Your favorite, most memorable car/bike buying experience!
08-09-13, 03:09 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
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Your favorite, most memorable car/bike buying experience!
My favorite memory was buying a gunmetal gray 1987 Pontiac Trans Am GTA with gold rims and digital dashboard. I found her on craigslist and I brought my dad along since he owns a beat up 1984 Firebird that he just keeps around for sentimental value (the first car he bought when he came to the USA).
We pulled up to a mansion. The previous owner had a 3-car garage with TWO hydraulic lifts inside....essentially a 5-car garage and yet he was running out of space so he had to sell his T/A !! The Trans Am was on top of one of the hydraulic lifts, just glowing. Out of all the cars I've owned, this one was the only that was "love at first sight." I don't know if it was because I grew up riding in my dad's firebird, or because I grew up watching David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, or because the car I found was absolutely immaculate. I just knew that I was buying it as soon as I saw it.
My dad and I did the whole walk through and test drive and I was waiting to hear any criticisms from my old man, but even he was speechless! When I turned the ignition and we heard all the beeps/chirps of the digital dash, he could only muster "holy cow." I took that as a sign of approval. We haggled a couple hundred bucks off, and my dad drove her home for me that night. This car always got me more smiles and compliments than my Supra. Sadly, I traded her in after my son was born for my 4 door Impreza.
I knew a great era had come to an end, but I was glad I could experience the ownership of one of these beauties.
My other favorite memory was buying my white Ducati 848. I saw one go up for sale for a couple days at the local Ducati dealership, slept on it (or didn't sleep at all), and decided to try to make a move on it. I test rode it, and the balance and confidence on the bike was impressive. Problem was, I didn't have enough garage space. So I told the salesman, "Thanks for your time, I have to talk to the wife" and left. I went home and posted my GSX-R 750 SRAD for sale on craigslist. I priced it so low that it sold in 36 hours. My GSXR fit me like a glove, and while I was sad to see it go, I was happy to upgrade. I went straight to the Ducati dealership after I sold my GSXR and
the 848 was SOLD !!! I was pretty traumatized. I went home in a daze. Now I was bikeless. I searched the local market but it was the only white 848 and I missed my opportunity. I walked around without a soul for almost 2 weeks. Even my wife asked me, "Are you okay??" LOL i laugh when I think about it to this day.
As fate would have it, another white 848 hit the local market 2 weeks later on Ebay. I won the auction and brought her home, once again a whole man.
We pulled up to a mansion. The previous owner had a 3-car garage with TWO hydraulic lifts inside....essentially a 5-car garage and yet he was running out of space so he had to sell his T/A !! The Trans Am was on top of one of the hydraulic lifts, just glowing. Out of all the cars I've owned, this one was the only that was "love at first sight." I don't know if it was because I grew up riding in my dad's firebird, or because I grew up watching David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, or because the car I found was absolutely immaculate. I just knew that I was buying it as soon as I saw it.
My dad and I did the whole walk through and test drive and I was waiting to hear any criticisms from my old man, but even he was speechless! When I turned the ignition and we heard all the beeps/chirps of the digital dash, he could only muster "holy cow." I took that as a sign of approval. We haggled a couple hundred bucks off, and my dad drove her home for me that night. This car always got me more smiles and compliments than my Supra. Sadly, I traded her in after my son was born for my 4 door Impreza.
I knew a great era had come to an end, but I was glad I could experience the ownership of one of these beauties.My other favorite memory was buying my white Ducati 848. I saw one go up for sale for a couple days at the local Ducati dealership, slept on it (or didn't sleep at all), and decided to try to make a move on it. I test rode it, and the balance and confidence on the bike was impressive. Problem was, I didn't have enough garage space. So I told the salesman, "Thanks for your time, I have to talk to the wife" and left. I went home and posted my GSX-R 750 SRAD for sale on craigslist. I priced it so low that it sold in 36 hours. My GSXR fit me like a glove, and while I was sad to see it go, I was happy to upgrade. I went straight to the Ducati dealership after I sold my GSXR and
the 848 was SOLD !!! I was pretty traumatized. I went home in a daze. Now I was bikeless. I searched the local market but it was the only white 848 and I missed my opportunity. I walked around without a soul for almost 2 weeks. Even my wife asked me, "Are you okay??" LOL i laugh when I think about it to this day.
