat down

and you're like, no, I want to have a fun car, like almost like the GTI manual. I mean,

the fact that happened to be Volkswagen, you know, that's funny. But, but you wanted,

you wanted those specific things. And that's what you ended up with.

Exactly. So I think, yeah, to the westerns out there, just like, yeah, making it,

making a thorough list of, as Brenda mentioned, like that non negotiables and

knowing like making, you know, figuring out what its usage is going to be and how it's going to

fit into your life and, and think about how long it may be in your life and, and know,

like this is a car that I think for a lot of people, it is their daily driver. When you're

considering buying a brand new vehicle, this is a huge purchase and, and taking the time to

think carefully through it. I think that's also important to note that, yeah, there's no need to

like panic buy in the sense of like a new car. I mean, granted, I know we've been through an

extraordinary roller coaster of the new market, new car market through the last several years.

So that we, there have certainly been extraordinary exceptions, but

Oh yeah, it's, it's, yeah, there's always ups and downs with it, always. There's many factors,

but you, you touched on a point, even I was going to make, and it's true, like there's

historically, no matter when you go to a car dealership, at least the majority of them,

there's always like a sense of urgency, right? It's like, and people fall into that too easily.

Or it's like, you know, oh my God, the finance deal, like if we don't, if we don't take that,

like we're not going to get it, or there's a rebate that we're going to miss, just calm down.

Like the famous words of one of my good buddies is, there will always be another deal, especially when

it comes to buying a new car, there will always be another deal, right? So don't let it like freak you

out. Like a salesman's like, well, if you don't buy it today, you don't get X, Y and Z. It's like,

three months later, the deals might be better. It's so true that, and I'm glad you brought

that up at that point of like, there will be another. And it's interesting because the handful

of dealers I talked with prior to buying the one at cheer, we're all like, this, you know,

this is it for the all tracks. So like, this is all we have. And like, once they're gone,

they're gone. Like, because I bought the, I ended up buying the car. This was like September.

I remember hearing on the radio in like December that like, oh, we've got a new allotment of

like, of all tracks, we've got 40 different cars and like that whole sense of like, oh,

so they found some more all tracks. And so that right. And to realize that there'll be another one,

you have the, if you're fortunate to have the time to shop around and, and, and make a calculated

informed decision, then, then to use that time. I mean, again, as I said, like I was at a place

where I needed to buy a car that was fortunate to land on this. So that brings you back to

the story with sheer. So I called in made the deposit. So that secured the car for me drove up

to sheer that day. I remember I went with my mom because she was very kind and had been lending me

her vehicle at that, that period there. So we drove up together. And I remember we got to the

dealership drove around and they had lined up the car out, out back and I'm like, Oh my gosh,

I think that's it. Like so because I had only ever seen like the stock photos of this, this

thing was so brand new that they didn't even like put pictures of the car on the website.

Because normally, like if you, if you look at car dealership, you often have like a dozen pictures

of it. Yeah, they get it in, they do the dealer prep where they take all the paint protectors off

interior and then they take pictures of it when it's all cleaned and put it on their websites.

Oh yeah. So they had really just rolled the all track off the truck and taken like the plastic

and such did the inspection everything. But that was it. Like it was otherwise untouched to come around

and see that like, Oh my gosh, there it is. Because again, this is my first brand new car that was

like the night blue paint was shining in the sun and like, Oh my gosh. So that then we were led

inside met this guy, Chris, who was my salesperson I worked with that day. And he was phenomenal.

And I think in part because like he, he's a real Volkswagen enthusiast, like he had pictures

of a Volkswagen bus restoration that he did with his family that you could flip through. And there

was just, it was clear that he really is not only sells cars and is also into them and particularly

Volkswagen. Like I think that's something that I noticed right away. If like the person is invested

in the cars that they are selling. And I think if you had a picture of like a Ford F-150

like, wait a second, you know, and that's actually just real quick. Like that's yeah,

whenever I talk to a salesman, I always ask him like, what do you drive? You know,

because if you're an Alexis dealer and they're like, well, I drive a BMW, it's like,

how long have you worked here? Like 15 years and you drive Alexis? Okay, well, all right.

Yeah, right. It was a little credibility. But yes, please continue. Yeah. And I'm glad

you mentioned that because I get it. Like salespeople, like oftentimes they bounce around

between dealerships and such. And sometimes they weren't even selling cars before. They just

happen to be selling cars. And not to say that I'm sure there are some great salespeople out

there that didn't sell cars before and now they are. However, I've found that if the person

has been selling cars and not only selling, also been selling that brand, there's a difference.

I feel like that's just with anything that you, you put in the time and you experience with that

brand. Those are the kind of salespeople that I think ultimately you want to work with because

it's even consciously, oh yeah, it's even consciously and subconsciously like they believe

in their product when you see someone is that into it, right? Yeah. So I felt very fortunate

because again, like I'd never had an experience with Shearer that was the first I called

purely because they had this blue all track on that was coming in and then happened to be connected

with Chris. And it was the whole process was hassle free. There was never any kind of pressure

amongst the whole thing in part because like I had, as I said, I put the deposit down, which helped

it some peace of mind knowing that like if I, if I didn't ultimately want to do this deal,

I could get that back. And it definitely put me in a place where like, okay, I want to like,

if I want to see this through, like nobody else is banging down the door saying like,

I want the old track. Like I want to test drive it. So making that appointment

helped because sometimes going in cold with a dealership, I feel like is tricky because you

don't haven't like established any kind of rapport with somebody on the sales floor.

