Buying a used car to replace one that just died is usually a painful and arduous experience. You bring your banger to various used car lots and you spend days looking for a more reliable mode of transportation while fighting off marginally hopeful/helpful salespeople and negotiating a trade-in for your damaged vehicle.
I have been talking to my spirit guides lately and they suggested a new approach. Let’s find a car salesman we can trust and let him do the work for us. They said we don’t actually buy from an organization, you find someone you can trust and they do the deal for you. Essentially, you find someone who has spirit guides your spirit guides approve of and they facilitate the deal for you. You end up with a new friend and a new car and everyone is happy with the transaction.
So, I went to a local Chrysler website and looked at the images of the sales staff until I spotted someone I could identify with. He was a white-haired older guy with a pleasant expression. His name was Bruce and he was a Senior Sales Associate. I selected him out of a posse of eager salesmen who represented every generation but mine. This salesman looked like someone I could sit down and chat with about anything and he looked like he might understand the needs of older people who had to tote around a wheelchair. I called to see if Bruce was available and was told that he would call me back as soon as he was free.
He called me back and I explained our problem and he invited us to drop in and see him that same afternoon. Bruce met us as we arrived, made us feel welcome, and offered refreshments while he helped us find the car we needed. We struck it off immediately and felt we were in good hands because he understood our situation, our requirements, and our finances and was prepared to find the car we needed. He took the time to fully understand what kind of vehicle we needed and wanted, which was a used SUV with a hitch for a wheelchair lift.
After a pleasant hour of describing our needs and our vision of a suitable car, Bruce excused himself and returned after a short time with a marvelous white SUV and parked it in front of our window. I took the vehicle for a short drive and found it to be exactly what we were looking for. We spent the next two hours doing the paperwork necessary to trade in our 2015 Chrysler 200 for this 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The Chrysler staff cleaned the Equinox, transferred our Handicap Plates from the Chrysler to the Equinox, and we drove off the lot with our new vehicle 3 hours after we had arrived.
We truly appreciate the service we received from Bruce Bensal and Cornell Parks of Leith Chrysler in Cary, NC. They took the time to make sure we got what we needed and turned an unfortunate and unsafe driving incident into a new driving experience in one short afternoon. This experience has suggested a new approach to buying big-ticket items, first find someone you feel comfortable dealing with and have them help you solve your problem.