#fred beans

What I test-drove: This 2003 Mercedes-Benz C240 4Matic. What I like about it:

Wheel and pedals felt very natural.

Plenty of power when desired, no problem with the brakes either. Feels fun to drive.

Should have a much tighter turning circle than the full-size Volvo wagon I'm coming from.

All-wheel drive should come in handy in the winter (though I've done fine with FWD up until now).

Mercedes-Benz's reputation for reliability.

The dealership offers a limited warranty on it.

Low mileage, especially for an 11-year-old car. Also, no reported accidents. I haven't given it a more thorough inspection yet though.

The comforts you would expect from a Benz.

6-CD changer (caddy, not slot) like my Volvo, but in the *glove compartment* instead of all the way in the back.

Full-sized spare tire, not a mere donut.

Shiftable automatic transmission, though it's kind of weird in that you don't put the shifter on a different vertical axis to engage it -- there's only one position for drive, and you push it left or right (spring-loaded) to shift.

Discounted to reflect the fact that the sunroof doesn't work -- and I don't care about the sunroof, as long as it can stay closed.

No big annoying screens in the center section!

It's a Benz. With low mileage, for under $10K. It may not be as raved about as the 3-Series of that era, but still, I may never get an opportunity like this again.

What I don't like about it:

Poor fuel economy (17/23) -- and this is supposed to be a COMPACT car. With how concerned I usually am about spending money, I'd look like a bit of a hypocrite. And with this translating to (according to the EPA's estimates) about $500/yr more spent on fuel than if I'd gotten a car that did even 20/27, and with the fact that I still want to save money to buy a house in a few years, it really gives me pause.

D-pad for the mirrors doesn't work: when you hit up, it goes down; when you hit down, it keeps going down. I had to push the mirror back up manually to get it right.

I'm going to have to read the rather substantial manual to figure out what the heck all of these buttons do.

No 1/8" jack for my Sansa. I didn't see a cassette player (for my tape adapter) either, but there was an eject button that I didn't think to push until it was too late...?

The rear seats do not fold down. There's not even so much as a passthrough. I've never before had a car that I could not use to haul home a bookcase from Target (and I will definitely need to buy more bookcases in my lifetime).

German luxury car plus lack of sharing a platform with any cheaper cars could mean more expensive repairs, if it ever needs repairs. My Volvo was pretty good to me in not needing any major unplanned repairs. (Until now, which is why I'm car-hunting in the first place.)

I really am having a hell of a time trying to get a new car.  On the advice of a friend, I checked out truecar.com, a site that provides real world pricing.  All you have to do is select the car that you’re looking for, and you’ll be provided with a list of dealerships that provide the best price for that car.  I got a list of dealerships that provided better prices than the dealerships in my immediate area.  Even though Fred Beans Kia of Limerick, PA wasn’t the cheapest price, I chose them as the first option because it was in PA and the guy on the phone seemed nice.  When you make the request on the truecar.com site, the dealerships are notified that you are looking for that specific car, and they will contact you via email or phone.  I got a couple of calls and emails.  I should’ve realized it then, but the fact that I got multiple calls from multiple salespeople from Fred Beans Kia should’ve told me that something was a little off.  There’s no reason I should’ve been contacted by more than one salesman, and they acknowledged the mistake.

The first salesman that I talked to told me that he had 2 of the models that I was looking for.  I told him that I’d try to make it out there in the next couple of days.  I decided that I would go the next day.  I got another call that same day from a different salesman asking me about my inquiry.  I told him that I had already spoke with someone and that I would be making the trip.  I assumed that I was getting these calls because they had the car that I want.  I was running a little late, and it was getting close to closing time at the dealership.  It’s a 50 minute drive from here, so I called ahead to confirm it was going to be ok if I cut it a little close.  They said it would be fine, and they would wait for me.  I’m feeling good at this point.  I know exactly what I want, the price I’m gonna get, and all I have to do is go through the paperwork once I get there.

When we get there one of the salesman tells me that it’s going to be difficult to get a deal done today because the banks are closing, so the financing probably won’t get done that day.  That would’ve been nice to know before I made the 50 minute drive.  I tell him who my contact is, and I gave him my name.  The salesman comes over, we go outside, and he says, “what kind of car are you looking for?”  Oh boy.  This fool should know exactly what I want because he called me about the day before.  Here’s a shocker.  They don’t have the car that I want.  They had a busy day and sold a bunch of cars.  For all I know they could’ve sold the 2 available cars that I wanted.  I’m not gonna accuse Fred Beans Kia of lying to me.  It would’ve just been nice to get this information when I talked to them right before making the trip.