"Kermit The Frog" Really Loves The Color Of Our New Jeep, As Do Most Jeep Enthusiasts.

"Kermit The Frog" Really Loves The Color Of Our New Jeep, As Do Most Jeep Enthusiasts.

The View From Our Room's Deck At The Stanford Inn In Mendocino, California

The View From Our Room's Deck At The Stanford Inn In Mendocino, California

Our Room Has A Great View Of The Hillside And A Spacious Table To Enjoy Meals

Our Room Has A Great View Of The Hillside And A Spacious Table To Enjoy Meals

Dinner - Vegan Style. The Raven, Stanford Inn's Only Restaurant, Is Pro-animal, Totally Vegan.

Dinner - Vegan Style. The Raven, Stanford Inn's Only Restaurant, Is Pro-animal, Totally Vegan.

The Fireplace Makes The Suite Quite Comfortable As The Nighttime Temperature Drops

The Fireplace Makes The Suite Quite Comfortable As The Nighttime Temperature Drops

Murphy Joins Chili, Nancy and Me For Breakfast. Dogs Are Treated As Special Guests At The Stanford

Murphy Joins Chili, Nancy and Me For Breakfast. Dogs Are Treated As Special Guests At The Stanford

Breakfast At Stanford Inn - Mendocino, California

Breakfast At Stanford Inn - Mendocino, California

HELLO THERE! WELCOME TO OUR POOL PARTY! HOWEVER, YOU MAY WANT TO TRY THE LAKE NEARBY!

HELLO THERE! WELCOME TO OUR POOL PARTY! HOWEVER, YOU MAY WANT TO TRY THE LAKE NEARBY!

"Big Red" - 2012 Ford F150 4Wheel

"Big Red" - 2012 Ford F150 4Wheel

Trucker Ready To Make The Trip To Placerville, California

Trucker Ready To Make The Trip To Placerville, California

Lots Of Fruit For This Time Of Year

Lots Of Fruit For This Time Of Year

Nancy Selecting The Apples To Take Home

Nancy Selecting The Apples To Take Home

Nancy And Chili Get Ready To Leave The Orchard

Nancy And Chili Get Ready To Leave The Orchard

ABSTRACT OF CHILI DOG

Me And My Buddy - Enjoying A Lazy Afternoon

Me And My Buddy - Enjoying A Lazy Afternoon

We Just Added Crown Molding To Our Upstairs Den

We Just Added Crown Molding To Our Upstairs Den

The Den Can Be Entered From The Upstairs Landing Or Through The Master Bedroom

The Den Can Be Entered From The Upstairs Landing Or Through The Master Bedroom

Nancy's New Wheels - 2011 Chrysler 300 Limited (iPhone 4 Pic)

Nancy's New Wheels - 2011 Chrysler 300 Limited (iPhone 4 Pic)
High Tech - 8.4 Inch Nav Screen With Uconnect And Alpine 7.1 Surround Sound System

The Westend Boys - L to R - Dwight, Mike, Tim, Dick

The Westend Boys -  L to R -  Dwight, Mike, Tim, Dick

I'll Be Getting My Manicure This Week (Apple iPhone 4 Photo)

I'll Be Getting My Manicure This Week (Apple iPhone 4 Photo)

Our Chili Dog (She's Camera Shy)

Our Chili Dog (She's Camera Shy)

2007 Lexus LS460 L

2007 Lexus LS460 L

Friday, August 6, 2010

Trip To Fremont

My friend Dan and I took a hundred mile trek to the city of Fremont today. The mission: to test drive a 2005 Nissan 350 Z and determine whether it is worthy of ownership, by Dan, as my garage is already looking like a mini Car Max. If the Nissan was to measure up to the rather lengthy laundry list of criteria that we considered essential prior to making a purchase decision, than the odds were that we would be returning back to Sacramento in separate cars. When we left my house around eleven o'clock this morning, I would say the odds were fifty/fifty that the decision could go either way. Dan had done his due diligence, as much as you can do online through web sites such as Cars.com and Auto Trader and by communicating via email and phone calls to the fleet manager of Fremont Ford where the car was being offered for sale. Now, it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and see the car up close and personal. Pictures and words can only tell you so much, such as whether it's even worth driving a hundred miles to continue your research - after some discussion, we decided that this particular car was worth the time and effort necessary to make the trip to Fremont. Remember, Dan and I are both retired, so on occasion we do have a little bit of free time to do these kind of things. So off we go into the abyss of car buying, making sure that we had curbed any unnecessary enthusiasm about the mission so that we didn't bias the decision before we even arrived at the dealership. Dan was determined to have the right mindset upon arrival.

Dan and I both liked the looks of the car the moment the fleet manager, named Tomaze, drove the car to the front of the dealership's entryway. The exterior was very much blemish free, particularly for a 2005 vehicle, but we both agreed that some more detailing was needed on the interior. The interior wasn't bad, but it definitely needed some further cleaning. That aside, if the test drive went well, this 350 Z might well be a keeper.

The manager let Dan and I go together in this two-seat sports car, which is to say that there was no salesperson with us on our thirty minute, or so, test drive. Of course, not knowing the city of Fremont, we got lost for a short time, but when we finally made it back to the car lot we both had a good feel for the car. Our overall impression was that it was a good car and worth buying, if the price was right.

The negotiating to a final price was about what one might expect. Dan had already did most of the bargaining with the fleet manager prior to our actual visit to the dealership, and although I had headed home by this point, Dan said the back and forth with the finance manager, the final cog in the process, was somewhat intense, but nothing much out of the ordinary. Another words, the finance manager kept trying to get Dan to buy add on's to the sale and Dan just had to consistently explain the meaning of the word "no" to him. That is how Dan characterized the interaction to me, but it's not surprising, as that is typical of what fiance managers do for a living - they try to sell things while they complete the financing. It can be irritating, but it comes with the territory. I can't recall ever closing a sale at a dealership where this didn't happen.

All and all, the purchase process went about as well as you could expect, especially when it comes to buying a used vehicle, and I think Dan would agree, that for the most part, the people associated with the dealership were professional in their demeanor.

The pictures you see posted above this text are of Dan's new "toy". It's a cool looking set of wheels and at some point I'll have to take a photo, for the blog, showing my Crossfire next to Dan's 350 Z. Dan and I both intend to drive our vehicles for years to come and to let the wind blow in our hair for as long as we have hair to blow, or until we grow up and find better ways to spend money on things other than "toy" cars. Don't really know if that will ever happen, but I guess our wife's can only hope.

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