“Wow, you put a bow on it and everything!”
No, I didn’t buy the blue Mustang, but that is how I greeted my favorite saleslady at the car dealership. I have been buying my vehicles through this saleslady at this dealership since 2008.
Which is why, when I saw the ads that Ford was offering incredible incentives on the 2019 Escapes, I immediately made an appointment to check things out. The lease on my 2017 Escape would expire early in 2020, and the 2020 Escapes were way out of my price range, with no current incentives. Plus, they’ve been re-engineered, and I like the way they are now.
I made the appointment for Saturday morning, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Friday evening, I checked the stock at all the local dealers and realized 2019 Escapes were rapidly disappearing; in fact, according to the online listings, my dealership had only 11 on Friday afternoon, down to 8 by early Friday evening, and only 5 left by the time the dealership closed. The stock at the other dealerships was also rapidly decreasing.
While I’ve always enjoyed the process of buying a new car, I knew this time things would be a little different. Higher car prices, lower stock, tighter personal budget. And the fact that my husband had changed dealerships just a few months before because our dealership did not have the vehicle he wanted and couldn’t get any more. (His sedan model was being discontinued, and only a few were left anywhere.)
I arrived at the dealership at 10:30 am on Saturday, and already things were not looking good. Only 2 or 3 Escapes were left. My saleslady had run numbers for me, and a purchase was out of my budget despite a hefty down payment. There was an SE in my price range for a lease, but that was sold only a few minutes before I arrived.
One of my caveats had been that I didn’t want a vehicle with “those black wheels” because my husband was of the opinion that those particular wheels had low-profile tires, which are not good for winter driving.
The only Escape left was white with black wheels; on top of that, it was an SEL, which carries a higher price tag than I can handle.
The saleslady began calling around to other dealerships to “locate” an Escape for me. She was getting nowhere. I was ready to leave and drive over to my husband’s new dealership, even though their website also showed extremely low stock.
In frustration, the saleslady asked if I would consider the white Escape SEL despite the black wheels, if she could get me a good deal on it.
Hmm?
I called hubby and asked him to come to the dealership, even though I knew it would be a bit uncomfortable for him, considering recent history. While waiting, the vehicle was brought over. Low and behold, although the car had dark wheels, they were not the same black, ghetto-looking wheels I was against. The saleslady, her assistant, and I all agreed that they were not low-profile tires.
Hubby arrived and said the tires in question were low-profile. He told me not to buy that car and to go over to his new dealership. Things began getting a bit tense.
The saleslady called the Parts Department, who said the tires were not low-profile. On the test drive, we went over to the Service Department and dragged out our favorite service advisor (who has been there forever and has always been totally honest with us). He looked at the tires, confirmed they were not low-profile, and said they were good brand-name tires which would be perfectly adequate for winter driving in our area.
Did I mention that the white Escape SEL would come with remote start, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, automatic lift gate, and lots of other features that my 2017 Escape didn’t have? And that the white 2019 Escape SEL was stunning, with a beautiful upgraded two-tone “faux leather” interior? And a leather-wrapped steering wheel?
Like the good wife I am, I opted to ignore my husband. I sent him home while I continued negotiations.
I don’t know how the saleslady and the finance guy managed it, but they eventually got the numbers down to where I needed them. I drove away in a beautiful upgraded vehicle, with monthly payments the same as they were on the old vehicle.
God, I love my saleslady and my dealership,.
And I’m loving my brand-new 2019 Ford Escape SEL:
Now, I have to drive my beautiful brand-new vehicle to work tomorrow, through crappy weather and city traffic, over potholed city streets. Maybe I should just stay home. But of course, then I wouldn’t get paid and my budget can’t handle that. I’ll deal with it. That new car smell with make it easier.
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalie Studio
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
That’s pretty much how our last car purchase went. But we got what they call “the perfect used car.” Just 24.000 miles, no dings or accidents, and it still has five years of warranty — and we got the same payment we were making on the Patriot. I really LOVE this little car, too. We got it cheaper because it’s orange — which is Garry’s favorite car color. He drove an orange Challenger converitble for almost 20 years until it finally became too unstable for daily driving — and we really needed a 4X4 here in the Valley. Congratulations! Sounds like you did very well.
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Sounds like you did, too.
I think my dealer was willing to come down so far because there’s minor problem with a mis-matched dashboard panel. The new part is on order (should be in next week) and they will take care of it, it’s just a matter of snapping out the old panel and snapping in the new one. But maybe other customers, especially those less loyal and less trusting than me, would have walked away from that car.
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Congrats and glad it all worked out for you )
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Well done you you got a great deal. I live Ford I have Fiesta dark blue and I love it 💜
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We’re definitely a Ford family. My husband has the Fusion, and one of my daughters has a Focus. They’re all great vehicles.
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Yes I agree we have always both had Ford’s. Though my husband has had a BMW for a couple of years 💜
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Love the pretty new car! Congrats! My “new” car is about to turn 13, but it’s paid for and still has under 57,000 miles on it. Anne
>
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I wish I had gone for a purchase on my last vehicle, but it didn’t make sense financially to buy out the lease. I really wanted a purchase this time, but simply couldn’t swing it since the car prices have gone up so much.
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Great job. The photo is a little unclear, but those wheels do look a bit low-profile to me. Are you bracing yourself for your hubby’s laughter when you get stuck in the snow?
It’s a nice looking car though. I hope it serves you well for many years.
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I won’t get stuck in the snow. The vehicle is 4-wheel drive with 19-inch wheels. The tires may look low-profile, but they have plenty of tread on them.
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Tread is the most important thing, in my view. So I think you’ll be good.
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Happy New Car, CM!! {{{hugs! and Happy Dances!}}}
Ahhh – and the 19″ wheels make the tires *look* low profile, in comparison to what you’re used to seeing.
Do keep in mind, for future-budget purposes, that 19″ tires cost a *whole lot more* than smaller ones. :o)
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Karen! Hi! Yes, if I have to replace a tire, it’s going to cost a whole lot more. Hopefully, I won’t have to. The Service Manager said just what you did – the larger wheels make the tires look more like low-profile. True low-profile tires are a different breed altogether.
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it’s beautiful!
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It is, right? I’ll be running through the car wash all the time to keep it shiny!
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🙂 i don’t blame you!
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Nice ride.
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Thanks, Jane. It was very nice driving to work this morning, despite the crappy weather and potholes.
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Congratulations on your gorgeous new high-profile vehicle, CM. I really like it.
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Thanks, Mark. Maybe someday I’ll get to drive it to Syracuse so I can meet you and Karen. Won’t be in the winter, though.
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We’re open all seasons, CM. We’d love to see you of course!
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Congrats on a sweet new ride.
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Thanks, Dan. I wish I could have afforded to buy it, but of course I always have that option at the end of the lease.
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Hey, how long is the lease?
If you put a “couple o’ dollars” is a separate account (or with a ‘don’t touch this!’ note on it) every month, you’ll have extra set aside at the end of the lease!
Yay for planning ahead 😉
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That’s actually the game plan, Karen. I had planned on buying the car I just turned in, but after I got rear-ended and the repairs were almost $10,000 (thank heavens for insurance!), I didn’t want that car any more.
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