Five years ago we bought a new car. The ever so cute salesmen said to us after we had test driven some SUVs, why do you guys need a big car? Won't this Mazda 3 sedan do you well? R has not let me forget it, although he agreed at the time. He didn't say he would turn 70 and struggle to get out from such a low car. He didn't say that my mother would need a walker and that he would have to sit in the back seat with a handle of the walker stuck in his face as it wouldn't fit in the boot. He didn't say how good it was to be a bit higher and see the traffic better.
No, none of that at the time but it is my fault for buying the wrong car. Nevertheless we have quite liked our Mazda 3, it being our fourth Mazda with a brief flirtation with Hyundai. You probably don't remember but we gave the Hyundai to Ex Sis in Law and her husband and while it was ok for us, the 18 year old car soon failed for them as it was suddenly heavily used. They wondered what to do with the no longer working car. Amazingly a friend of a friend has taken it as a car for his daughter after he fixes it up. The Hyundai lives on.
We have been looking at small SUVs, that will fit Mother's walker in the back and be easier to get in and out of. We have been to dealerships over the past month but nothing was grabbing us. Eventually R said, I would really like a Mazda CX5, a medium sized SUV. Oh yes, I now know better than to talk him out of it with logic.
So, this Saturday I bought a new Mazda CX5 Maxx Sport from City Mazda. Unlike the last two times we have bought a car from the dealership, this time we felt good about what I paid for the car. The first time we bought a car their we felt quite cheated by a smart arse smarmy car salesman. The second time as the deal was being clinched, he threw in free floor mats, and then said if you could just increase your offer to.... which was exactly what the floor mats cost.
The experience kind of put a bitter taste in our mouths in spite of the pleasure of the new cars. This time the salesman was of Greek heritage, 25 years old. While he had a nice face, he was short and will go to seed early and his skin wasn't so good. Well, I am not employing him for male on male massage, and he was pretty good as a car salesperson and we did not feel like we paid too much. It was a fair deal with a good trade in price for our five year old car that had only travelled about 60,000 km, say 37,000 miles.
We pick the newie up on Wednesday. It will be invisible among all the other cars on the road. I wonder if Mother will notice it is a new car on Thursday. Rather a long and stressful day this Saturday, but nicely wrapped up by dinner across the road, and running into a former workmate at the restaurant.
We have only once bought a 'new' car. I am so glad that the sales experience was better this time, and hope that you all (whether Mother realises why or not) get a better ride.
ReplyDeleteEC, my head tells me buying a new car is not a good way to spend money. A newish one is better. She called today to moan and to ask me to lookup a phone number for her food delivery company. Wow, the company is in Five Dock in Sydney. So I did tell her about the new car.
DeleteFive Dock? Wowsers. That is quite a distance, though I assume that they have a Melbourne branch. Was she pleased about the car?
DeleteWe love our series of Hyundais. Yes, being higher up feels safer.
ReplyDeleteJackie, the trouble with that is when everyone is higher up, there will be no advantage.
DeleteHave only bought used cars, in which my only consideration is how long it will go before it breaks down.
ReplyDeleteKirk, modern cars are so good now. Generally the worst than can happen is you get stuck with flat battery, probably at the end of its life.
DeleteWhy will it be invisible? Are you telling me you DIDN'T choose hot pink or electric blue? Purple metallic finish? how will you ever find it in a parking lot while your hands are filled with grocery bags?
ReplyDeleteRiver, true. I really liked the red colour but I just didn't think it was me or us.
DeleteA sleek looking vehicle...I hope it fulfills all your needs.
ReplyDeleteI had a Hyundai back in the late 80s-early 90s. It was a great little car. After having it for a few years, I gave it to my brother, and I then bought myself a new Ford Festiva, I loved that little car, too. Now I drive a little Toyota Echo. It suits my simple needs.
On the road again in your new, beaut Mazda...stay safe...enjoy. Have a good week, Andrew! :)
Thanks Lee. Photos will come once we have it. Hyundai cars have little snob value and are very underrated.
DeleteI feel I won my last car as I was so ripped off by the Toyota Dealership I did a series of blogposts on the way I was treated and fired it off to the President of Toyota Canada. Next thing I got a call from the local manager and my royal days had arrived. They took the car back and gave me a loaded new one. Now when I go in for servicing, there has to be a note on my file for they all fall over themselves.
ReplyDeleteMighty pen that I have but my gawd they had treated me like a feeble old lady, taking advantage.
Good luck with the new ride!!
XO
WWW
Go girl. You did well. I suppose we did the same thing when we were young, thinking of older people not being terribly bright and don't know much. Your car record of course would be electronic now and I do think there might a note there. Our car salesman came back to us with all sorts of information about how we had serviced previous cars with them etc.