Oh yeah. And it's you're right. It did also would be different. Like say,

you just showed up there, but you didn't know that you were going to buy like that specific

all track. Like you didn't see it in transit, right? Right. Say they had a bank of five of them.

Sitting there and you were like, Oh, you know, Chris, like I'm looking at buying an all track.

It is different. It's a little different. Like you showed up there and you had like,

you were there with purpose. Like you knew you were leaving with a car,

which not everyone does that, right? Like a lot of people just shop around.

But yes, I get what you're saying, but walk me through too. So like you sit down with Chris.

Yeah. And you talk to him a little bit. You build the rapport, right?

And then so like, how did it for you in that scenario, like I have a general idea of like,

how most sales go with the cars, right? But I'm just wondering how that went with you.

Did he just immediately have paperwork ready for you to go?

Yeah. I mean, it was assembled in a binder as I recall. I mean, I'm thinking back to my

memory because it was five and a half years ago now. As I remember it, it was laid out

and then he walked through this binder of like the car, what the car was,

different options. Now to be sure, I was in a place where I wasn't really planning to negotiate

because I knew like this was the car. We had talked about a price prior to it.

And then decided like, yep, that's what I want to do. I had sold the GTI, had money in the

bank to be able to then just go right into a down payment. So that all worked out.

To my memory, I don't ever, I never felt any bit of pressure that like, okay,

like it was ultimately, it was, it was up to me. I mean, I think like Chris outlined it well

and then letting me be the judge of like, oh, it was never a sense of like, well, you got it.

Well, you got to buy this car because there's like, there's people lining up out the door for it.

Yeah. He knew that you wanted it, obviously. Most people don't put a deposit down if they

aren't serious. Yes. So I think in that regard, there was not the level of negotiating that

I think typically happens with a new car purchase as far as like trying to navigate that.

But I mean, it's also, what's also one of those things where in your scenario, I mean,

you're talking about like maybe 500 bucks, maybe a thousand, like new cars don't have a ton

of margin built in. It's true. So, so I mean, you know, it's fine. It is what it is. So you

sit there and go over the price, go over it with him. Now, did he like send you into the

F&I guy, the finance manager guy? Yes. Yes. Yep. That was the next step. So that was,

that was the case where I was like, oh, I wish I could just like work with Chris the whole time

because this was great. So yeah, as with any new car purchase, you're then, if you're financing it,

you're then led to, as Brendan introduced, like the finance team then walked through,

okay, here's your down payment. Here's what you're going to be paying for. Here's what

you're going to pay monthly and working all that out. And then that's when that comes

around of like extended warranties or the upsell thing. So that was, yeah, that was where it came

about was that though, to which I declined all of it because I knew that I was going to be getting a

six year 72,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty with Volkswagen. So for the listeners to elaborate

at this time, they were doing it was right after their whole diesel scandal thing with

Volkswagen. So they did this thing where they're doing on all their cars, a bumper to bumper for

six year 72,000 miles. And then I remember that I was like, I should buy a Volkswagen.

That's a good deal. Yes. So when an FNI guy is like, hey, you want extended warranty on that,

it'd be like, shh. No, yeah, that very much was my, you know, I politely declined all of

that because that warranty, the brand new bumper to bumper was what pushed me to buy the car as well,

knowing like everything I was getting with it. Plus I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to have this

incredible warranty for the next six years. So that is also what, what pushed me to do that.

So, and it's as you encounter with any finance, they're all, I mean, the job is to

try to make a little bit more money on the sale before, you know, walk out the door.

I would say in general, those, none of those warranties are worth the upsell.

Yeah. I mean, they have, there's, they're all over. I mean, they have, you know,

oh, we'll ceramic coat it and it guarantees against scratches or we'll do a wheel warranty

or we do glass or we do, and it's like, you know, maybe some of them might be good for some

people, but I mean, for 90% of the people buying a car, it's just a way to lose money.

Especially if you're buying a new car, every new car is going to have a new car warranty.

So you already are leaving with that piece of mind and, and many are like three or 36,000.

Yeah. And I don't care what the person tells you in the room. It's like you, you just, you don't

have to buy any of the stuff they suggest you don't know because you, you know, they're

like, oh, you won't get the deal except like now buying the car. It's like, no, that's BS.

That's absolutely BS. So you can buy a warranty while it's still under the factory,

bumper to bumper for any of that stuff. And you can get a warranty. There are companies

that will do warranties. I mean, you can get a warranty on 100,000 mile car if you want.

