Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - New Car

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
New Car
Ok, try not to get all pissy with me after reading this because I didn't call and tell you or whatever - bad news is not something I like to call and talk about.Now that I've gotten the disclaimer off my chest....Just about one week ago - I totalled my poor little Jetta. It ended up mushed under an SUV (go figure) on 66. Nonetheless, I came out relatively ok. What I'm pretty sure are minor issues with my back/neck/shoulder are progressing along nicely and I was able to go back to work after 2 days at home, and on drugs. Needless to say, I no longer drive a Jetta (sorry Lanie), as it was declared a total loss by the fantastic insurance company - Progressive. They have been, and continue to be, a truly fantastic company to have on your side and I'm really glad that things have gone so smoothly thanks to them. Today I got a new car after a good bit of haggling over the weekend. Some of you may, and probably most of you may not, recall my search for a Volvo back in 2005. I searched high and low for one that had what I wanted, but also for the price that I wanted. I came up empty on that search, and had completely let it go until we went to look at cars over at Pohanka in Chantilly last week. Over the past 6 years, we've spent hours perusing the cars at the Pohanka Lexus and Acura dealerships, but I'd never been around the side to their used car lot (as I'd never, ever bought a used car). Of course this was high on our list of places to look. Upon arriving and meeting a nice guy by the name of Mike Friedmann, he directed me to a 2005 Volvo s40 T5 AWD - the exact car I'd wanted not two years earlier - and he had no idea it was what I wanted - hell, I'd forgotten about it. It was a little bit on the pricey side, but after Progressive came through with a really fantastic settlement for my Jetta, and Brad did a little smooth talking, I was able to drive that Volvo off the lot this evening. So, all in all, bad things happen, but good comes out in the end. :)