DeleteYour new car sounds fantastic! I gave my thirty year old Mazda 3 to my brother in law who restored it beautifully and registered it as a heritage car. The new heritage rego. let's him drive it up to 30 kms. I loved my Mazda 3 and it's great that it's still running !
ReplyDeleteCheryl, wouldn't it have been a 323 back then? There was an Astina and another model I can't remember. We had a small 626, our first car with air con. Regardless, great to hear you car has been restored and on the road.
DeleteYes you're right it was a 1984 Mazda 323.
DeleteCongratulations on the new car Andrew, looks great.
ReplyDeleteWow a 18 year old Hyundai! My I30 is about 8 years old but just has 80,000km.
Sami, roughly, you have drive about the same distance as we did. Our new one will do many less kilometres, two short trips once a week and one hour long trip, two hours for the day. There are some extra long distances too, but as we are both retired now......
DeleteWear it (your new car) in good health, as we say :)
ReplyDeleteI reckon their are three considerations in buying a car:
a] it does a ton of ks per litre of petrol
b] it parks in any tiny space available and
c] the boot is big enough for the biggest of weekly shopping expeditions.
Hels, as it is a larger car, the fuel consumption is higher but not much. Parking in tight spaces was and is my concern about having a larger car. Your boot wouldn't have to be so large if you didn't fill it with boxes of wine bottles.
Deletethere
DeleteI dread having to buy another car (second hand car), but I think it will be inevitable before too long. We need a back-up vehicle, just in case one refuses to start etc. You can't live out in the wilds without reliable transport.
ReplyDeleteCro, if it only a couple to a few years old, they are so reliable and I don't you would need any back up car. Replace the battery every four years and all will be well.
DeleteHow exciting Andrew, a nice new car, can't wait to hear if mum notices the change. Pat's bigger car is excellent for getting things home.. and away, but even my Astra has good boot capacity, big enough to fit my sister's wheelchair when I took her out and aboot, happy to say she no longer needs it 😊
ReplyDeleteGrace, I am very happy that your sister doesn't need a wheelchair. I did end up telling her on the phone last yesterday.
DeleteJust be careful as you will find the centre of gravity will be different with the SUV than what you are used to. Plus parking them is not easy in this day and age with carparks getting smaller and smaller.
ReplyDeleteOne company I know with a lot of franchisees who bought those terrible dual cab utes, those have by far the worst centre of gravity of a vehicle available. So many of them have rolled those things. So much so that company has stopped allowing people to buy them via the fleet thing..
In my opinion those dual cab ute things are the worst vehicle on the road by far in part because the drivers are just such douchebags who think they are invincible, in part because nobody who drives them can ever park them in a carpark space, and in part because in my experience they are the number one vehicle to be found tailgating other cars. I think we should ban them from our roads and while we're at it, perhaps ban the drivers from.. driving anything larger than a shopping trolley. Those little Hyundai Getz, that is the vehicle they should be allowed to have, or a Volkswagen Up.
If I go to the local Bunnings on a weekend I see lots of those utes parked out on the road because they can't park them in the carpark here. Makes me laugh yet roll my eyes at the same time.
Yeah I think it is clear I really don't like those utes, lol. :)
Snoskred, we are not really drivers who push a car so I don't think centre of gravity will be a problem around town and on the freeway for a couple of hours. Very interesting about the dual cab utes. Clearly there is something going on about the type of people who drive them.
DeleteMy brother's work vehicle was a dual cab ute, he drove it everywhere and parked it everywhere. No problems unless the car park space was too narrow, then he just parked further over.
DeleteI have a 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback, that I bought new, and only have 35,000 miles on it. It has been a very good car. The small SUVs are handy. If I ever wear this one out.
ReplyDeleteTravel, I know the model. Our friend in Sydney has one. It will go for years and years.
DeleteI'm going to look up that type of car. I don't mind mine though, easy to get in and out of it. It is very small but people are amazed when I pull cat after cat out of the back. And...I can sleep in it. It will soon approach 200,000 miles I'm sure, having had 120,000 on it when purchased off craigslist two years ago, well almost 2 1/2 now it is. Are you going to post a photo of it? I bet your mother won't notice. Can't wait to hear.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I will post photos once we have it. 200,000 miles is getting right up there. That is pretty good.
Deletewow a new car great idea. I am waiting for a phoro of you and your car
ReplyDeleteWill do Gosia.
DeleteI've never had a new car. The nearest I came was with my current one which was just over 2 years old with 2000 miles on the clock. it is now 10 years old and has 75000 mls on the clock. I think I'll just keep going until it gives up on me.
ReplyDeleteMarie, brand new cars are not good value with such fast depreciation. That is quite a few miles but I guess most we clocked up when you were regularly travelling to Manchester.
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