Getting Closer to the New Car

After a rediculous amount of time spent on the internet, I think that I've narrowed down my car search to two candidates...the Ford Freestyle and the Chrysler Pacifica. So, I went to my local car dealers yesterday for some test drives. Aside from the pure joy of seeing the look on the salesmen's faces when not only did a very pregnant woman walk into their showroom, but a pregnant woman without a man in tow, I enjoyed the shock they involuntarily revealed after I told them exactly what I was looking for after my extensive web research. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to get now, but let me tell you about my experience first...

I first went to the Ford dealership around the corner from my house. The salesperson was a very nice and knowledgable man. He treated me with a great deal of respect, not only detailing to me the fluffy "girly stuff" about the car, but also taking the time to describe the more technical aspects of the vehicle without making me feel like he thought I was a auto-moron. We took a long test drive (he let me choose the route) and I got to experience a lot of different circumstances that might occur with day-to-day driving. I told him about the other cars I was considering while we were driving around, and rather than poo-pooing them, he told me what he thought was good and bad about each of the other vehicles. When we returned to the dealership, he gave me comparison worksheets showing similarities and differences between the Freestyle and the other cars that I was looking at. There was no pressure, no sales pitch, no nonsense. Just his business card and the message that if I wanted to take another test drive, even test the car on my route to Worcester before I make the commitment to buy it, he'd be happy to oblige.

Next I went to the Chrysler dealership. This was a polar opposite experience. I was greeted at the door by a very slimy, balding, overweight, yucky salesperson. I told him what kind of car I wanted to test drive (i.e. the options I'm interested in), and he pulled over a car that "was the first I could find", rather than what I asked for. It was a very stripped-down basic model, not what I wanted at all. Then, he made me go get gas for it on the way to the test drive (he was in the car)! He didn't tell me any of the features of the car, he didn't tell me what makes it better than the other cars I was looking at, he didn't speak much at all aside from when I asked him very direct questions. He made me take a specified route that didn't allow me to test different conditions (i.e. highway vs. town), that lasted about 5 minutes. He also refused to put on his seatbelt because it was too hot. I don't care if he wants to kill himself, but the car has an alarm that tells you when someone is in the passenger seat without their seatbelt on, and he didn't know how to turn it off. So, we drove the whole test-drive with the stupid car beeping at me! When I finally asked him what makes the Pacifica different than the Freestyle, not only could he not answer with specifics, all he said was that the Ford is a piece of junk and that the Chrysler sells better. HUH?

Ok, so aside from the differences in the dealership experiences, what about the cars? I think I am able to separate the salesmen from their cars and keep an open mind on the pluses and minuses of each, and regardless, I came away liking the Freestyle better. Here's why:

• The Ford has a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and the Chrysler does not. After driving a car with a CVT, the 4-speed automatic transmission of the Pacifica felt jerky. The CVT also improves on fuel efficiency
• The Ford's seats fold absolutely FLAT, and the center console of the second row of seats opens both frontwards and backwards, so that it also becomes flat if the seats are down. You can even fold the front passenger seat flat, so that there is almost 10 feet of flat cargo space if needed. The Pacifica seats don't fold flat, so you have a bump in the cargo compartment.
• Both cars have large disc brake rotors including ABS, but the Ford braked better, perhaps because it weighs a bit less than the Chrysler
• The Freestyle has more headroom, legroom, and cargo space
• There is poor visibility out the side and back windows of the Pacifica, I felt a little unsafe at intersections because it was difficult to see
• The true cost to own difference between the Freestyle and Pacifica is six cents per mile. That adds up...

So, I think I've decided on the Freestyle...what's the caveat? The slimy dealer at the Chrysler shop offered me $7100 off the sticker price of the Pacifica, including whatever they can give me for my trade-in (most likely the Jeep). This means that I could get a $36,000 car for about $25,000 (including the money from my trade-in). That's not bad. I could consider overlooking the other stuff for that price. I guess now is the time to call up the Ford dealer and see if he's willing to wheel and deal. This is the part I'm not good at. I need one of my sisters here - she and her husband are incredible bargain shoppers and HAGGLERS. They LOVE haggling...I HATE it.

Once I screw up my courage, I'm gonna give the Ford dealer a call...Umm...maybe tomorrow...