"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." - Outkast
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about all these changes that were going to happen and how I was hoping to handle them. Well, the changes happened, but not the way I thought they would. This is long, so I bolded parts that would give you a good summary of the post :)
Mom changed her mind and ended up NOT moving in. This is started the domino effect of changes on a different path than I anticipated. When I thought she was moving in, I planned on having an extra $1200+ per month. When she told me her reasons for staying in Corona, I couldn't be mad, but this meant I would to give up the trip to Thailand for April and Victor's wedding. It sucked having to tell April I couldn't go, but there was no way I could pay for the airfare and March's rent in the same week. Not to mention, I had just turned in my credit application to buy Mad Max (that's what I named my car) from Mercedes-Benz so a big withdrawal from my account wouldn't help my situation. April was unbelievably understanding about me changing my mind. Her graciousness made me feel like more of an ass for not going, but she assured me that there would be more trips we could venture on together later down the line.
The following week, I found out my credit application was declined. I wasn't really surprised given my credit history and the current economic climate, but time was running out and the dealership gave me until March 19th to try and get this car. I told my dad what was happening and he agreed to co-sign with me, so we submitted a new application with both of our names on it. My dad had to hustle, but Mercedes eventually agreed to finance us. Unfortunately, my dad didn't like the deal they were offering and started to shop around. He told me to prepare for the worst case scenario, which in my head meant using the bus to get around indefinitely.
As my dad shopped around for the best deal on a car, Albert referred me to his tax guy, Raul. I was a little hesitant about going to Raul since I knew it would cost money for him to do my taxes. I did my own taxes last year and ended up paying, so it didn't make sense for me to pay someone to tell me I owed money to the government. Albert convinced me to go because maybe Raul could figure out a way for me to pay less or maybe nothing at all. After meeting with Raul, he said I would actually be getting a tax refund this year...which is INSANE! I'm used to owing money, so it was a pleasant surprise for me to get some money back. It's not a lot, but I figured it would be enough to cover the first payment on Max + new tires - I was still hoping I could buy that car. On a personal note, I don't know why I'm so freakin' stubborn. I'm lucky I have a patient boyfriend. Anyways, the refund was the first piece of good news I got in the past couple weeks so it was nice to breathe easy, even for just one afternoon.
The following week (which was last week) was a mad, mad scramble to figure things out with my car. My dad had found some deals, but I would have to turn Max in, which I didn't really want to do since I would have to pay the excess mileage penalty. Regardless, I went with him to the other dealerships to try and negotiate a reasonable down payment with a reasonable monthly payment, AND get the same dealership to buy my leased car as trade-in. I begged for a Prius, of course. But my dad refused to help me buy a "death trap" (his words, not mine).
I test drove a Honda Insight. All the reviews of it are pretty accurate, it's a poor man's Prius and the engine IS as loud as the critics describe. But I would have taken it anyway. I was looking forward to finally having a hybrid and not having to buy premium fuel. BOTH of my parents didn't like the idea of me driving a non-luxury vehicle. I didn't mind as much, although I would have been more enthusiastic about it if it were the Prius. That ended up not mattering - after test driving the Insight and hearing Honda's offer (which was crap because the Insight would have cost MORE than the Mercedes), I was set on taking the less whack deal to buy Mad Max.
I told my dad that we should just settle on buying Max, but he didn't feel like settling. Plus, I think the people at Mercedes-Benz pissed him off when they didn't want to finance us initially. He had proposed going to BMW because he worked with them before and like their service. He had already spoke with someone there and was almost sure we could get a good deal on a 1 series. I was really hesitant about the whole thing because 1) I thought the 1 series was pretty weird looking when I saw pics online, 2) did it make sense for me to get a new car? much less a new luxury car? I followed my dad to BMW and test drove the 128i. When I first set eyes on it, I couldn't believe it was the same car I saw online. I still have some qualms about how the back end looks, but it isn't anything I couldn't get over. So issue #1 was resolved. Issue #2 was a trickier.
I sat at the dealership forever. My dad had to leave for work after 2 hours, so I was there trying to negotiate this by myself. I was hungry, I was tired, and I wanted to go home because it was mine and Albert's 3-year anniversary. After 6 hours and several calls to/from my dad for updates on the negotiations it sounded like I was actually going to get this car. Unfortunately, since he wasn't there to finalize everything, I had to go back in there in the morning to settle everything. That night I did the calculations to see if this deal made any sense. In the end, buying the new car actually cost less than buying Mad Max - issue #2 resolved.
Last Thursday, I met my dad at BMW and we signed the papers to buy the 128i. By that afternoon, we were at Mercedes signing the lease-return papers for Mad Max. I actually cried a little when they drove Max away and my dad was there to give me tissues telling me I'll actually be able to keep the new car this time and can make new memories with it. I still miss Max, but I know I drove him pretty hard. I hope his next owner is able to take better care of him than I did. As for the new car, I still can't believe it's mine. I'm actually afraid to drive it around because I want to take better care of it than I did with Max.
I know I should be driving a hoopty or something that's more within my credit score's realm. The only reason this car even became an option for me was because of my dad. He pulled off some crazy magic trick to get me a BMW with my lame ass credit score and I'm forever thankful. And, coincidentally, the only reason I have enough money to pay my share of the down payment AND the first month's payment is because of Albert and his tax guy. I really should just listen to him from the beginning...I end up doing what he says anyway, so it would save us both a lot of hassle.
It's just crazy how that all worked out. March has been one crazy month and I haven't even told you the rest of it yet either. Since this post is already pretty long, stay tuned for Part 2.
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