My 1999 Toyota Camry is starting to fall apart on me and although I believe that the engine would probably last another 50-100 thousand miles, we didn't want to continue to invest in a ten year old car. With a 143,000 miles on the odometer, I think it has done it's job. If I look at all the work I have had done on it over the past year, I would probably see that we have spent around $6,000 and I am looking at probably another $2,000 in repairs...brakes, 4 new tires, rear passenger window fell off the track, rear brake warning light came on, among other random rattles that have yet to be diagnosed. At this point, I was scared to drive it because it was unsafe.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Camry. I have a lot of emotional attachment to this car. This was my first big purchase on my own. I drove it off the lot with 23 miles on the odometer 10 years ago. For me, this car is a symbol of independence and success. This car has been a constant in my life through 10 years of change. I have to admit that I cried when I was cleaning it out yesterday afternoon.
My Camry (notice the duct tape on the rear window and the rust spots on the hood)
I am not going to go into a long drawn-out synopsis of our whole experience except to say that it was 4 very long days and we ended our search exactly where we started it...Westboro Toyota.
We started out last week by stopping in at Westboro Toyota looking at the used Toyota Sienna's. Basically just looking to see if there was anything out there that we liked. That is when we met salesman Dave M. Nice guy, but still a salesman. I told him that this was our first stop and that we were only there to look, nowhere near ready to buy and he respected that and still helped answer any questions that we had on the Sienna. We left there with the seed planted that we wanted to at least shop around some more and see what was available.
Saturday we went to Kia (Rte 9 in Westboro), Honda (Rte 9 in Westboro) and Herb Chambers Toyota (Rte 20 in Auburn). (Saving you the gory details...liars & swindlers)
Sunday we went to Harr Toyota (Gold Star Blvd in Worcester), Herb Chambers Toyota (Rte 20 in Auburn) and Westboro Toyota (Rte 9 in Westboro). (Saving you the gory details)
Sunday night, we ended up putting a down payment on a 2006 Toyota Sienna with 22,000 miles on it...selling price was $20,880. We were looking at a monthly payment of $390. For whatever reason, we left there not feeling very good about our decision, but were reassured knowing that our deposit was refundable and that we had not even signed a purchase & sales agreement yet, so we still had another night to think about it. Mike came home and ran a carfax report on the car and found that it had been in a car accident. This made us feel even more uneasy to be spending that much money on damaged goods.
Monday, we went back to Westboro Toyota to "pick up the car" and ended up telling them we didn't feel right about buying that car. So back out to the lot we went to look at the other used Sienna's on the lot. We stood there for quite a while comparing the 4 used ones they had on the lot. While we were doing that, Dave M. was working some figures on a 3 year lease for a 2010 Toyota Sienna. Now, I never would have considered a lease before because I like to own my cars and run them into the ground...something about not having a car payment that appeals to me. But, he showed us that for a payment of $321/month ($70 less than the used one we were going to buy), we could drive a brand new car off the lot. In 3 years, we can buy the car at $14,000. So, we could finance the $14,000 for 3 years and still be the same years out as we would have been by buying the used Sienna. So for the same amount of years, for a lesser monthly payment??? this seemed like a no-brainer to me. Also, with a new car, you know what you are getting. You know that you are not getting someone else's headache. We decided that this was our best option. We signed the lease and came home very happy with our decision.
Tuesday, we went back to Westboro Toyota to actually pick up our car. We were SO happy with our salesman Dave M. that we brought him another customer. My sister, Kay, was also in the market for a vehicle and I convinced her to come with us and at least talk to Dave about the same lease possibility on a different car. He ended up working out a great deal for her too and she is going to be leasing a 2010 Toyota Carolla Sport.
So we are BOTH very happy to be driving brand spankin' new 2010 Toyota's and we are BOTH very happy with Dave M. Very, very nice guy...I now have his cell phone number & home address because he invited us to his Halloween party...lol. If you are looking to buy a Toyota, I would highly recommend talking with Dave. Email me if you want his contact info.
I drove my new Sienna off the lot with 15 miles on the odometer!!! I am so thrilled with my new car. I feel as happy with this "purchase" as I did 10 years ago with my Camry. To me, this car symbolizes commitment and family.
My new Sienna...
Kay's new Carolla...Yes, it is the showroom model!
OK, so maybe this was a long drawn-out synopsis, but believe me when I say that I left out a lot of details in between :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment