Good Enough Mother:
Heels And Wheels 2015:
The Knowledge (VIDEO)
I have a story to tell but it starts with me buying the 5th out of 11 cars I have owned in my lifetime.
I had just become one of the main anchors for the TV station I was working for. It was an exciting part of my life and for the first time, I had a big job and some extra cash; it was time for me to upgrade my wheels.
Even though I’m a daring personality and love a walk on the wild side, that has never really translated to my car selection. I want good looking, fast.. with a side of safety.
After doing copious amounts of research, I decided the car for me would be the Volv0 850 and I found the perfect one; gently used with my name all over it.
Before walking into the dealership, Buff pulled me aside; “It’s all about the monthly payment and if they don’t work with us, you have to be willing to walk away.”
Related: Good Enough Mother and GMC: A Match Made In The Mountains
The negotiation went something like this: I said I liked the car. I said I loved the car. No really LOVED it. The salesman dealt with my husband, leaving me largely out of it, which was fine by me, especially since we were talking numbers and math just ain’t my thing.
We ultimately did end up leaving the dealership only to be called back the next day where they were suddenly able to meet our terms but the whole experience left me feeling uneasy about the car-buying process.
As it turns out, there’s a reason for that which I learned at the 4th annual Heels and Wheels event out at The Four Seasons, Westlake Village. I had the opportunity to plant my fanny in a more than a dozen cool cars and talk about women, automobiles and safety with more than 20 other journalists, bloggers and automotive enthusiasts.
I consider myself a pretty savvy person. I can hold my own and I’m definitely not a pushover. But I’ll admit, I never have felt comfortable buying a car.
Related: Good Enough Mother: The Fun And Fantasy Of The Family Car
KelleyBlueBook.com did a survey of men and women and how they buy cars and the results were very much in keeping with my own experience.
*Women take longer to make the purchase of a new car; on average women take 75 days to men’s 63 days.
*1 in 5 men know exactly the type of car he wants while women were twice as likely to be undecided.
*Women take longer to make the purchase of a new car: on average 75 days to men’s 63 days.
*Nearly 60% of men feel comfortable in the cary buying arena where just under 40% of women feel the same.
*Men are more likely to see their cars as tied to image or accomplishments, women see them as a way to get from point A to point B.
All of those things had me nodding my head in violent agreement. My current car, a GMC Yukon SLT, I bought because I have a big family with tall kids and a large dog. It wasn’t about status, it was about space. When I bought it, Buff did the negotiation, while I fell back and waited, truly uncomfortable on the display floor.
Fascinating, a little bit sad and something I’d love to see changed.
Another thing that needs to change? The number of pedestrians killed in accidents at night.
I had no idea but nearly 2/3 of pedestrian fatalities occur at night, according to a presentation by Autolivnightvision.com . They have super cool technology that allows you to see 4 times further than headlights!
And then.. there was this..
Me and my buddy @AllThingsFadra behind the wheels of
a car I’ll tell you about later!
That, my friends is called a tease. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the driving experience, including the one you just watched!
Disclosure: Heels and Wheels paid for my transportation and accommodations for this event. But you know I’m still gonna tell it like it is.