You might have to pay a little more for it, but it's just, you can. So don't be bullied into

like, oh, if you don't feel and do it now, you know, that sense of urgency, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And the sense that like they try to capture that sense of like,

oh, just get it all done now. Like just like, don't you want to be done with this? And as you said,

like before, I think in the last episode, Brendan of like how this is like, remember that this whole

process is supposed to be fun, that you, you're in the driver's seat with this, like when it

comes down to it, like at any point, if you just feel like, no, this is just not feeling good

and you haven't signed on anything, like you can walk away and just say, nope, you know

what, I'm not, I'm not happy with the experience I'm having right now. Well, that actually,

that brings up a good question for you. I didn't ask you this and you didn't bring it up is when

you got there, you saw the car and you talked to Chris, did you drive it before you did any

of the paperwork or agreed to buy it? Or were you just like, I'm just buying it?

You know, I think I, oh God, you asked. I didn't drive it. No, I just, I just

Interesting. I saw the car and knew that was the one. So to, I had driven other all tracks,

other dealerships. So yeah, I guess I just, it's funny because I, these are things as well,

like when it comes to new cars, that's a good point that, okay, you know, it's the one you

want, how, and in my case, I test driven other all tracks that said like the idea that like,

oh, okay, like this is the one that is going to be mine. So I should take it for a spin.

Yeah. I would highly recommend that with anyone. Yeah. But I always, I always do that. It's like,

oh, great, there's the car I said I'm going to buy. Well, let's take it on a quick drive first.

Like, because it's, I mean, they're generally like 99.999% of the time, they're fine. But

like, I remember buying a, it wasn't brand new. What was it? I think it was like a Ford F250

something that was brand new. And I ended up buying a used car instead, but I drove it. It was like,

one of the tires was imbalanced, but it was, it was, you know, I had like two miles on it. You know,

you're going down the road and it's like, oh no, salesman's like, oh geez, we're gonna have to

fix that. Yeah. I'll buy that Chevy over there for half the cost. All right. Thanks.

So yeah, another good point for the listeners to take away, always test drive the car,

whether brand new or used. Yeah, you should. I mean, because like, you just never know. Well,

yeah, I mean, in your scenario, right, like you driven them, you knew you liked it. But I mean,

just for, you know, playing devil's advocate, like what if you hop in it, you drive it and

you're like, oh my God, I hate it. Like, there's always that chance. Would that be

you like driving off the lawn and you're like, oh, like, what am I doing? And just

buyer's remorse is enemy number one. Can't be having that.

It is. And I feel like it's something that, that plagues like the car buying process that it's just,

I mean, you get that with other purchases too. But I feel like, I mean, even in the car world,

there's always like, oh, what have I done? Definitely. I've had that more often than not.

Yeah. And I would say I've been pretty lucky. But yeah, it definitely happens just like the,

oh, it sinks in like, what have I got myself into? Yeah, usually more with use cars than new.

I mean, unless you like, you go buy a Cadillac Escalade and you've got like, you know,

$1,200 a month car payment. And it's like, then it's like, what have I done?

You're just like, oh, I am sunk. Yeah. So this is a mortgage. What am I doing right now?

Yeah. So yeah, I mean, I think that's, that's all good points to take away that what, you know,

particularly buying new is that just again, take your time, really think carefully about

a test drive it, look at the numbers. Is it going to make sense? Are you going to put

yourself in a hole? Because I think it's like with a new car purchase, I think it's way too

easy to get upsold or just say like, oh, well, it's just that much more or caught up in that

blurry of activity and just to try to go at it with as clear of a head as possible,

which is, which is tricky to do because it's just most of the time it's, you're in an environment

where like, you just walk into a dealership and you like, feel you like your blood pressure

start to rise. And so it, but again, that was thankfully not the experience I had at Shere

that I had felt like. Well, I'm very pleased to hear that because it really is more often

than not that you hear the horror stories from car dealerships used or new or whatever, right?

And it's just so nice when you find a well run, just a good dealership, like it's just

worth so much when you can find that, right? Yeah. So that's, that's a big deal. That's

a huge part of a new car buying process is liking the people you're buying it from.

Yeah, it's worth, worth a lot. So yeah, so once the finances had all been worked out payments,

the month, the month of payment was going to be and all of that I was dovered back to Chris. So

that's typically like, figure out the deal with the salesperson, then goes finance,

then back to the sales. And so I remember then being like, okay, wow, yep, this is,

this is really happening. So we walked out to the car and Chris walked me through

everything, which I think that's another sign of a good salesperson just that they're willing to like

see you through after the sale to like, you're not just like signing off like, okay, like make the,

you know, and complete the deal. And then like, okay, here's a new car, like somebody who

takes the time to walk outside with you show you the car. And I think most people do now.

I think it's just the sense that like they're, they're still invested in you as a person

more than just a customer and that like, this is huge. Like you just bought this brand new car

and you're about to walk, they're about to drive off the lot. And so I just remember

he took, you know, apparently upwards of, I don't know, like 20 minutes or so,

just to like walk me through the whole car, even went into like set up, I remember this,

he set up the Bluetooth with my like, with, with like Rockinian cell, like he named that

in like the infotainment system. And I was just like, Oh, that's so cool. Like, yeah, it's just

those little things that for me, those little personalized touches made me feel like, okay,

yeah, like I this, this was the right place to do this right place to buy. And yeah, just,

just establishing that connection because I mean, the interaction you have is fleeting,

you're, you know, as far as you and working in this case, working with Chris and just like,

knowing like, okay, this will be like a one and done kind of a thing. But yeah, still feel like,

okay, like I trust this person, I feel connected to this person, I'm doing the right thing. And so

I treated you well and he did it with the idea of repeat business, which is worth a lot.

