I Haggled and I liked it!!!!

I have been in a little bit of a panic lately.  They say that by the time Memorial Day rolls around, gas in New England will cost $4.00 a gallon.  I drive a Jeep.

And since I have to commute to work, gas costs soooo much!  Filling up my gas tank is sooo painful. And if I stay in my Jeep any longer I won't be able to buy enough gas to get me to work and back.

Ok...before anyone says I should take public transportation...here's the thing.

School for my daughter starts at 8:30.  If I take a bus...a train...and another bus then I will be VERY late for work every day.  Now my daughter has an afterschool program.  I have to pick her up by 6:30pm.  If I get there late, then I have to pay $5 for the first 5 minutes and $1 for each additional meeting.  And if I take public transportation home, I will be late picking her up.
Ugh...so I have to drive until I find a job closer to home...I'm looking.  But thanks to our current economy, jobs are becoming scarce.

Anyway...I've decided to get a "new to me" car.  I don't need a new car every three years.  I just need something dependable that will get me to work and back.  I need a car that sips gas like a fine champagne and not like a drunken frat boy chugging beer during Rush Week.

After A LOT of research, I have selected a Toyota Corolla.  I test drove some cars and found one that spoke to me. 

The salesperson was a woman, her name is Kathy.  She was also a single mom.  She was from El Salvador, my dad was from El Salvador.  She has a 7 year old.  My daughter is 7.  We got comfortable with each other.  Ok....we were now sizing each other up.  I'm comfortable with her, so she must be thinking she can ask for a lot.  I'm thinking that now I can push the envelope farther.

After the test drive, she says:

Kathy: the car cost this much....

I didn't even look up from my cell phone

Me:  How about this much....

Kathy: Let me talk to my manager.

(He said ok.)

Then she starts doing the math.

Me: Wait, how about my trade in?

Kathy:  I thought you weren't going to trade in your car?

Me:  I said I wasn't sure if I was going to trade it in and I was going to think about it.....now I'm done thinking about it.

She comes back with a VERY low amount.  I wasn't surprised, I drive an 11 year old jeep with a zillion miles on it.

Kathy:  We'll give you this much for the jeep

Me:  No...this much

Kathy:  Let me talk to my manager

(he said ok)

In hindsight...I think I could have talked them down even lower.  But here is something you may not know about me.  I DON'T HAGGLE.  I never have.  My mom and  her brother are pros at haggling.  I just can't do it.  But this time, I did it. 

At one point, after she told me the price, I just sat silently and did numbers in my head. She asked me what I was thinking about and I said that I had a song stuck in my head.  To which she replied with a grin, "Oh really? What song?"

Nothin' Goin On But the Rent!

I talked to my ex-husband who was a car sales man at some point and he said I did good.  Yay me!