Right after we had our baby 2 years ago, my wife wanted to switch from her little car to a bigger SUV that was easier to cart the kid and her 1000 pounds of baby gear around in. She was dead-set on a Volvo XC90 because of all the safety ratings that Volvo gets, even though I was dead-set against it. As you can imagine, she won that battle...her two final bargaining tools were (1) pointing out that Ford owned Volvo for a few years, and (2) the threat of cutting me off.Originally Posted by HURRICANEBOB
I did my normal research for a couple of weeks to locate the right vehicle online, made some phone calls, swapped some emails, etc. Her car was only 2 years old and extremely low miles, but we had quite a bit of equity in it...so we had a trade. We wanted a used Volvo, because I don't play the new car thing anymore, and definitely wasn't going to shell out new sticker price on a XC90. I found exactly what we wanted...a used 2008 model, great shape, good mileage...at a little joint in E-Town called Bob Swope Ford. Their website and the abundance of super clear/professional photos that they showed on their website made it really nice. I was confident that there wouldn't be any surprises, because I think they had a photo of every possible angle, right down to the 1 french fry under the back seat that their detail guy had missed with the vacuum. They were great to deal with on the phone and through email...handled everything I asked for, no questions asked, and no pressure. I made the hour and a half drive over on a Saturday morning, got there (with wife and newborn baby in tow), and was in and out in about an hour and a half. They had everything ready that had been negotiated prior, vehicle was washed, gassed, prepped, and paperwork ready to roll. They gave me what they said they would on the car, which I thought was a fair and realistic offer from the get-go for what we had. It took a little longer than my typical "you've got 1 hour of my time" threshold, but only because we had the baby with us and had to take a couple of different test drives. (I drove it while wife watched the kid, then she drove it while I watched the kid.)
Great experience there...and the Volvo has been trouble free after 2 years. (Thank GOD, because you've got to bend over and grab your ankles anytime the word "Volvo" is involved. I think they have to pay to bring the parts over from Sweeden on an ocean kayak paddled by a Swedish mountain climber who wants $100/hr for his row time.)
As it turns out, I was talking to my Mother a couple of weeks later and she bought her first car from Bob Swope Ford in E-Town...a '72 Ford Maverick...showroom new, for something like $3,000...after saving up her money from sewing crotches into underwear at the old Fruit of the Loom plant in Campbellsville. She walked in and wrote them a check for the one inside on the showroom floor, straight up, which she said made her Dad so proud that his chest puffed out. I don't know if it was because Ford was in his blood, or because he was one of those "work hard, save your money, and pay for things in cash" kind of guys. Probably both.
Anyway, Bob...I'm glad to hear that you all are salary guys. I do think that makes a big difference. I have zero negative to say about your employer, based on my experience there. The next time we are in the market for a car, I'll look you up and let you facilitate our paperwork...lol...which hopefully won't be for another 16 years, when my daughter inherits a 22 year old Volvo XC90 that's beat to crap, held together with duct tape, and full of remnant french-fries, chicken nuggets, and crayon scribbles from her youth.
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