Shopping for Trucks, Back in the Swamp Zone

I had a nice drive up from Lexington yesterday. I even had time to stop and shop for trucks. At the first dealership, the woman who was helping me was really no help at all. Nothing on the lot fit my needs at the price I wanted to stay under, she hadn't bothered to read my email or do any research or prep for my arrival. Ergo, she really didn't want my business enough.

At the second, I actually drove what I thought I wanted (2011 Suzuki). But then the salesman treated me like an idiot. When I asked about the $2500 cash back, he said they had already accounted for that in their "sale" price (full MSRP minus the cash rebate). Then, he offered me $4,000 less than dealer trade in price for my cars. So let me get this straight--you're charging full price for your car and giving me much less than wholesale for my trades? Is it because I'm a woman, or do you just think I'm stupid? And I really didn't like the truck all that much either.

I took Ozzie out to the Canine Camp. He was not impressed.

When I got to Jacksonville in the early afternoon, I decided I really couldn't fume for the rest of the day. I needed at least one positive experience. I drove a Chevy. It felt like a monster truck and I couldn't really get a handle on where the boundaries of my track were. Then I drove the Dodge Ram--what a difference! It handled like a car, was smooth and easy to drive--sharp and responsive. Even the brakes were acceptable. And an 8 foot bed. But alas, no room for the dog.

I'll keep looking. I went out to the nursing home to see Bud, but he was sleeping. I stopped by the Straders', but they weren't home. On to the apartment, the sad little apartment. I started going through the dresser drawers and the piles of paper.

I found still MORE bags of loose coins. Cash in envelopes, long forgotten. Pictures and scrapbooks and memorabilia went in one box. I overheated the paper shredder with piles of Social Security notices from 2001-2007. I finally collapsed around 10 pm.

Now I'm up and ready to go for coffee. I'm hoping to take Bud out to the park this morning for an outing. Then I will be back, diving into still more paper and the sad remnants of his sad life.