Due to some unforeseeable circumstances, Mark and I find ourselves looking for a new car. Before heading out to any dealership, we research top recommended cars, as well as leasing options versus buying. We've visited both Kelley Bluebook online and NADA.com to see what our car would be worth as a trade-in and felt well armed to tackle the hassle that is buying a new car.
Because Mark was curious about the Honda Fit, we went to East Coast Honda first. A very nice man by the name of Jim took a profuse amount of time to answer our questions. There was only one Honda Fit on the lot, which we quickly looked at. Jim, like any salesman, was eager to show us some other options. While this can often be annoying, he was very good about it. We never felt pressured, and we actually liked what he showed us. He had a very comprehensive knowledge about the vehicles. We didn't realize how impressive that was at the time.
He took us inside the showroom to look at the Civic and the CR-V, both of which were very nice. The showroom itself was beautiful, and the lot was well cared for. Once again, we didn't realize some places were not so clean and knowledgeable.
Eventually, we decided to test drive the Honda Civic. The tech present in the car was impressive, with a digital interface that I was surprised to see. Mark did most of the test driving, as I was too nervous to take the wheel. They did have me drive a bit on a back road, and it felt fine. I'm not in love with the Civic, but it is my favorite car that we've looked at so far, except for maybe the CR-V. We'll be going back Monday or Tuesday to test drive it as well.
Our next stop was the Kia Dealership, located pretty close to Sam's Club. Aside from being in love with dancing hamsters, Mark saw where you could lease a Kia Soul for only $109 a month. While we realized this wouldn't actually work out, it still showed potential for a relatively low lease rate.
If they really could lease the car for that little, it's because they're cutting corners else where. The lot was unkempt. I felt like I was on some seedy used car lot. When we pulled up, there were three salespeople just standing outside of the doors, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting shoppers. Mark felt each of them should have been chewing on a toothpick and tossing a nickel in the air. To say we felt in danger of being stabbed would be an understatement.
Because Mark really wanted to see the Soul, we stepped outside of the car and were promptly greeted by the three gentleman. The seediest looking one ended up escorting us to the Kia. At this point, he proved that he didn't know much about the car. Well, maybe his knowledge of the car was fine, but he didn't know much about leasing one. Mark asked him what the incentives were, and he pretty much said he didn't know. Mark actually corrected him on one of his facts. I know that sounds pompous, but Mark had been reading on their website about the leases and had a general knowledge regarding some aspects.
As soon as was possible, we escaped the Kia* dealer and ventured to the Ford lot. Luckily, this dealership was much in tune with what we expected from a car dealer. The lot was nice, and the showroom was clean. The sales associates were all well kempt.** They were also knowledgeable.
Mark wanted to see the Ford Fiesta and the Ford Focus. The gentleman*** was kind enough to show us both of those vehicles, but he also took us over to the Mazda side to see the Mazda 3. When he realized we were leaning towards leasing, he thought that might work better for us. He really listened to what we were saying to try and find a good fit for us.
So far, we have been to three dealers. If you're going solely on lot presentation and upkeep, salesman knowledge and friendliness, and showroom impressiveness, Honda is the best choice. Their presentation in excellent. Ford comes in as a close second, but there was no where for me to park. I would encourage you to stay as far away from the Kia dealer as humanly possible. There is nothing good there. I don't care if they offer you free dancing hamsters with your car; it's not worth it.
*Killer
**Fun fact: the blog is telling me that kempt is now a real word. How weird is that!?!
***I have looked through all the papers I picked up and Mark's wallet, but I can't find the guy's business card to use his name. Sorry! I didn't care about the second guy's name cause he was creepy, but the Ford guy was nice.
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