A New - Used Car

You all remember Buck? Buck was my Man Deer that hit my Audi SUV in November while I was driving to see my cousins in Denver. I posted about Buck and how he will be with me forever more way back then. Well, since Buck hit my car, or since I came to LA actually, I have had trouble with running into things in my car. There are so many strip malls and little parking places and poles in garages and cars stopping short in front of me that I have had a number of ‘mishaps’ since I got here. Six to be exact. People were starting to look at me and my car when I drove up and back away as if I might hit them. The dings in the car were getting increasingly embarrassing and let’s face it, just how many times can you take your car in to get it touched up before you realize there is no point. I decided last week that the problem was my car was too large. My Audi SUV that was fabulous for the Long Island expressway in New York was not so good amidst the Prissy Priuses that abound in LA. While I don’t want to go off course in this blog, I am sure you will agree that those driving Prius cars are often holier than thou, and while I do understand and appreciate how great they are for the environment, I just like to be in something bigger should I be hit by a mac truck on the highway, not that I think those kind of negative thoughts while driving mind you.

So, the long and short of it all is that I decided to buy a new car and stop the accidents.

I decided the small BMW SUV (it’s on a 300 series chasis for those of you in the know) was perfect. A friend and I went shopping and alas, they had no new ones at the dealership. They did have one with just 15,000 miles and it had been in the dealership its entire road life. My Uncle Gerry and my frugal cousins have never bought new cars and often chastise me with the figures about driving out of the dealership and losing $20,000 right off the top or something like that.

So, I bought a used little BMW SUV, and I love it. The trade in process, however, wasn’t great.

“Was this car in an accident?”

“Why yes it was. I had a head on collision with a deer in November, but I’m not hiding it or anything.”

“Well, we have to call to see if anyone will take it. Are all these dents etc from that accident?”

“Well” (pause as I choose my words carefully), “no they are not. They are from other unfortunate incidents since that accident, but I assure you they, like me, are only flaws on the outside. The inside is fabulous and safe as new.” Big smile, cute chuckle from me trying to win him over. He never even looked over at me.

Long and short is that I think I had to pay them to take the car. In the end, getting the new car cost more than the list price on the windshield because of the Buck-laden load my other car carried.

I was telling my sarcastic semi-friend at the office – the one who is always putting me down for little bitty shortcomings like not being able to read his unreadable spreadsheets or taking four times to pass my drivers test at the DMV – and he, as usual, was not what I call supportive.

“You mean to tell me you have had a bunch of accidents since arriving in LA?”

“Yes, but I never had an accident in New York and I drove there for 30 years (I had one accident but that was a car that hit me, not the other way around), so one has to acknowledge the problem might not be me. And, I haven’t hit anything since getting my new car on Sunday.”

He has this way of looking up at you and with one withering glance making you head for the door. As I was running out, he yelled after me, “Be sure and sign up for the accident insurance with HR. We have extra coverage.”

Here is the bottom line. I love my new car. It fits well within the lines in the parking spaces thus far, and it’s fast and cute and even the silver blue color is better for me than the white of my old SUV. So, I paid more because of the problems with the old car. Sue me. The only thing I really feel badly about is leaving Buck’s spirit to someone else. Sorry Buck.