A brand new car!

As I said in my last post, I have made the purchase of a new car. For those of you who don’t see me regularly in real life, since I was 16, the vehicle that has brought me to and from has been a 1994 Camry. It has been an excellent vehicle that kept up its looks, was easy to work on and really never had any major mechanical trouble.

A few months back I started feeling the urge to look for a new car. No reason in particular, it’s just I’d been out of school for a year, my current car was getting quite old to where if something major broke on it, I really didn’t want to deal with it, and I just felt it was time. So I started looking around at what I’d like to purchase with no real timeframe in mind. Right off I knew I wanted to stick with the same type of vehicle, a 4 door sedan. No Trucks, SUVs or Dragsters for me. Since my current car had lasted over 12 years and was still kickin, I wanted something reliable that I could have for a very long time. Also I wanted something with a little umph in it, mostly because I’m still young and like to enjoy a good drive. I’d pretty much narrowed myself down to 2 categories. Get a relatively new mid-line sedan (Camry, Accord, Legacy or Sonata) or a sportier but older high-level sedan (330i, A4, TL). After considering it for quite a long time, I decided to keep with my desire for longevity and low maintenance and insurance costs down, and eliminate the higher priced, luxury vehicles. After some more consideration and research I was able to make my decision. For 2007 Toyota has totally redone their Camry look and design. It looks nothing like the previous Camry’s (which in my thought looked like a grandma car (no offense grandma)). Other cars that I were in my pool kept me curious but in the end I decided I wanted a 2007 Toyota Camry SE V6.

Now that I had decided what car I wanted, it was time to find the best way to purchase it. One thing I quickly discovered was that Toyota was having no trouble selling this car and was in no hurry to sell for a low low price. I couldn’t even find an SE V6 anywhere to test drive. That’s when I came across a little known fact that Costco has specific dealers that they work with to offer cheap rates to their members. I called up the only Costco “authorized” dealer in Ohio who happened to be down in Cincinnati. When I talked to him he told me that he had a SE V6 Camry coming in with all the options I wanted and even the color I liked and that it should be arriving within a week. We worked it out to where he was able to quote me a price over the phone and I told him I’d have to call back. I really wasn’t expecting to have to make a decision so soon, but after giving it some though I called him back. Supposedly the Costco price is non-negotiable since it’s cheaper to begin with. I told him I really wanted to buy the car and it was everything I needed, but it was just X to high. I was surprised when he went and talked to his manager and came back to give me the deal I had asked for! I put down $500 to hold the car once it came in, and then last Wednesday Kate and I drove down to pick it up. On the way there I started getting nervous realizing I had never seen the actual car I was purchasing, but once we pulled in all worries were gone after I saw it. The whole buying process really wasn’t that bad. I was even able to be a part of an extra incentive that gave me $400 off just for being a recent college grad! After handing over a check for more money that I ever had before, I drove off in my new car. This car is awesome. The V6 is a blast to drive, making me wish there was no such thing as speed limits. (0-60 in 6.5s is just too fast

It’s funny to look back and think the biggest two purchases in my life have been my TV and now this car, and that both of them have been bought through Costco. Next up, houses in packs of 3.

Update: Honestly I meant it as a joke, but :O - Link

Still no pictures yet as the weather hasn’t been agreeable, but I promise I’ll get some up soon. I have uploaded pics from the past two Buckeye games that you can take a look at if you so desire.