"He fastened the car door..." ~ Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre walks everywhere. It is on a walk where she meets Rochester for the first time; he doesn't see her and is thrown from his horse. I love the metaphor there.

I drive everywhere in my red Saturn Coupe. So far, the car and I have not bumped into my Rochester. (sigh)

The car is adorable and has served me well for the past four years, but I think it is time for a change. Its sporty look and light weight is not my style anymore. It can't handle winters; I would like to drive steady on snow and be able to make trips to VT and PA to ski this winter without having to worry about the road conditions.

Tonight's experience at car dealerships was quite an education.

No, not for me. For the salesman!

I said very little when I entered Toyota this evening. All I said was that I wanted to see the Rav 4 (what a crappy car). My salesman, Josh, was some 24 year old who looked too young to be in the getup of a suit he was in. He was wearing a pink tie. Who wears a pink tie in November?

So Joshie and I took a test drive and it was the most boring convo I ever had in my life. My vocation came out, so of course he admitted he was a bad student. I could tell he thought he was a BMOC; one of those Long Island boys who hangs out at Mirage Friday nights looking for some blond hairdresser with an IQ of 90. I could not take more than five minutes in that car with him; it was a very quick test drive.

He then told me that he was spaced out in English classes because he was bored. Well, no kidding, Sherlock! That is why YOU are a CAR SALESMAN desperate to get me in a car this evening and I have an MA and will never have to work so late on a Thursday night driving random people around in a crappy car.

Well, we got back and Joshie had the audacity to ask me 400/mo. for that car. I literally laughed and then said to him that if he can't get me at 325 than I am leaving. So then the manager came out after some back and forth and I held my ground. They called me sweetie this and said honey that. They went to far as to say how adorable a petite girl like me would look in such a car and the best they could do was 365.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. No, not the 365!

GIRL?

And I quote: "Listen, I am 28 years old and am ready to go look sophisticated in a better SUV for 300. You can sugarcoat this all you want, but I want to be very direct here. All of this back and forth is making me tired. I understand that is what you are giving me, which is not much, and I am telling you what I want. If you can't give me what I want, than I am leaving now because I refuse to play lets make a deal with MY MONEY!"

The girl got up, said thank you, shook their hands, and felt damn good walking out leaving a car salesman flat.

Just call me the postergirl for the tough customer. ;)