5-Speed Pragmatic

Anticlimax (3)

And so it ends. It would seem my foray into the exciting world of used car purchase was not meant to be.

For those who haven't been following this saga, I encountered what I believed was the ideal used car - one that ticked all the right boxes - and I decided to pull forward my plans to replace my car. I danced back and forth with a used car dealer who I believed was playing by the Shady Dealer Playbook™, and last I wrote I was arranging a vehicle inspection.�

After waiting a couple of days to call him again (he was supposed to get back to me, anyway), I called him today. He was out. He called me back. I was in a lecture. I called him back. He was out. He called me back. I was in a class. I called him back.

The car was sold. That other buyer, the one with the questionable credit? It wasn't a bluff. It was the truth. How do I know this was true and he wasn't merely coaxing me into offering a higher amount? He started talking about other cars on his lot.

The dark metallic green 2003 Ford Falcon BA XR6 - with the rare 5-speed manual, leather sports seats, sunroof, power windows and remote central locking - was gone.

The silver lining is I now have one fewer thing to worry about, and I can go back to my original plan of replacing my old jalopy next year.

I can't help but think though that there was some lesson to be learned here.

Don't mistrust used car dealers so much? This is a valid point. He wasn't as dishonest as I thought he was.

Keep your options open? This is a belief I usually subscribe to. Why didn't I subscribe to it in this instance? Well, it was a rare combination of colour, transmission and features. That was what made me look at it in the first place. If it was a plain grey, cloth-seated XR6 or Commodore SV6, for example, I wouldn't have bothered. If I was going to shake up my plans that much, it had better be something amazing.

A little more 'carpe diem'? No, because I was as aggressive as I could be without being stupid. I don't regret pushing for an inspection, even if it did mean someone snatched up the car in the interim. Only a fool would buy a used car without getting an inspection done. I regret nothing there.

So maybe the lesson learned is: shit happens.

At least it made for an interesting couple of weeks, and a new and exciting experience.

I should also note just how invaluable the help of my friend Alessandro was during the viewing and negotiating process. He gave me so much practical advice, and instilled me with confidence. Thanks, man!

I hope my little old jalopy Astra still has some life in her. She's going to be driven hard for another year or so.

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