A Hail Damage Surprise
I was attracted to a hail damage special at a car dealership.
It sounded almost too good to be true.
But the salesman confirmed the price discounts over the phone.
Ten thousand dollars off the price of a new car and $7000 dollars off the price of a used car.
My daughter and I were intrigued.
She had been pushing me to replace my 2005 Ford Freestyle before it conked out on me for good.
We decided to drive the 30 minutes to see the cars.
However, I told her that I didn’t plan to buy a car that day.
Hail Damage Devastation
We saw complete devastation on the lot the minute we parked at the dealership.
The hail had been brutal.
The car bodies were pockmarked, and all the windshields were smashed.
The dealership was replacing the glass while we were there.
But they had no plans to do anything about the pockmarks.
I wasn’t interested in any of those cars.
However, since we were there, my daughter suggested that I test drive a used car that was delivered after the hailstorm.
A Test Drive
I got into a silver 2021 Chevy Equinox LT and all the bells and whistles overwhelmed me:
- Keyless entry!
- Keyless start!
- Remote start!
- Built in lumbar support!
- Automatic high-beam headlights!
- Hands free phone calls!
I wasn’t used to brakes responding so quickly.
As a result, we left the dealership jerking to a stop twice before I figured it out.
After that, the ride was so smooth. I was in heaven!
The price was very reasonable, so I decided to buy the car.
The nice salesperson gave me papers to sign.
Since my daughter had driven her car, the salesperson also told me the information she would need to price my trade in.
Waffling About the Decision
As my daughter and I drove back home, I was waffling about purchasing a car and having monthly payments. She told me that I could still back out of the deal.
I spent that evening trying to decide if I was ready for this major change.
The next morning, I went out to my car to pull up the mileage.
The car wouldn’t start!
All I heard were clicks.
That made my decision a whole lot easier!
Two Calls to AAA
I called AAA to come to try to jump start the battery.
While I waited for them to arrive, I cleared everything out of the car.
Unfortunately, everything did not include the title.
I was going to have to go to the DMV to get a duplicate title.
AAA arrived and determined that the problem was the alternators.
So I called AAA back for a tow to a place they recommended.
It only took a day for them to fix the car to the tune of $890.
Unfortunately, the car dealership gave me only $500 for the trade in. Sigh.
But I’m delighted with my new car.
And now my daughter can stop worrying about my car dying while I’m alone out on the highway.
What helped you to make a decision to buy a car?
#haildamagedcars #buyingacar