Yeah, which is so true that I mean, I don't see myself buying a new Volkswagen

anytime soon, since I've been so pleased with the all track. But if I, if I ever

get to that point, I would return there in part because of the experience I had. And so

I think that speaks for itself that if like you, you know, like, yeah, I would go back. I think

that that's a sign that you, you've been treated well. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because I mean,

let's face it, like car dealerships, you know, if you're willing to travel there a dime a

dozen, you know, I mean, granted, if you're in a very rural part of the country, maybe you

are just like, there's the local Honda dealer, and that's who everyone drives Honda, right?

Yeah. But I mean, for most people, it's like, you know, if you're willing to drive like an hour,

it's like there's two or three Chevy dealerships. Yeah. It's like, okay, you go go to the one

that treats you the best, right? Yeah, I mean, that is that that's totally the case that for

where I was at with the all track purchase was that like, we had been looking at a couple

dealerships closer to home, like where we were in the upper valley there. And then

so Burlington was like, almost like, you know, hour and a half, almost two hours just to get up

there. And so it's a commitment to get up there. But I mean, that's as you said, Brendan, like,

it's worth it to make that drive. Just like the dealership experience. So, well, yeah, I mean,

that was yeah, I mean, I did the exact same thing when I got my pickup. So, yeah, incoming

segway. Look at that. That was that was that was a beautiful transition. And I'm going to pass it off

to my good car colleague, Brendan, and he's going to talk to you about his new vehicle

purchase, which I'm excited to hear because I followed along with it as it was in progress.

He's going to have a lot during the peak. Oh, it took me almost a year. Yes.

So go ahead, Brendan. On the travel front. So that's I'll just start it with that. So like,

where we live, there are a couple local Chevy dealerships. So I bought a 2022 Silverado

three quarter time 2500 truck. And it's the first truck I ever ordered. So I ordered it

just the way I wanted it. I went up to a small local Chevy dealership up in Wells River, Vermont,

and that's where I ordered it from. That's where I got it. Because I know the people that work there,

small dealership, their family running, they have been for years, and they're just good,

honest people in the service department, sales department, like you name it, they're just

good people. Yeah. And I've known them since I was younger because my uncle would buy cars

from them. So I just knew a lot of the people. So my salesman, Ted, which I believe he is retired

now, but Ted was he's the best. So it came about that is to get back up real quick. So you imagine

this 2019 Ford F 250 I had, I bought this Ford F 250 from a friend of mine that is a sales

manager at a Ford dealership in Maine. So I got a pretty good deal on it. I bought that

right at the beginning of COVID when we had that spike in the car market. Like I bought the truck

for I think it was just a regular cab Ford long bed, right? I think I bought it for somewhere in

like the $34, $35,000 range. And right at that peak of co or beginning of COVID, when prices

skyrocketed, I was I had the truck and it only had like 10,000 miles on I had it for

like a year and a half or something, right? I was talking to this guy about it. And I was like,

you know, I got this truck and like, maybe I should sell it. And, you know, and

anyway, I ended up selling it for like 38, five or 39 or 30 or 40, some, some number way above

what I paid for it, you know, like four or five grand above what I paid. And I had put 10,000

miles on it. And I was like, this is the dream. Like it appreciated, right? It really was incredible.

Yeah. So that that I was like, I felt so good because like, you know, I was walking around

with this extra cash in my pocket. I was like, all right, you know, but then quickly, the

reality set in. So we're like end of 21. The reality set in that I was like, I was just

driving like random cars that I'd buy and sell, you know, a sob here of all over there, like whatever.

And then I was like, oh my gosh, I need a truck. I was like, I just, I need a truck. I can't like,

I can't with my house or what I'm doing. Like I got to have a pickup. So I talked to my father

about it, who's always a very good influence on the car thing where his mentality is,

you know, oh, you want that option? It's like, and it's, you know, $2,200. He's like,

well, what is it over 60 months? You know, it's like, hey, dad, very different story than I would

say my dad. But anyway, yeah, my dad is always just like, well, what can you finance it for?

Like what can you finance for it? It's just a payment. You know, what's the interest rate?

More enough interest rate, just go for it. It's a difference of perspective.

Yes, yes. And that is my life, his payments. But anyway, that's another story. But so

he was like, you just order a truck. He was like, just order a truck, like your light cars,

like you just, just rip the Band-Aid off, spend the money, order a truck, like see what you can

get one for. At the time that I ordered it, it was like everyone, no matter who I called,

no matter what distance they were charging, like MSRP or above. So I just was, I was like,

I just, I'm not paying that. Like I'm going to wait. I'm going to wait. So anyway,

I had a good conversation with my salesman, Ted, who I'd known for a while. And I was like,

well, I'd really like to get a truck and like, what do you guys have? Do you have any deals?

