On a Good Morning America segment there was an offer of a $25 gift card for test driving a particular make and model of car. My car loving son was getting his shoes on for school when he heard this offer during the Freebie Friday segment. He then insisted that I test drive that vehicle for the gift card. Silly. Not so silly that I would not do it, but silly none the less. It felt like a dare. Dares are fun. It has been mentioned here before that I lack a general sense of caring about vehicles. I do however like a challenge. I figure going in and test driving a car I really know nothing, or care nothing about would be a challenge. I needed to seem sincere about the vehicle, but no so interested that I walk out with a monthly payment. I called the dealership and set up a time for a test-drive so I would not chicken out. My son went to school so I would not have him pushing me to drop by the dealership. I am a complete stickler for an appointment, it obligates me to follow through. After I made the appointment I began to slightly panic because of my lack of caring about cars. A person was going to ask me what I look for in a vehicle and I honestly have two requirements...
- The vehicle starts
- The vehicle moves
Really. That is all I care about. Sure I have colors I like and do not like, but even that is not very important. Now I needed to appear that I cared about features. It was becoming abundantly clear why I had never test-driven a vehicle before. I am not picky about cars, as long as it fulfills my two requirements I am happy. My dad or husband had test-driven and recommended all of my vehicles for the past 23 years. YIKES!
Furthermore, I was test-driving a foreign car. I have only driven American cars. Perhaps a couple rental cars were foreign, but as for ownership...I am a domestic. But an appointment was set, so it had to happen. And the $25 gift card, my motivator. Oh, and I knew I would write about the experience. Secondary motivation. Oh...my son wanting me to do it, the whole reason I even considered it at all. Full of motivation, and coffee, I headed to the dealership for my test-drive. My very first solo-trip to a car dealership. This was the loop in my brain on the 20 minute drive...
- Ask smart questions
- Emphasize that you are just starting the car shopping process
- No dumb questions
- No buying (okay that would be easy)
- Have fun
Over and over those things ran through head. Realizing I was doing something new and different was exciting. Playing the part of someone who actually was interested in cars was a true challenge. Until I pulled in the parking lot and saw the type of vehicle I would be test-driving. (Really, I had no idea what it looked like I knew the make and model when I made the appointment. I never looked at any pictures on the website) It was a lovely sedan. A sedan. No sliding doors. Four hinged doors. And a trunk. Not a rear lift gate. This car was everything that I do not drive, and I had only seen the outside. I spoke with the salesman about my vehicle needs (I added more that my initial two needs) then he made a copy of my drivers license, grabbed the keys, and we headed out to drive. Yes, I am describing this step by step, because never before have I been the person anyone talked to in the car dealership. Up until this point I had been the backseat person. The little lady. The "Mrs.". Pretty much all things that make me annoyed in most situations, but since I have complete apathy for motor vehicles, I have accepted my diminished role in the automotive selection process. It was nice to be asked the questions about what I am looking for in a vehicle. It was nice to be directly spoken to and told about features. It was nice to be the driver during the test-drive.
The vehicle I drove was pretty "loaded" with nice options. Sunroof over the driver and passenger seats, heated /cooled leather seats (front and back), heated steering wheel (that is nice), push button ignition (very suspicious of this feature...I like keys), and it was a lovely titanium color with a bit of metallic fleck in the paint. It drove quite and smooth, accelerated nicely. I felt rather luxurious as compared to my almost ten year old, very trustworthy mini-van. This vehicle did not scream, I AM A MOTHER OF TWO, or I BAKED 3 DOZEN CUPCAKES FOR THE BAKE SALE, or SURE, I CAN DRIVE FIVE KIDS ON THE FIELD TRIP TO THE ZOO. No, this vehicle really did not say who the driver was at all. It was almost too anonymous for me. Yes, it was fun and a little cool. It takes a lot for a non-car person to find a car cool. The new car smell was nice. However, I only have two real requirements for a car...it starts, and it moves. The other features I like about my current vehicle is it gives my current credentials. I am very okay with my three rows of seating, and the lack of coolness my vehicle projects. I am not my car. My car is not me. It is a way to get from here to there and back. It is all I need. I will worry about projecting my own image outside of vehicle.
The added bonus is the $25 gift card that I will get in 6-8 weeks after I send in my test-drive certificate. I did this as a lark, and to make my car obsessed son happy. What I gained was a new experience, a writing topic, and a new found appreciation for my current vehicle.
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