Got my ship...er, car back

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot)
05/29/2015 at 08:11 • Filed to: Jolly Roger

So yesterday was a bit interesting. Besides getting my car, Jolly Roger, back, I got a ~19% discount from the total cost. Apparently complaining to the service manager worked. I actually asked her “so what can I expect in return for all of this”, which is out of character even for me. But that’s not all that happened.

Besides finding a nice car that I like online, I discovered it was at the dealership my grandpa has leased his past 7 or 8 cars from. I called them up, asking for gpa’s specific salesmen, but got his voicemail instead. Later on, after my dad picked me up I found out that my gpa and the salesman have been in contact with each other, trying to find a car for me, :/.

This might sound good, but it had me a bit worried. 1. Everyone in my family, besides my wife and I, dislike cars with more than 100k miles. 2. My gpa thinks I should lease a car and drive it only during the winters, and drive the pt during the other months. 3. Grandpa is a GM fan (he’s gets an employee discount) but Chevy cars don’t really do anything for me. Pontiacs do, but not Chevy. 4. My parents don’t want me to get a manual because my wife can’t drive one. I only know a little myself, but I’m willing to try and learn. It’s an experience I really want to delve into. I can guarantee she won’t bother learning.

My grand scheme of things is this, keep Jolly Roger and demote him to 2nd car /grocery getter. Get another car to be the main car but also the commuter car. ??? Profit!

Anyways, after dinner, I said to my gpa “so I heard you talked to [salesman name]”. “Yeah...”. Didn’t elaborate at all. So apparently it’s a secret? Not sure, so it’s the waiting game now.

But, I still got my car back, so that’s a win!

DISCUSSION (33)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 08:18

What was ultimately wrong with the PT?

pip bip - choose Corrour > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 08:23

shake your mrs till she agree on driving a manual!

zeontestpilot > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
05/29/2015 at 08:24

Transmission range sensor. Which if it's not working properly, apparently the car won't turn over. Go figure.

zeontestpilot > pip bip - choose Corrour
05/29/2015 at 08:28

Haha, I think it’ll be easier to teach a pig how to fly, :p. She’s adorably stubborn.

The idea that she is even letting me look at manuals is progress in itself. It’s been almost 2 years of convincing. My bullet points are 1. Better mpg, 2. I'll enjoy my hour commute more, 3. Hill start is convient, and some other ones that I can't remember, :).

Funktheduck > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 08:30

It's weird how tech has made cars so much better but somehow what seems like unrelated things can screw up the whole car.

zeontestpilot > Funktheduck
05/29/2015 at 08:36

It’s so tightly bound together it’s irritating, imho. Plus there is so much tech jammed into cars that it brings up the price (for buying and repairs) so people like me have trouble affording everything/anything.

But in today's society you need a car to do simply things like commute or get groceries. :(

LongbowMkII > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 08:41

It’s awkward not having a choice in your car.

zeontestpilot > LongbowMkII
05/29/2015 at 08:47

Too true. It’s even more awkward because 1. My parents are visiting from Florida, and are staying at my house for two weeks. 2. My grandparents are snowbirds visiting from Florida, and stay in a RV for the summer about a quarter mile away from my house (I live near a camping area). So...I can’t shake either of them easily.

I want their input, just not have them make the choice for me.

Tohru > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
05/29/2015 at 08:54

Early 00’s Chrysler build quality, very polarizing styling, anemic motors, and dull driving characteristics.

Oh, you meant why his was at the dealership? No idea.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 09:02

At least that’s relatively simple. You may know that sensor as a “neutral safety switch”. Automatics have had them for ages. It’s main function is preventing the engine from being started with the transmission in gear thus sitting forward into the kid who just happened to be riding by on his bicycle. Manuals have a “clutch switch” for the same reason.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Tohru
05/29/2015 at 09:06

Early 00’s Chrysler build quality? Do you really need to specify a period?

Brickman > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 09:22

Ugh I could change that out if you lived closer! It’s a cheap looking plastic triangle with a connector thats on the other side the trans oil pan.

Richtofen, Baron von Pickup > pip bip - choose Corrour
05/29/2015 at 09:29

Part of my reason for buying a manual was precisely to endure my (ex-)wife never drove it.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Richtofen, Baron von Pickup
05/29/2015 at 09:30

not such a silly idea.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > LongbowMkII
05/29/2015 at 09:42

Thats how I got a leased civic for my first car

Steve Zissou > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 09:48

In modern cars, the better mpg is no longer true, but I guess she doesn’t need to know that.

LongbowMkII > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 09:49

I was getting married and my mom decided that her gift would be a family car as a Miata isn’t quite suitable for 3. the result was a (poorly) rebuilt Malibu she overpaid for. It was better than a car payment, but throughout the process it was hard to bite my tongue. It turned out for the best in the end. by “best” I mean that everyone but the Malibu survived.

Tohru > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
05/29/2015 at 09:55

Yes. The levels of terrible in Chrysler build quality - while always present - vary in concentration between periods.

uofime-2 > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 10:01

Ugh, that’s rough! I love my family, but I love them more in spans of 4 days or less.

Sejji > pip bip - choose Corrour
05/29/2015 at 10:11

don’t give her the choice! She learns out of necessity!

zeontestpilot > uofime-2
05/29/2015 at 12:04

Yeah, they been here since....last Sunday. My sister is leaving this Sunday, my brother is coming tomorrow and leaving Sunday, my parents, a whole week more. It's what happens when you're the only one with a kid, :).

uofime-2 > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 12:06

May the patience be with you!

zeontestpilot > LongbowMkII
05/29/2015 at 12:10

I was suppose to purpose my parents ‘00 Malibu before I got married. My brother kept borrowing it, so I said forgot it, I’m getting my own car. That’s how I got the pt. 4 doors, hatchback, wife’s favorite color (that was just a nice bonus), I could afford it, low miles, and I thought it looked cool. It also helped that some guy bought the cobalt I was looking at. Got it for his son, paid cash, it was $10k.

zeontestpilot > Steve Zissou
05/29/2015 at 12:11

Hush! She only knows about cars from what I told her!

But the cars in our price range are ‘00s cars, nothing new, so it's still sort of true.

zeontestpilot > Brickman
05/29/2015 at 12:13

Brickman is no where near Michigan, is he? :/

Richtofen, Baron von Pickup > pip bip - choose Corrour
05/29/2015 at 12:36

Considering she destroyed the passenger-side strut and two rims on a 2010 Fusion by hitting a curb, I didn’t even want her to ride in it.

Brickman > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 12:51

Like a 1000 miles south :(

Obsessed > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 18:08

since you are strapped for cash wouldn’t you be better off trading the PT for something newer/more reliable...that way only one car to insure instead of two...how much did this repair set you back?

zeontestpilot > Obsessed
05/29/2015 at 18:18

I wanted a 2nd as a backup/emergency car. Plus it gives my wife a chance to get out if the house while I’m at work.

Plus...I have a bit of an emotional attachment to the car (it's my first car, ever), so I'm not ready to let it go, :(. and it's worth less than $2000.

zeontestpilot > Obsessed
05/29/2015 at 18:19

Oh, I forgot, the price was $571.

Obsessed > zeontestpilot
05/29/2015 at 18:27

just thinking of your finances...insurance gets expensive

zeontestpilot > Obsessed
05/29/2015 at 21:40

Huh, I have to see home mich it will be of I added a 2nd car...

Obsessed > zeontestpilot
05/30/2015 at 09:33

take your current insurance bill times it by 2 and deduct 15-20% will give you a ball park #, but always call insurance agent before adding a car