As fate would have it, another white 848 hit the local market 2 weeks later on Ebay. I won the auction and brought her home, once again a whole man.
Last edited by GQD_GS4; 08-09-13 at 03:14 PM.
08-09-13, 04:34 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
longer story, but best experience was buying my 2GS400 from butler lexus in macon, ga. i was in north side of atlanta and never met the sales rep until he called and said he really wanted to do the deal before end of month (not unusual), and he ended up driving up to me and taking me back down to get the car, which was on the lot for about 2 hours. did 'paperwork' on the drive there, and deal was EXACTLY as he had promised. drove home with a grin on my face from ear to ear. 
08-09-13, 06:24 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Well, the way I look at it, it's often better to give than to receive. Many of my most satisfying car-buying experiences come, not when I take my own new car home, but when I was able to effectively help someone else who came to me for car-buying advice and actual help in shopping. That includes family relatives, co-workers, ex-coworkers, people referred to me from them.......even the President of a local Federal Workers' union. Most of of us regular posters here in CAR CHAT, of course, know cars, know the auto industry, and generally know or have a good idea of which cars are best for which people. That, of course, is not the case with the public as a whole....and there are a lot of potential sheep out there they are prey for sales-wolves in the showroom.
Fortunately, in general, the whole buisness of selling both new and used cars, though admittedly sometimes still on the shady side (as with after-sale "packs"), is much more open and honest today than it was decades ago, especially if you are a repeat-customer or are dealing with someone you already know. Still, people who don't know what they really want, what vehicle is best for them, and/or what they can afford often need (and want) help. That's where we come in. After he or she has test-driven the car, after you have looked the car over and test-driven it to make sure there are no defects, after all the papers are signed, after the new car is all washed/vaccumed and prepared, tags mounted, and his or her insurance company notified of the new purchase, to see the shining look on that person's face, sometimes of pure joy (as was also the case with my brother and his new Kia Soul) when that person is handed the keys, starts it up, and drives it home, is, IMO, truly one of the most satisfying experiences in life...one that you or me (may) have helped make possible.
Now, as for me myself, my own personal worst car-buying experiences date back to the late 70s and early 1980s, when so many new cars (especially with American badges) were junk. I got stuck with some of those lemons (and I MEAN lemons)
before I finally shrugged off Detroit in 1984 and went over to Japanese makes..first with a Mazda (which also had a few factory defects, but was, overall, a much more reliable car).
I'd say the best and most memorable day I myself took a new car home was just over a year ago, when I bought a new Buick Verano right out of the showroom (after an inspection and test-drive, of course). That car had previously been detailed for the showroom floor and was spotless inside and out. I had liked Buicks when I was in college (and owned two used ones before I was 20, as I couldn't afford new cars in college). I had wanted a new Buick for decades, but their build-quality slumped badly after I got out of college, remained that way for decades, and, until the Verano came along, I didn't feel that Buicks were a very good purchase. It wasn't a perfect car (no car is).....but after a close inspection and a test-drive, I knew that the Verano was the car I had waited 40 years for. It offered much of what the bigger Buicks I had owned 40 years ago had (especially in noise-isolation)....only in a smaller, more manuverable, much-better handling, more economical, and easier-to-park package.
Looking back, I also feel good about having bought my new Outback (Subaru does what IMO are the best car-based AWD systems in the world), my new bright-yellow Lexus IS300 (that was a very interesting car and built like a tank), and the gorgeous Iris-blue new 1995 Toyota Celica I owned for almost six years.......it was somewhat underpowered, but a beauty of a body-style.