And he's like, no, there's no deals. Like it's COVID, like we're having trouble getting

stuff. Like it is what it is. So I just said like, well, give me, like if I ordered a truck,

what's the ETA, right? Like when could I expect to see it? And it was in

March of 21 is when I had this conversation. I was like, what's an ETA look like if I ordered one?

And he said it'd probably be somewhere in the eight to 12 months, like realistically,

but, you know, or maybe it started like four or six, right? Like it's some number that I was like,

well, maybe yeah, I'm like, right, like reasonable. So, so I said, all right, like I'll price one up.

So I priced it up. We went through the colors, all the options. Like I went on the Chevy website

and like, you know, pick and chose every little thing is like, no, I want the tan interior

and I want it dark green and I want a center console and heated seats. You know,

just went down through the list, send it to Ted and I'm like, Ted, like order this up for me like

this. What's that look like? And then it was like the COVID struck again. It came back and he's like,

well, you actually can't get that package because they aren't doing spraying bed liners and then

you can't get the mudflaps because the supplier doesn't have it. And he's like, so if we do,

and I'm like, I just cancel that, like whatever. So we settled on the truck.

Yeah. That I wanted the order and just the way I wanted it and ordered it. So by the time we actually

got like all of that figured and settled, I want to say that it was like somewhere in the middle

of April or something like that. So I didn't think much of it after I ordered it and I give them

credit. They were super nice. They were like, we've ordered the truck like, you know, just

you don't have to give us a deposit. Like it's your truck. And when it comes in, like they're

selling like hotcakes because they're so hard to get. Like, you know, we could sell this thing

at an instant if you decide you don't want it. So like, let's just order it the way you want.

They're like, all right. So I was like, that's a fantastic deal. I won't say no to that.

I mean, like every three or four months, like I would like ping Ted and be like any updates

and he's like, like nothing, nothing. And then finally it was, I think it was November.

He was like, Hey, we got like a date that they're actually going to build your truck.

Like it's supposed to be built, you know, it was like the second. Yeah. Yeah. The second

week of January is when it's supposed to be, is he telling me this like November,

you're like the second week of January, you're slated for production, right?

And the other thing I got a backup to like when in like April or May or whenever I first talked

to about it, they hadn't opened the order books yet for the 2022 models. So they had to, they had

to wait to put in the order until that comes around. Whenever that is, I can't remember the

month they started allowing for the following year orders. But anyway, so he told me what was

going to be made. And then there was another delay. And then it actually, it was like so

sudden. He just called me like end of January, like January, like 28th or something. And it's like,

your truck's going to be here tomorrow. Like, what? Like, what? No way, really. So I was like,

we got the incentives or anything. He's like, no. I was like, Oh, darn it. So we, what was it?

So do you know, we talked about with you, like the dealer prep thing and all that, the

day it got delivered, I actually drove up because I was going to my brothers because he lived up there,

right up near Littleton. Yeah. And so I drove up and swung in and they had it in the garage,

but they hadn't done any of the dealer prep. So it had all the paint protective film, all the

covers on the seats and the steering wheel and all that. And I got a couple of pictures of that.

Yeah, that's pretty cool. Like when it had like 0.01 miles on it. Oh my gosh.

I mean, I was, I mean, you like, I was excited, but at the same time, like, you know,

me, like I've bought and sold so many cars is like, Oh, yeah. I was going to ask.

Here comes the payment. Like, wonderful. Can't wait. Yeah, that's all right. I mean,

a very nice truck, beautiful. Yes. So anyway, Ted showed me around. They had it out and like

the prep wash bay and we checked it all out. And the one thing I'll never forget about it

is just trying to get in and out of it. It was so high off the ground. It's still so

high off the ground. Like, there's no steps on it. Yeah. When I bought it and like for

eat and I'm tall, like six, six for me to get in and out of it. I was like, holy crap.

Yeah. And if I may for a moment, Brennan, I just like, because I've seen this truck

in person here. And so for the listeners, like I'm sick, almost six foot two. And like,

I think like the bed, the bed rails like come up to my shoulder. I was like,

I went up to him, like, are you kidding me? Like, I can't even like reach over the bed here.

And this is a factory truck. It's like it's not lifted or anything like that. It's just

from the factory. It's massive. Well, that's, that's like a topic for another

episode because like, I don't understand why it has to be so big. I really don't.

It's very heavy duty and all that, but it's a pain in the butt to park that thing.

It just makes no sense. But neither here nor there, but I just remember that.

Like it didn't have steps on it and like getting in and out of it was a pain. But anyway,

Ted showed me and it was like close to closing time. So I was like, thank you very much left.

And then he just said, like, we're going to do the deal, whatever, like February 1st,

like just come up February 1st, like beginning of the month, come up, do the deal.

And I did. And that was actually just super chill, super easy. Like, you know,

like I said, I knew him. So I just walked in like, Hey, good morning. How are you? He just

was like going and see Grace, which is their F and I person. And they already had all my

information. So she was just like, she's like, you have good credit. So you qualified like at

the time the interest rate, I think it's like 1.9% for like 72 months. Oh, that is a score. Oh,

it was, it was beautiful. They didn't, they didn't have any incentives, obviously COVID.

