NEW CAR DANCING

Terri suggested that with her magic mortgage manipulation, we could see our way toward a new car for me. This took me from "All the other cars are invisible" to "what's THAT?, what's THAT?, what's THAT?"

I like my old Audi quite a bit, and have come to like their new noses. We drove an hour and a half last night to test drive a few.

I COULDN'T FALL IN LOVE. What a head-check! The thing that is just CHEWING on me is the now - ten years later - much cheaper-looking interior. The A6-T really GOES. I like that. That would be a winner - if I could throw a bag over the interior.

LEXUS? BMW? JAGUAR? INFINITY? ACURA? WHAT?

These are major companies with quite a varied web-experience of walking you through their pictures and stories of each model. Often confusing, slow, incomplete - here I am guys - $50K or so IN HAND... someone should step out of the crowd and make it that I'd want to do business with them.

My experience with Audi locally also turned me cooler. The Internet rep said he'd get right back to me, but took my reminder and that came after 3 hours. He never sent the brochure. When we visited, another salesperson offered NO SALESMANSHIP!

Sell benefits, or price, or whatever, but sell - DEAL! Amazing!

UPDATE:

I have now heard from all the contenders as a result of sending them the "sheets of desire" - my term - which indicate this is a HOT LEAD with some specific choices in mind. I told them all I will try to get in for a visit and test drive perhaps next week. The more I think about it, the more I think wait until fall when the 2010s come out. The more I think about the ride in the Audi 3.0T - it kicked ass, the more I want a car that'll do that, even though I struggle with their interior.

As for the Jag XF - I would definitely wait until the 2010 model since it's risky to buy the first try at a new model, which the 2009 IS. I know - we have one in our garage - it's the one that needed the new transmission!

There was a terrible hail storm maybe two weeks ago and since most of the dealers are in the same area where the storm hit hard, they got literally hammered. Many cars have multiple hits all over the hood, roof, trunk - they are being sold deeply discounted, but I don't want one. This IS diverting their attention. One dealer had 450 cars affected. If the windshield broke, the rain got in so they total those - the others, they fix and sell at a price drop after sucking the dents out.

At this point I am thinking Audi, Jag, Lexus and Infinity thoughts. Will a car sell me, or a salesman/woman? Will they deal? Will I wait until fall?

Fall signals a better sense of the economy, gas prices, and brings better deals on 09s and opens up hopefully 'new and improved' 2010 models.