Breaking News: North County Realtor No Longer Needs 4-Door Sedan!
Posted by Gretchen Pagnotta | Visited 150 times, 1 so far today | Currently 2 Comments »
I just had the experience of purchasing a new car. This is usually a very painful process for me ..who likes to spend money on a depreciating asset? We all are forced to do this however and this time around I must say it was quite pleasant. The” journey”started with my husband and I searching the various makes and models for cars. It is as challenging as buying a new home. You have to think about your lifestyle and the best use of a car. I started with considering another SUV. The tax advantages for an independent contractor (that is what Realtors are called since we are paid commissions) are sizable. You get a $25,000 tax credit if you purchase an automobile with a curb weight over 6,000 pounds. Let me tell you that is one heavy car so your selections are trucks and the big SUV’s. I worked the numbers and these “trucks” are expensive even with the credit. So that idea went out the window quickly as I considered the difficulty I have in finding parking spaces for my SUV, the damage it does on my credit card at the gas pump and the feeling I have (needing to” hold on” over rough roads and bumps) when driving what I refer to as “the truck.” I relate this to the buyer who wants the large yard and pool until they get a copy of the water bill, landscaper and pool guy…even a good deal on the home sounds expensive!
On to the cars that sales people refer to as” real estate agent friendly”..mid size 4 door sedans…all I can say is “been there done that and it is b-o-r-i-n-g!! Also the idea of clients actually riding with you is so 1990.Someone needs to clue these salespeople in. However my salesperson; Elizabeth was informed and in the know so she was all about what I really wanted. Clients today want to follow you so they can run off when you are done. No one comes back to the office to recap the days events. This would mean they would have make a decision and perhaps write an offer…scary! Their engine is idling when you show the last home. Suddenly the kids soccor game is over or they have a church potluck to race to. We are fine with this..actually we prefer this especially when children are involved. Really an old cereal crusted, sticky juice spilled car seat strapped to my leather seats and with a screaming kid roped to it…no..I mean really no this just doesn’t work for me. So it’s the “follow me” which eliminates the need for the 4 door sedan. Elizabeth somehow already knew this so she walked me right by those boring cars.
Now the choices were getting down to fun, impractical and that’s for me!…it is after all sunny San Diego. I use a phrase in almost all my blogs about homes here..”near perfect climate.” Darn right..the sun is out, the smell of salt air beckons and I think my best choice is a convertible to enjoy my “neat perfect climate.” You say mid life crisis..midlife was 2 decades ago…I am having a senior crisis but with daily pilates I have managed to be more flexible than most 20 year olds. So, a small car with seats that say “feel the ride” vs. a ride of numbness is worth looking into. Ok, so I did have a slight set back. If it is a convertible it still should have 4 seats. After all where would Max (our 84 lb of labradorable) sit…also how about my 92 year old mother? Oh yes, we would need the 4 seats…so on to check that out. My sales person is a trim size 6 (at the most) and into the car she glided so we could do a test drive. She made it look effortless and never asked me to move my seat forward. Little did I think to look back and see if her legs were wrapped around her neck. After completing our test drive I attempted to glide into the back and decided unless I wanted to have Nutrisystem delivered to my doorstep for the next 2 years this back seat option was out. Yes pilates and glucosamine has helped but it can only do so much. No way could Max even be comfortable in the back seat of those pretend 4 seaters. So why fight the impulses that were racing through my blood stream (along with my hypertensive and statin blocker meds)… I said ..lose the seats and just go for it. The 2 seat-er true sports car was the one for me.
The first time I drove my new dream machine I had these recurring thoughts..over and over my mind said “Why have you not done this before???” Just like the ads say..the wind, the air, the sun…the power, sound of the engine..this I thought could be addicting.I took my 92 year old mother for her first convertible experience and she said the same thing…”I should have done this a few years ago!” So there it is after crunching the numbers with the very best salesperson (and I mean best) Elizabeth Diomin, “Salesperson Supreme” she shook my hand with the usual “congrats my manager accepts your offer” and the deed was done. After signing a zillion papers and getting the keys to my car Elizabeth told me my next mission was to go shopping for clothes that match my new sports car! I am telling you this woman is genius. Suddenly I was on the road to be reborn! No more jeans, Land’s End fleece jackets and mommy shoes…no way. I took one look at her..leggings, high heeled boots, a huge scarf, a fashion watch larger than her wrist and a killer outfit that screamed “made for BMW’s”! My next 2 days were filled with my car-clothes purchases; new leather gloves, a snappy hat, a scarf to trail me in the wind, XL leggings (not yet on Nutrisystem) and black turtlenecks. I already had my black leather jacket so tore it out of the back of my closet and hung it by the garage door. Follow me!!!!
To reach Elizabeth Diomin email: DiominE@autonation.comor call 760-753-6301…BMW Encinitas..but don’t let the” boys” help you..she’s the best and will get you the “deal”!!
Adorable story!!!
So dying to know which model did you get…a Z4, 335IC or 6?