Fortunately, in general, the whole buisness of selling both new and used cars, though admittedly sometimes still on the shady side (as with after-sale "packs"), is much more open and honest today than it was decades ago, especially if you are a repeat-customer or are dealing with someone you already know. Still, people who don't know what they really want, what vehicle is best for them, and/or what they can afford often need (and want) help. That's where we come in. After he or she has test-driven the car, after you have looked the car over and test-driven it to make sure there are no defects, after all the papers are signed, after the new car is all washed/vaccumed and prepared, tags mounted, and his or her insurance company notified of the new purchase, to see the shining look on that person's face, sometimes of pure joy (as was also the case with my brother and his new Kia Soul) when that person is handed the keys, starts it up, and drives it home, is, IMO, truly one of the most satisfying experiences in life...one that you or me (may) have helped make possible.
Now, as for me myself, my own personal worst car-buying experiences date back to the late 70s and early 1980s, when so many new cars (especially with American badges) were junk. I got stuck with some of those lemons (and I MEAN lemons)
before I finally shrugged off Detroit in 1984 and went over to Japanese makes..first with a Mazda (which also had a few factory defects, but was, overall, a much more reliable car). I'd say the best and most memorable day I myself took a new car home was just over a year ago, when I bought a new Buick Verano right out of the showroom (after an inspection and test-drive, of course). That car had previously been detailed for the showroom floor and was spotless inside and out. I had liked Buicks when I was in college (and owned two used ones before I was 20, as I couldn't afford new cars in college). I had wanted a new Buick for decades, but their build-quality slumped badly after I got out of college, remained that way for decades, and, until the Verano came along, I didn't feel that Buicks were a very good purchase. It wasn't a perfect car (no car is).....but after a close inspection and a test-drive, I knew that the Verano was the car I had waited 40 years for. It offered much of what the bigger Buicks I had owned 40 years ago had (especially in noise-isolation)....only in a smaller, more manuverable, much-better handling, more economical, and easier-to-park package.
Looking back, I also feel good about having bought my new Outback (Subaru does what IMO are the best car-based AWD systems in the world), my new bright-yellow Lexus IS300 (that was a very interesting car and built like a tank), and the gorgeous Iris-blue new 1995 Toyota Celica I owned for almost six years.......it was somewhat underpowered, but a beauty of a body-style.
Last edited by mmarshall; 08-09-13 at 06:35 PM.
08-09-13, 09:49 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
I remember buying my first car, also a 3rd gen Firebird. It was a 1989 Firebird base model. I had been pining for a Trans Am ever since I was young, riding in my dad's 1967 Firebird 400 convertible. Alas, at 16 he did not want me running around in a Trans Am....so I got the V6 instead. He paid half of the $1000 purchase price as my 16th birthday present. This was in 2006, the car was 17 years old, had 170,000 miles and a terrible flame paint job....but I loved it. I drove it for 3 years, sold it at 199,980 miles, and still miss it. Sure it had problems, broke down from time to time, and had terrible fit and finish......but it was a fun drive. That little 2.8 V6 and 5-speed manual weren't winning any races....but they did give a good experience.
I still find myself checking on eBay and local listings for a good deal on a T/A...but I might have to wait until I've finished college and landed a decent job...and perhaps after I turn 25 in 2015. I don't want to kill myself in insurance premiums.
I still find myself checking on eBay and local listings for a good deal on a T/A...but I might have to wait until I've finished college and landed a decent job...and perhaps after I turn 25 in 2015. I don't want to kill myself in insurance premiums.
08-09-13, 11:36 PM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
Picture it. Sicily, 1931.
Actually, it was December 26, 1996. I had a strange obsession with the GMC brand, and had been jonesing for a new Jimmy 4x4. After two years of saving up, the dream came true in Valencia, CA. Back then, there was no social media, so the dealer taking a photo of them handing me the keys and making a calendar out of it was super cool.
Do you all believe the fact that it's the first time for a brand new car that makes it extra special?
Actually, it was December 26, 1996. I had a strange obsession with the GMC brand, and had been jonesing for a new Jimmy 4x4. After two years of saving up, the dream came true in Valencia, CA. Back then, there was no social media, so the dealer taking a photo of them handing me the keys and making a calendar out of it was super cool.
Do you all believe the fact that it's the first time for a brand new car that makes it extra special?
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