I put a couple grand down cash and then just financed it. Right. So

and she was like, she literally, she like, I'm sitting there and she's like,

this is what your payment be. And she's like, no,

she's like, you don't want any of the warranties or anything. Right. And I was like, no,

she's like, yeah, that's what I thought. Yeah. So, so just sign here. And then I went out

and dead, you know, God bless them were sitting there in the truck, going over all the

features and everything. And, you know, and yeah, it was that simple. But I mean, like from walking

in the door to leaving was no more than 30 minutes from like, you know, I mean, that's that to me,

that's the way to buy a car. Like it wasn't any of this drawn out. Like, oh, let me talk to the

manager, let me do this, you know, like, like, you know, I don't, I don't want to like,

you know, cause any waves on it in terms of how that dealership treated me. But on the price,

I will say that they did discount it off of MSRP for me because of the history I had with them.

But I'm not going to say how much because if I said how much it might make people upset.

It was $1. No, no, just kidding. They were extremely fair to me. And I appreciate

it very much. And they've just, they've, they've always been really good to deal with,

not just with me, anyone that's ever gone to that dealership in Wells River is they're great.

Just I tell everyone because we have some big GM dealers down where we are. And even a little

way south or down near where you are, there's a bunch of dealers. Right. And I tell everyone

and anyone, I'm like, go up to them. Like they are a small dealer, but they can get

anything. And you can order a car. And like they just, they treat you right. That is the most

important thing. That is another great segue into what I wanted to talk about when buying a

new car is how important it is to find a dealership you trust, not just on service or sales, but

just the whole, the whole scheme, right? The whole umbrella of the dealership. You've

got to trust them and they have to respect you. Another great example is not the place I

bought my truck, but where my dad has bought a few cars down at Conkert, there's a big GM dealer.

And they are phenomenal. I mean, you just, the last car he bought, he literally went in,

he was like, I want to, I want to buy one of these cars. And the salesman,

who I think is retired now, Bob, great guy, he's just like, yeah, we'll make that happen

for you. You know, just charged him whatever, like invoice on the car and he walked in when

he went to pick it up. It literally was just, he sat with Bob, not even the finance guy,

just sat down with Bob, signed a couple pieces of paper, tosses my dad the keys and he's like,

have fun. You know, but for my dad, like that's what my dad wants. I don't want to go through

a drawn out process. Just, this is what, you know, and he respected that. And then their

service department also, excellent. Like you go in, they're like, oh, hi, like Bob,

how are you? I mean, they see hundreds of people a day. Like, oh, I couldn't see you, Brendan,

how are you? What's going on? It's like, how the heck do you remember me? Like, this is insane,

right? But it's just, it's nice. And you trust them. Like you're getting a good deal.

They aren't doing anything shady. They're just being very direct. That's, it's worth

so much when you can find that in a dealership, because it's supposed to be fun. It's supposed

to be enjoyable. So my advice would be to like, if you walk into a place and you feel like there's

some things off or you feel like you're being like given the run around, like just get out of

there. Like it's just not worth it. And I mean, like, there's all the classics, right? Like, you

oh, let me go talk to my manager about that. And they're gone. They're probably just like,

they're like, hey, you kept the game last night. Yeah, they come back like, no, I can't do that

price. You know, like just kid. And I mean, all that stuff happens all the time to people.

And it's just, it shouldn't, it's terrible. No, it's not fair. Well, then, and it comes

back to, you know, to go back to, I said about finding like a good dealership, like the

reason I like the Wells River one, the reason I like the Concord one is you know, when you,

you start to talk to the people that work there and you learn a little bit more about them, it's

like their family run, they're smaller, they're more closely held. Like you can ask like, I always

like to ask salesman when I meet them. I'm like, how are you getting your paid like your

pay structure? Like are you commission? That's true. Or are you, you know, but a lot of them

are pure commission. Yeah, it's all based on how much you sell, right? Wells River or down in

Concord, you're talking about people that have been there for 15, 20 years as salesman,

and they're salary based. And then they get a commission based on how many units they move

per month, right? And it's like, to me, that tells me like, okay, they care about

creating an environment that's not cutthroat. Right, they take care of them. Oh, yeah, like,

you know, obviously there's, I'm sure there's competition between the salesman's internally,

right? But it's just, it's not like they're trying to just screw people to get as many

sales as possible. They're not doing that because they're making money to get by,

but then they have incentive to sell cars to people. Okay. So that's a big deal. Like,

I always like to talk to people about like, how long have you worked here? How does it work?

You know, how many cars you move in a month? What's going on? Get a sense for them as, you know,

how, you know, their kind of work, what they do, and is it genuine? Do they like,

did they kind of emote that like, yeah, like they're passionate about this? Like, it's not

just a job that they're doing, like, and getting that sense for being authentic and

building that connection and trust from the start. Yeah, exactly. And it's like,

like you're saying with yours too, you know, are they passionate about the product they're selling?

