I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!!!!!!!!!! I really wasnt intending to when I went to test drive it today, but things just fell into place. It is amazing the way things happened.
I was telling a friend of mine about how worried I was about paying for a new car, and he asked me if I had AAA. I said yes, and he told me to call AAA and ask to see a fleet manager. Apparently, AAA negotiates with dealerships to give better deals on cars. So I got online on Monday and filled out an application to see a car, and AAA sent out the info to the car dealership. It was the same dealership I got my previous car from too! A fleet manager called me back on the same day, and asked when I wanted to test drive the car. I thought about it and told him Wednesday morning.
So today I went to Longo Toyota to test drive the car. Now I'm not too familiar with the exit to the dealership, and there was road construction all over the place. I thought I had missed the exit, and had to go to the next one. But the next one was closed off so I had to go further down and double back. I got a little lost, and I was late, and I just prayed that God would at least get me there safely and let me have a good day there.
So I got there and they didnt have a silver one I wanted. But they did have it in every other color. I test drove a red 2004 Toyota Corolla LE model, and it was a really really nice drive. Then the guy and I sat down and talked about cost. And he gave me some numbers which I thought were really good, but I wasnt sure if I wanted to commit because the insurance company hadnt called me back about how much they were willing to pay me for my car yet. So I called Chilin, and asked him what I should do. He said it was a good deal. Then he asked me, are you there by youself?? I said yes, and he goes, NONONO, you cannot do this on your own! YOu need Joel with you!! Dont do anything until you get Joel down there with you, because you are a girl, and you are fresh meat for them! So I said ok and told the guy I'm not sure if I can commit. On a whim, I called Joel hoping that he would hear his phone ring at work. He picked up and I told him what is going on, and he says, Well I need to drop a package and I can be there in a little bit. I was like, Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I thought he was taking time from his lunch break or something to just help me for a little bit. He said he couldnt stay long, but he can be there for a little bit. I was just grateful for that little bit.
So while waiting for him to show up, I try to ask the fleet manager as many questions as I could. I told him I think I can put $7000 down and he did the calculations and my monthly payments would be about $185. Then I recanted and said, well what about $6000? Because the insurance company hadnt gotten back to me about how much they were going to pay me yet. And of course my monthly payments were higher. I was ready to just put 6000 down. I felt uncomfortable sitting in front of him not doing anything and waiting for Joel, so I got up and went to sit in the lobby instead. My phone rings and it was Joel who said, Did I just walk right by you?? I thought to myself, I didnt see you! I would definitely have recognized the UPS uniform! But Joel was in civilian clothes! I said to him, did you go home to change?? He goes yeah, I did. He said, I knew this was going to take a long time, so I took the rest of the day off. Youre costing me a day's pay. I felt SO BAD! I apologized and apologized, and then he goes, No, I'm kidding, I actually GOT THE DAY OFF!!!!!!! Now I Have seen the man work, and he works LONG LONG hours!!! He said that there were too many workers and not enough work, so they gave him the day off. I couldnt stop thanking God at that point. I felt so much safer when Joel was with me because he knew what to ask. After some negotiation, we determined that $6500 down was a good safe amount, and my payments would be below $200 a month. I was ok with that. As we were walking from the fleet managers desk to the financial department, my cell phone rang. It was my insurance adjustor. And she said she researched and they are going to pay me, GET THIS, $9041!!! This is NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!! I was going to start crying in the lobby. This was more than I ever expected. And what perfect timing too. I was about to commit to 6500, but God gave me 9000 instead. Which was only 1000 less than what I paid for the other car in the first place. So with all 9000 down, my payments are even less than I expected.
Joel followed me back to the place where I rented my car from, and I returned it today. I was never happier when I returned the keys. And then he had to take me back to the dealership to get my new car so I could go to work. Remember when I said I thought I turned at the wrong exit the first time I went to the dealership? Well it turns out, I did the right thing afterall, because if I had turned at the other exit, I would have been more lost than I was. So thank God for that too!
This has been a day nothing short of a huge miracle, from Joel having the day off to the insurance company paying me this much money. And all I wanted to do was test drive the car!
So I got a champagne colored 2004 Toyota Corolla LE. Everything is powered. I would have liked a silver colored one, and I almost got a red one, but the champagne colored one looked pretty classy. And it's lighter colored than the red one, which means it repels heat better. Which is great in the summer.
So this car is all God. I couldnt have even imagined things could happen this way. God is truly amazing.