New Car Q's . . .

[MarylandVW]

Ok, I have been having issues with my Bimmr, so I went down to the local dealership to look at a car. They ended up giving me the car for the weekend. I was quite surprised. Is this common? I even told them that the car they gave me was not the one that I wanted, but they insisted that I take it (it was a much fancier model).

What is the proper car etiquette in this scenario? The real issue is the woman who I have been talking with at the dealership. She is the main reason that I have been looking at this car. She told me on Saturday (as I was about to leave the lot) that she is leaving the dealership for a new one (Volvo to Ford). That has really been on my mind. I am not sure if I want to give up with this dealership (yes, it is chock full of Slick Ricks trying to sell me a new car).

Also, leasing . . . bad/good? I have some thoughts on this, but I wanted to get your opinions.

Let me know what you think.

Best regards.

[bretfraz]

I'm a tad confused so let's see if I got this right:

1) Your BMW is giving you problem so you're thinking about getting rid of it (selling or trading?).

2) A dealership (what kind?) gave you a car (what kind?) for the weekend.

3) The main reason you're looking at a car is a woman (are you interested in a car or the woman? You post kinda sounds like the latter)

4) Woman or not you still want to stick with this dealer (why?)

OK, now for the questions:

I wouldn't say its common for a dealer to loan a car to a potential customer for the weekend but it certainly happens. Usually they'll do it in order to convince the customer to buy that kind of car from them. It's a bit of a psychological ploy to get potential customers to think they "own" the car; they park it in the driveway, the neighbors see it, they take the wife and kids for a drive, show it off to their buddies.......hey! I love this car! See how it works? It's smart business and has been happening for a long time. Back when TV was a novelty, the guy who founded what became Circuit City used to sell TV's door to door. He'd deliver TV's at no obligation and leave them for a few days. When he'd come back to pick up the TV, well, most people didn't want him to take it back. After all, the kids and neighbors have been watching, the wife likes Milton Berle, and dad would rather watch the news than read it. So the closing rate was very high. Same with fancy cars.

What about leasing? Well, ive been leasing for almost 10 years and love it, but I understand it very well and accept its limitations and pitfalls. I highly recommend you research leasing and learn what it is and how to calculate them. It's a great way to get a great deal, and also a great way to get ripped off. If you don't understand it, don't do it. Simple as that.

Sadly, too many people lease that shouldn't. For a variety of reasons. I lease because it works for me. Only you can decide if it works for you.

Hope all this helps. Good luck with the car (or the woman).