Like, what do you drive? Like, you drive a Chevy? Like, oh, you do? Like, oh, this is,

what do you like about it? It's like, oh, those sound systems. Like, yeah, mine's good too. Oh,

my God. Yeah. So just building that rapport and having it be good, just good, honest people.

And I mean, we've pretty much touched on everything I wanted to bring up with it. It's

like when you're going to buy a new car, you do your research on what you want,

what options you want, and do your research on price too. Like, no, knowledge is power. No,

you want to spend on the car, don't get talked into buying up above what you want. Like,

it's really easy to just be like, well, you know, if you get the next trim level,

it comes with all these options. It's like, but that's like another five grand. And it's like,

you're sitting there going, well, the car was 30, but I mean, for another thing, you're 35. And then

it's like, well, then the next trim is 42. It's like 35 to 42. It's like, it's so easy to just

tally it up. You're lulled into that. Yeah. Yeah. So don't fall into that trap.

Try to find good, honest people to deal with a good dealership. I mean, a good

dealership is going to work with you. No one to walk away. And then on the actual money front of it,

I did want to make this point is a lot of dealerships will approach a person and all they'll focus on

is what you want to pay per month. Right? Yeah. That's your monthly. Yeah. People fall into that.

That's a trap. Like, that is a trap. Like, everyone knows what they want to afford per

month, right? But if you go into a dealership and they're like, well, what, like, what would you,

everyone will usually just fall in like, well, I can't have more than a $400 a month car payment,

right? And to a salesman, all they're hearing is, I'm going to make the numbers work in any

way, shape or form to get $400 a month. Because then what they'll do is they'll start,

you know, instead of a 60 month term, you're up to 84 months. And the interest rate goes

from 3% to 12%. And it's like, and you do stuff that most people just don't care about. They're

like, just give me a car for $400 a month. And it's like, no, no, my advice on in this scenario is

whenever you are buying a new car, argue the price of the car, the price of the car, not

your payment, the price of the car is what you argue. Everything else comes after. Don't

talk about your trade in. They're like, Oh, you got a trade? Nope. Like just this is the car I'm

looking at. And this is the price that I want it to be at. Or like, this is where it needs to be.

That's the tactic. Like, don't worry about anything else. And once you agree on a price,

like say you're looking at a brand new car that's 35, and you know, you can buy it in voice,

which is like 32 five, let's say, you know, that's what you argue, like that's what you hit

at home. And then after you're like, All right, like that's the car I want. And this is the price.

Then you go like, All right, I'm going to trade in like my CRV or I'm going to do this. And it's

like, I don't want warranties. And I don't like my monthly payment, whatever, like as long as the

interest rate is good. And, you know, we can look at what the terms are, but argue the price

of the vehicle. Since as you're like bringing back to what you said, Brendan, I'm like, people

just get so caught up on like, Well, what's the what's the payment monthly payment? And so

then they're like, Well, what if you just lease or like in that whole scenario? So argue or negotiate

on like the price of the vehicle and let that let that drive the deal. Yeah, because I mean,

like in all honesty, like if you go to a shady place, right, and you walk in the door and

you're like, just I like to use a Cadillac Escalade because I love Cadillacs and it's

expensive rig. You're like, I want a Cadillac Escalade. And but I don't want to have a

payment of more than 500 a month. Like if it's a shady place, it'll be like, we can do that.

And then the next thing you know, you're financed it for 120 months at like 20%, right? But your

payment, it works, right? It's like, no, don't like, don't ever do that. Don't ever fall victim

to the monthly payment thing. Yeah, it's the most important. I mean, as you've said in early

episodes, like this is like the second most second largest purchase you'll ever make,

particularly if you're buying a new vehicle. I mean, that's a significant investment you're

making. So, yes, yes, it should be fun. Obviously, you've got to have the knowledge, the research on

and you just try to find a place that's going to treat you right. That's all the above. Yeah.

I mean, don't and don't be afraid to walk away. You know, that's a big thing. Like I've

done it before. Like I've been like sitting down doing a deal. And they just, you know,

having you jump through hoops and just not working with you. And like hours go by,

it's like, what are you doing? You just leave. Just leave. Like, yeah, you take a few breaths.

It's like, okay, that's it. Yes. Just to like come up for air and realize like, wait a minute,

wait a minute, wait a minute, like just take stock of where you are. And like,

and he said like, Oh, like I am still in the driver's seat. I can just walk away.

Yeah. So yeah, I mean, new car buying at Ian's story and my story, like, you know,

we had really good experiences and people that were respectful and treated us well. And

that's what we hope anyone can experience in that type of scenario.

Absolutely. So we hope that you've been able to take a little wisdom from here from our experiences

and take that with you in whatever new car you might be looking at. And we're excited for you.

If you are new car shopping right now, take that. Yeah, if you are new car shopping,

you got to, you tell us the story of how the purchase went. We got to hear it.

That's right. Yeah, because guess what? You're starting a new life plus this car.

