Friday, August 29, 2014

Why Is Car Buying So Hard in America?

I am exhausted, enraged, ashamed, frustrated, and angry.

Why do car dealers try and cheat people? Is it because they can? Why does this business attract the least savory characters - people (mostly men) I would never want to be in the same room with? Why do they immediately try to confound and confuse and bewilder potential customers? Why do they lie and use so much double-speak?

And I was only trying for a $3500 car loan.

It shouldn't be this way. This kind of behavior shouldn't be rewarded. Yet, it is.

They use phrases like "I can put you in a ..." - to psychologically manipulate the buyer into seeing themselves in a particular vehicle, so backing out of the deal is less desirable. Then, they won't give you a straight answer when you ask a price. They counter with "How much can you afford a month?" and then they change the terms of the loan between the handshake and the signature. They wear you down until you can fight no longer and just want to get the hell out of there.

Their oily smiles and the way they refer to a woman as "Miss _______" (insert first name here) sicken me. The damnable service warranty. The "GAP insurance" and so many other add-ons  that increase the original price by thousands and thousands. Awful.

And, oh yes, when you have marginal credit and don't have utility bills and use a PO box, they SLAP A GPS UNIT TO YOUR TRUCK SO THAT YOU CAN BE TRACKED IN CASE YOU SKIP OUT ON YOUR LOAN AND THEY CAN REMOTELY SHUT YOUR TRUCK DOWN. Yes, I had to agree to that, in order to get my Goddamned $3500 and a loan that was 9 months longer than I agreed to.

AND, I lost my most favorite CD, Gino's Yonder Tree, in the loaner car's sound system.

It was an exhausting 2 days - but I have my truck.

yay

Monday, August 04, 2014

Cranky Cranky Cranky - What did you say?

I just woke up in a foul mood today. Even as I lay in bed, I reminded myself of all the blessings I have. I reminded myself that my car is still working and that I have enough to eat and a little money in the bank. I told myself to be grateful I have a place to live and occasional employment and good health. I remembered that I took a lovely trip to Santa Fe the other day, where I attended a free outdoor concert and ate a delicious vegetarian meal.

Yet, my foul mood persists. As I sit on top of the hood of a car, surfing the Internet, I hear thunder rumbling in the distance. I know I can walk back inside at a moment's notice, if the rain comes. I am happy that I can get wifi on this laptop. I am glad I had enough freshly ground Sumatran coffee, a working French press coffee pot and sugar and cream for two cups.

I wonder if I am cranky because I fear losing my hearing. My tinnitus continues, with low notes and high pitches, and I'm not having as much fun listening to music these days. Maybe I no longer like avant garde or dissonance. I used to be able to pick out the notes between the notes, to appreciate subtle nuances and make sense of nonsense. These days, I need a good strong melody and distinct harmonies. I have no patience for amateurism. And I am very disappointed in myself, for sounding more and more like an amateur when I sing. And I am a little jealous of my sister, for sounding more and more like a professional and for her experiences singing with top-notch musicians, while I just sing with hobbyists

After I took Ron Fein's class "Classical Avant Garde", back in the early '90's, I felt a whole new world opening up to me. I was so affected by this music that I remember saying to myself "I hope I don't go deaf!!" My father and grandfather lost some of their hearing and grandpa wore a hearing aid. And, they didn't sing in rock bands in their '20's or work in radio, wearing headphones, in their '30's.

I hope this is treatable.