CARS formerly known as Cash For Clunkers

So I'm going to assume everyone has heard about the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS. I mean, people have already gone through the one million that the federal government had set aside for the program. It's hoping to add another two million dollars. Supposed to end November 1st.

So Mother's been excited about finding a new car. Another Toyota Avalon. 2009 model. Been searching. Been sold out at a lot of places.

Today, we (Mother, brother, D, and I) drove to Burlingame to check out an Avalon XLS. The salesguy walked us down the street to a different dealership to look at the car. They all looked inside the car and all. I read my book. I really wasn't interested in going, but I was forced to tag along. The salesguy started the car so we could listen to the engine.

Then everything went downhill from there. The guy asked for the papers to our "clunker," but we didn't have them with us. We only came to look at the Avalon and get the price of the car. But no. He didn't want to do that. He wanted to first check out our old vehicle and D's credit (since it will technically be under his name). We really just wanted the price. So we were basically just scoping the car before making a decision. The way the guy wanted to do it was to check everything out and then sell the Avalon at the price determined by the CARS program instead of letting us deal.

Anyway, when the guy found out we didn't bring the papers or the vehicle, he told us we were wasting his time. Tony overreacted, started swearing at the guy, saying we would find a different salesman for the car. We all walked down the street back to the car together. Mother apologizing to the guy for brother's behavior. Brother yelled at Mother for still talking to the guy. I had turned on my music by then.

People are idiots, yeah? Yeah. Brother way overreacted. Stupid anger.

But the salesguy was a jerk too. Or just really rude. Before, he was acting nice. Once he found out we were just there to check out the car, he abruptly turned off the car engine and said he wasn't gonna help us out anymore unless we had the papers. The least he could have done was say "I'm sorry, but I can't help you unless you have the papers. If you could come back with the papers..." I mean, the dude wouldn't even give us an estimate of the car's price.

I'll bet you anything that if CARS wasn't happening now, that dude would never have treated us like time-wasters. First rule of sales or whatever, the customer is always right. Or something along that line. But of course, the guy knows if we don't buy the car, someone else will probably come along to snag the deal before CARS ends.

Stupid Tony. He fucking kicked his water bottle at the Avalon after the salesguy started walking away from us (another asshole thing the guy did, walking away from potential customers).


I wish I didn't have to go today. I wouldn't have had to witness any of that. So not happy :( And today was such a bad day already. Earlier, Tony and Mother were arguing about his old textbooks just lying around in the garage. Fuckin bitchy today. What the hell? Whatever. That's resolved. Tomorrow, I'm driving him downtown so he can apply to another restaurant (second job). While he's doing that, I'm going to Robert's Bookstore to sell my textbooks and Tony's old textbooks. Whatever I can sell, I'll sell. Whatever I can't, I'll ask the store to at least get rid of the books for me. Mm, some of his old books are still good, usable, and still being used. Ah, we shouldn't have thrown his other books in the recycling bin. Could have sold them. But of course, those were thrown away in anger :/


Ah, today is definitely a day I care not to remember, but I'll remember just because..