How was my weekend? Well, I have to say it was a little out of the ordinary. Initially I had thought that it would be rather simple and therefore scheduled some routine maintenance in the form of getting my dog's nails trimmed at the groomers and getting my car's oil changed at the dealership.
The trip to the groomers was uneventful, except for the part where this fruit delivery truck decided that he was going to STOP in the alleyway behind the pet salon, thus effectively blocking me from their allotted customer parking zone. Although, when he noticed me behind him and I explained where I was going, he did pull forward to allow me to reach my destination.
Immediately after bringing Lena back to the house, I grabbed my coffee mug and headed out for the car appointment. I made a quick stop at Caribou on the way to visit my mother, but they were quite busy so I grabbed my latte and departed.
For once I managed to arrive at the dealership when there was no line at the service entrance. I pulled right into the garage, handed over my keys to the cute attendant and took my latte and book with me to the seating area to wait out the hour and a half work time.
As I sat peacefully reading and sipping my drink, I found that the time seemed to move rather quickly. No sooner had I noticed this than I was approached by two salespeople from the dealership wanting to speak to me about a potential "deal."
Believe me, at this point my antennae of suspicion were buzzing. I had no idea what they wanted, but I was pretty sure I was going to have to do some fancy talking to convince them that I wasn't interested. As they started their pitch, I have to admit that I laughed out loud a few times. Perhaps this was not expected, but they seemed to take it in stride.
In essence, the deal was that they were looking to get trade-ins on vehicles that were used but still fairly new. I purchased my car almost two years ago and have had no problems with it - it is a 2010 model. They wanted to put me in a 2011 model of the same car. Oh, and I could do this for no change in my current monthly payment.
Does this sound too good to be true? It sure did to me! I have to hand it to these guys - they were persistent. They answered all of my questions honestly and then shared the added bonus. If I took advantage of the deal in the month of May, they would give me a free Trek bicycle valued at over $400. They even had an example of the bike in the store. It was pretty impressive.
So... the end of the story is that I am now driving a 2011 model of the same car I had before, in the same color at the same trim level. There are a few things to take care of before the deal is completely finished, but in the end I am no worse off from a money standpoint than I was before. PLUS I will have a new bike.
Quite a different outcome from the expected oil change/car wash experience.
On a happy note, I have a three-day weekend upcoming for Memorial Day. This means that I get a free day off of work! I will be spending it out in lovely Brooten, MN, visiting relatives both dead and living. I am also hankering to have my first Red Onion meal of the season!
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