New car smell

On Father's Day on the way to the track in my Kia Soul Megan said to me that I'll need a bigger vehicle if we're ever going to have another kid. I loved my Kia Soul, but Ozzie's car seat alone was a tight squeeze in the back seat rear-facing. She got me thinking. I always said that if I needed to get a new car I'd get another Kia Soul. They're cheap, good cars, and the 10 year warranty alone is worth it.

I'm not a big fan of naming cars, but that's James, named (by my brother) after The Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Before I got James I was looking at Toyota RAV4's. This was a few years ago when RAV4's looked more like a truck ands had the spare tire on the back. I thought (and still think) that they look really sharp. I didn't remember how much space was inside. When I was car shopping last time, I wasn't thinking about fitting car seats in the back seat. 

I went to Brookdale Toyota on my day off last week and looked at the new 2014 model. It looks less like a truck/SUV now, but still looks really slick to me. I couldn't believe when I opened the hatch to the back and saw all of the cargo space. I was sold almost right there. Then I opened the door to the back seat and was surprised at the room back there compared to James. 

Buying a car at a dealer is stressful because you want the lowest price possible, but they want the most out of you. It's a funny dance that you need to do. My best advice is not to buy the first day you're there. Get numbers to take home with you and research on the internet. I found the model and color of the RAV I wanted and had the dealer (let's call him Joe) put it on hold for me (which he offered). Then I went home and looked up the True Car price. 

True Car is an awesome website that the dealer pretty much has to give you the discount it reports. If they don't, there are twelve other dealers who will, and they know that, so he gave me the discount of $1,737 that it said. Then I looked up the actual car that was on hold for me on the dealer's website. Their own website had it listed with a $2,000 discount that Joe didn't tell me about. He didn't offer any push back when I emailed him about it, and he said he'd honor it, but I didn't feel right about him keeping his own advertised discount a secret from me. 

I knew Joe was going out of town for a long weekend and had planned with him to come back and buy from him on Tuesday (today), but the more I thought about it, the more I thought of Joe as a weasel and wanted to talk to a manager about seeing a different sales person. I had yesterday off again and called the lot. A salesman answered and I asked for a manager. It was right when they opened, and he said one wasn't in yet, but asked if he could help me with anything. I told him about Joe's antics, and this new dealer poached me and became my dealer. Let's call him Ray. 

I went in and met Ray yesterday morning at 10:30. Since it was on hold for me, the process was pretty easy. Ray drew up the numbers and we agreed on the terms (lease to own with zero down and James trade-in), and I went through everything you go through. First I met with the girl who can add any accesory you can think of. Each one was broken down to what it would cost added to the monthly payment. Cars come without floor mats brand new, so the only thing I added was weather (rubber) floor mats and a cargo mat. 

She gave me the sales pitch for the rust-proofing, and 3M sealant, and rain guard for the windows, and scotch guard for the seats; all of which I knew I didn't want, but I took the brochures from her, and dropped them right in the trash in the waiting area.  She also offered a remote starter. I thought hard about that one, but they are on Groupon for about 1/5 of the price she was offering, so I'll get one on there. 

Then I went to the financing office and signed papers regarding the terms of the lease. I'm not a numbers guy, and I won't bore you with those details, but that was my last step. With all of the paperwork out of the way, and James cleaned out of the garage door opener, and gum, and odds and ends, I met my newly detailed RAV4. Ray showed me the cargo area first. Then I got into the driver's seat and we set up my phone's bluetooth to work through the car radio. He showed me the radio features, and I can't wait to really play with it and figure it out. It has satellite radio, but it's XM, meaning the regular package doesn't come with Howard Stern. Howard is the reason I paid for satellite in James. After my free trial is up, I won't renew if I can't get Howard at a discount. 

At 1:30 I drove my new vehicle off the lot. I love it. I've only driven it to work and back once (and home from the lot), and every time I drive it I love it more. You can't go wrong with a Kia Soul; I have nothing bad to say about James, but the RAV4 XLE is a step up in drivability, and comfort. 

I'll take suggestions for a name.