There it is, right? Full circle. Because again, how fun is that? Like you're now like,

you're getting to like all this life ahead of you, all these memories and you're

getting to now create it with a brand new vehicle that is yours. And I know like for me,

with the all track, like I took such a thrill from like the fact that like there were only

10 miles on the car when I bought it. And it was like, oh my gosh, like every other mile

with this car is going to be mine. And I just, it was just, there was such excitement with that.

And I was curious, Brendan, just as like a quick note was like speaking to that experience of

ordering a vehicle because I've never like ordered a vehicle like that, like check everything

that you're hoping for. And I mean, my all track was such that it was close to what I

would have wanted anyway. But yet you were able to go through that whole ordering process,

which I was curious just how like that, that experience of like just creating something

that was going to be what you wanted. Yeah, I mean, it's, I think anyone dreams of doing that,

right? Like, you know, I mean, and I think more people have done it since COVID, but that's

true. But yeah, it was really fun. Well, I mean, there's no other way to put it just fun,

like it was nice. Like I started, like I said, I just went to the Chevy website and was like,

this is the truck and I knew I wanted a double cab. So it had like a space in the back seat

because I had the Ford that didn't have a back seat. Yeah. So I got that. And then the one thing

that I wavered on wicked, well, two things was the length of the bed and the color.

So originally, my favorite combo, which there may or may not be a 66 Mustang that

matches it is silver with black interior. That is my absolute favorite color combo. You don't say.

Oh, it's the best. It doesn't get dirty as easily. And I love a black interior because it doesn't

show the dirt. Like you have a tan interior, right? You get in that blue jeans or you get dirty,

easy sweat, whatever, right? Black hides it. It gets dirty, but it hides it. So anyway,

that and then the bed. So the Ford was an eight foot bed and I loved it. I love being able

to put like a sheet of plywood in the back, close the tailgate, like put a snowmobile in it,

close the tailgate. So when I got my truck, I was like, boy, if I get an eight foot bed,

like that's going to be a long truck with the double cab. Yes. But I went with it. I went with

my gut and I got the eight foot bed and it's a huge truck. Like it's longer than my suburban,

which is crazy. But but I would not have it any other way. I will never have a truck

again that does not have an eight foot bed. Like it is the best. So anyway, just to bring it back,

I mean, I was just, I was curious about that part of your story, like the ordering of it and just

that, the kind of excitement that I'm sure that builds around the whole whole process.

I highly recommend it. Your next car, you should order it. But yeah, no, that actually though,

the last thing about ordering the truck is to elaborate more. So my, I originally had it

in this silver and black. And what happened is it was actually, it was after I ordered it in

silver and black, like it was a month later, I think GM came out with their 2022. They said,

we're coming out with a new color for 2022. And it was this forest green metallic.

So I like went online and looked at all these images of it. And I was like,

I love like a dark green. Like that's a beautiful color, right? So, oh yeah. So I called up Ted,

and I was like, Ted, is it too late to change the color? Like, because I think I want it to be this

new green. And I'll never forget, he was like, what new green? And then he like, he's like, hold

on, he like looks up on his computer and he's like, oh yeah, see it right here, forest green.

All right. He's like, yeah, you want to do that? And I was like, yeah, and changing

tier to tan, he's like, tan with you? Like, what are you crazy? I was like, yeah, I was like,

just do it, just do it. So I don't regret that because when it's all cleaned up, it is a beautiful

green and that was that was awesome to be like, yeah, it is, it's cool to like get in my truck

and be like, I picked all these options. Like it's just the way I wanted it. Right? It's

got everything, everything I could ever want. It's an LT pickup that's got some options on it.

Yep. You outlined the whole thing. Oh yeah. And I'm halfway done paying for it. There you go.

Kudos to you, man. Yeah. That's exciting. I mean, and yeah, just the sense that he said,

like that satisfaction of getting in your vehicle and knowing like, okay, yeah, I specced it out

just like this and like your truck. And I think there's there's just so much enjoyment to be

taken from that. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I use it a lot. I mean, I told my dump

trailer, I towed the equipment trailer trackers around, picked cars up with it,

load up the bed of it with junk all the time. It's really nice to have a pickup when you're

got stuff going on. But yeah. But I mean, I'd be curious what our listeners think about,

you know, we should go into a deeper dive on different ways to buy cars. Like I've

always wanted to talk in more depth about like classic car financing, but we could do an episode

about, you know, new car buying and what that looks like, like financing versus leasing versus

whatever, we could talk about buying collector cars, what type of options are there. But I'd

like to hear what maybe our listeners have an idea. Do they want to hear? Do they not want

to hear? Do you want to know the difference between leasing and buying outright is? Should

we talk about it? I don't know. You just got to let us know. Yeah. Drop us a line at the

lifepluscarse at gmail.com. That's the one you heard it here first, folks. There you go. So

email us at lifepluscars at gmail.com. That's right, listeners. All together, all one word,

no hyphens, just life plus cars gmail. At gmail.com. I won't sing it again,

not this episode. So you guys, you got to remember it. Well, until next time, listeners,

thank you so much for tuning in and following along with Brendan and I, your two car crazy

hosts here at lifepluscars. Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much for tuning in. We'll see you next

time. Bye, bye, bye, bye.

#13: Life Plus New Cars

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About this episode

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