A New Toy for Me!

Last year early on I began to get the bug to buy another vehicle. My van is still great but has many miles on it. Also, last summer I had to make some repairs on it that were quite costly, and put all new tires on it right after the repairs were done. It's running great and is in great condition considering the high mileage it has. However, there comes a time when you just can't stop thinking about having something new.

I've been checking the Internet and looking at the local Ford dealership web sites with intensity since last fall. I wanted to compare prices for the Escape. One needs to know just what they would get for the price they pay!

Right before New Year's Day, I saw an ad for a used Ford Escape at a car lot (not Ford) very near to my house. So on my way home from work on New Year's Day, I stopped to see how it looked. This is the first one that I've actually gone to look at. I've managed to keep myself from driving to the Ford dealers only because I knew that I would probably make an impulse buy! Not good!!! It was very pretty. But again, it was the first one I'd looked at. It's best to shop around, right?

Well, then Dad and Beverly arrived and I told him about it. The first day they were here, Dad and I went to look at it again. From there we drove to an actual Ford dealer that is also close to my house. We actually got out and walked between all the new Escapes. I was only interested in the ones that had 4 wheel drive and anything from there was OK as far as the interior was concerned. We had all the numbers in our minds for what they included and how much they started out in price.

From there, we went to another Ford dealer a little further away. They had sooo many more to look at! It was like finding gold for me! The colors were so nice and the options varied from one to the other. I was getting a better idea with each Escape that I looked at, as to what I would want in my new vehicle. But we didn't drive any and went home from there.

That night, I decided to get on the Internet, find the Ford web site and build an Escape with only the options that I wanted. The prices were cheaper than what we saw that had less options. I emailed the detailed Escape that I had built to a local Ford dealer and the next day I had a phone call from the Internet specialist that he had found one that was almost a match to what I was looking for! He emailed me the window sticker for this particular Escape. Very nice to say the least and the price still included employee pricing, the special that has been advertised for weeks now. It appeared to be a great deal! But I couldn't actually see the vehicle as it happened to be in Missouri!

The next day, Dad and Beverly were troopers. They went with me to the dealership and sat with me as I discussed the new vehicle with Bill, the Internet specialist. We bargained on the price, whether to trade my van or not, yadda yadda yadda. You know how it goes. Anyway, after long deliberation, we came to an agreement on the Escape that I still had yet to see. I've never done that before! I was going to purchase a vehicle before I actually saw it. But, it was brand new. So it would be safe. It would be driven to Omaha the next day and be washed up and filled with gas. Friday I would be able to pick it up. And voila! Here it is!

The color is actually Light Sage Green Clearcoat.

I plan to sell my van even though it will be hard to part with it. I've had it since May of 2001. It's spacious and runs great. So for now, I'll make room in my garage for both vehicles.