Trans...

What it stands for is "transmission" or lack of, or failure of, take your pick. I decided it would be a nice day to go for another drive. So I figured I would head over to Yakima and pick up some cherries or something, didn't really matter what. I went to Ellensburg last weekend and I wanted to go somewhere different. I really just wanted to go for a drive and relax, and breathe fresh air! (You can breathe so much better once you get over the mountains...)

Anyway, moving on with the story. I was going along just fine, heading up over hwy 410 up through Enumclaw, Greenwater, and into Mt. Rainier National Park. All of a sudden I start coasting and the engine is just revving and not making me go anywhere. Fortunately this happened right before one of those turn offs and I was able to coast to the shoulder/pull out, barely. That was much preferrable to the cliff straight down to the river about 10 feet before.

Joy. I am stuck.

No cell service, of course.

(Glad I didn't have the kids along at this point, some choice words ensued.)

So I get out and take a look. Nope, not overheated, engine starts and seems to run fine. Nasty deerflies eating me up at this point. Sunny and warm at least. Let it set for a while and tried it again. No luck. So I get out, raise the hood and stand there on the side of the road for about 45 minutes watching the cars go by. Nice of people to stop and check to see if I was ok... Anyway I wasn't planning on hitchiking back to town unless absolutely necessary.

I wasn't too concerned because I was on a major hwy though the national forest and I figured a park ranger would drive by eventually. Which they did. The two nice ladies radioed for a tow. So another sitting around for an hour, reading my book, in the fresh warm sunny air waiting for the tow truck.

I did have a little entertainment during this break period as the park rangers pulled over a brand new white Escallade right in front of me. I got to watch the two chicks with guns *so hot* get out and give this guy a ticket. Back to reading my book.

Tow truck shows up and pulls my truck up onto the lift bed thing, I get in and we start the long 60 mile trek home. At this point I am thinking this is going to be an expensive trip. The $50 in gas I put in at the beginning of the day was only the beginning. So after a very bumpy tow truck ride I get home and pay the $310 tow bill. Great now I am stuck with no way to get to work.

*sighs*

Well I have been planning to get a car soon anyway. Guess it is going to be sooner rather than later. I have dad come pick me up and we drive down to this spectacular repo car sale in Fife. Get to meet a nice texan used car salesman and we look around at some of the cars they have there.

I took a few test drives. Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, Chrystler Seabring?, Suzuki Verona, and one or two others.

Finally settled on the Suzuki Verona. Nice midsized car, not too small, not too big, good handling, very roomy, drives pretty well. Initally I told the guy we wanted to stay in a $10-12k price range, this is really only a commuting, reliable car.

*Interesting note: While on the first test drive he of course asked us what we do, and we are like, we are computer programmers. He goes, oh, yeah computers eh. Wow I just learned how to turn one on a couple weeks ago. This fact will come into play shortly.

After taking a couple test drives we sit down at the desk talk a few things over and he goes off to get the price. Of course we, in the mean time while going on a test drive, had called mom and had her look up the prices on the internet of what the same model was running for around town. She finds a EX model, which is the top package car, for $12,977, same year (2004) with half the miles, at McCann Cadillac just across the freeway. Well the one we had been test driving was the S (standard) model. Not that it didn't have all the features, power everything, CD, AC, etc.

He comes back, not knowing we had just researched prices on him, lays out this price sheet with the car listed for $18,599 and making $399 a month payments for 60 months. Good God. We were expecting something like $9-10, not freaking $24k. Dad and I just kind of looked at the paper and the guy like WTH are you thinking dude, that's like full price for a brand new one. If you do the math (yes I can do a little math), you figure a top of the line package with half the miles runs you $12.9k so the standard models are usually $2-3k less than that. $9-10k right? Well dad and I thought so, this car salesman didn't seem to get that though. I mean this car was even missing one of the hubcaps and had this weird flutter in the gas pedal. Tough schamolies for him.

We tried to explain to him that there was an EX model across the street for $6-8k less than what he was asking, full leather, sun roof, alloy wheels, sports package etc. It was quite funny to watch him flounder at this point. So we explain how we know all the details about the car from calling mom with our cell phone and having her look up prices real time and that there is one that extremely undercuts his price on the other side of the freeway. Went so far as to quote him the prices from the blue books and how much lower they were than his lol.

He goes off and talks to someone, and I guess they look up the same car mom found and other general prices for the model in the area. He comes back and goes 'yep ye'r right that's a helluva deal.' The guy is like 'I really hate technology' because you could just tell that he knew he had lost his sale at that point. So I'm starting to stand up and head out. This is pretty pointless to continue. He starts to make the objection and say that he might be able to go as absolutely low as the high $11 range. Hah, too little too late. Sorry dude, schmooze the next guy.

**I did get the special giveaway they had, however. A free 3 day/2 night hotel package for 2 to a whole bunch of different cities. Of course I would have to pay airfare and expenses etc. Well, maybe I will get to go somewhere, sometime with someone.

It's about 8:30p at this point, but we drive over to McCann's to look at the other car. They were closed of course, so we snuck onto the lot and went to see it. It was so much nicer and looked a ton better.

So we are going over tomorrow morning to get me a new car! (If it drives well, which it should from one of the premier car dealerships.) I much prefer to get a nice car with a warranty from a dealership that takes pride in their cars, and doesn't have to fly in import used car salesmen from Texas just to sell off extremely overpriced bank repos.

***Things to note: I am not trading in my Blazer, it just needs the transmission fixed. Frankly the one transmission took it 400k miles, it had to give up someday. It will be a nice camping vehicle or something. Will have to call around on monday to get some prices for that.

Very expensive weekend. I am tired. It has been a long day. Going to bed.