(no subject)

[jianantonic]

I went to an orthopedist today about my wrist.  Still no answers.  They took more x-rays, they felt around my wrist and hand for a while, and told me all the same things the first hand specialist had said.  "The x-rays show no bone damage, and your pain is not consistent with any injury."  It hurts like a motherfucker if I try to put weight on my wrist, or bend it backwards, but those are the ONLY things that cause it to hurt.  The doctor poked and prodded my wrist in every way he could, and nothing else made it hurt.  The idea is that if it is ligament damage, it would be sensitive or tender to that pressure, too, but it wasn't.  So this doctor, like all the others before him, gave up and sent me on my way with nothing but another bill.  I did get referred to another hand specialist for MRIs, but that'll have to wait until I get back from Montana and Wyoming, so my appointment is June 29th, and that's probably just an initial consultation rather than an actual MRI that day...but I'm hopeful that they can do it all in one visit.  I'm just so frustrated about all this, and I'm so tired of not having good use of my dominant hand.

 

I've started looking at car lots nearby.  There are about a zillion dealers within a mile of my place, so I just walked to a couple of them yesterday.  I talked to a salesman at the Kia lot for a while, but I wasn't impressed with what he showed me, and the more I let that visit sink in, the more offended I feel that this guy tried to show me SUV's when the first thing I said to him is "I want a little car with great mileage."  Nothing he showed me got better than 26mpg in the city, and I'd be doing mostly city driving, so I'm going to need something better than that.  Seriously, who in the world thinks that 26mpg is good mileage?  My first car got close to 40mpg.  I loved my shitty little Corsica, but they don't make them anymore.  And it wasn't a great car, really (the brakes constantly failed), but it was the devil I knew.  Having done very little research, my first choice is a Honda Insight.  This is mostly based on the fact that other people I know who HAVE done lots of research have chosen that car.  It's a hybrid and I have driven one before, which I loved.  I love all the Hondas I've driven, actually, so I'd be really happy to get one of those.  The question is how affordable will it be.  And what does the sticker price really mean, anyway?  When I bought my Grand Am, it had all of 7 miles on it, and I paid less than half of the sticker price.  It was over $21,000, and I paid cash and got it for $10,455.  I don't expect to have that kind of luck again, but I do know that paying in full up front is worth a hell of a discount.  I also know that being a girl means I'm more likely to get ripped off, or at the very least, disrespected at the dealership.  I need to be better about speaking my mind and standing up for myself there.  It's just so hard not to be super polite, because salesmen are always super polite.  But I need to remember that they're just being phony and my politeness could end up costing thousands of dollars.  

 

On the job front, I have two interviews this week.  Both are promising, but I have a strong preference for one job over the other.  Of course, that's the one with the slower hiring process.  But I can be patient.  For a little while.

Comments

[zekejojo.livejournal.com]

I had tendonitis in my wrist for a while. I couldn't reach back to put on a seatbelt or turn a doorknob. I also have a ganglion cyst in that wrist. It still acts up sometimes if I've used the mouse too much at work, but generally some Aleve and rest takes care of it for me. I hope they figure yours out soon!

[pinkhorizons.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, the insight looked like a pretty sweet little car. I think I got my car for a bit below the invoice cost... I had this data printout through my insurance company that showed what other people had paid in the past 12 months, and exactly what the dealer incentives were on the car too, which gave me some idea of how much lower than the invoice they would go... unless they really want to get rid of it!

I just looked, they don't have any info on the 2011 Insight available :( Maybe a few hundred to a thousand below invoice is a good starting point? I liked having that info, because then I knew I was getting a good deal on the car, and I didn't have to be any meaner than, "I want this car for this price. I will buy it from you if you can do this price. I know you can do it because you've done it before." Oh watch out for dealer "fees" too; when I called around, some of them charged double the processing fees and such. Sneaky.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

Re: sticker price: Not to be a total shill, but we bought our newer car at Carmax, where the price on the windshield is the price you pay. I hate haggling so, so much (it's the worst thing in the entire world), so I was happy to do that.

I don't know if this is typical, though.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

Just checked Carmax -- all the Insights are more expensive there than they were at the dealer. (I've pretty much decided on that car, but of course Z gets a vote.)

[passive-passion.livejournal.com]

Insight! My boyfriend has that car--it's great. Very good gas mileage, lots of space for hauling things (including his 2 mid-to-large size dogs, or a crapload of IKEA furniture), and sturdy enough for long drives around the Lone Star State, as we've done on more than one occasion. I think it's a good choice!

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

Yeah it's definitely my top choice. Whether or not I can afford it depends on whether or not I get the fancy job I'm going for. So wish me luck :) (Then again, don't need it if I don't get the job.)

car buying

[(Anonymous)]

1) do your research -- edmunds.com and other sites. Know exactly what you want and what you're willing to pay.
2) don't go to the dealer as a walk-in. Call the Sales Manager, ask for the names of the three top salespeople. Make an appointment with one of them. Otherwise, the first sales person to greet you "owns" you; that may be the one who was selling refrigerators last week and will be selling groceries next week.
you want an experienced and successful sales person for many reasons -- not the least of which is that to keep up a reputation and assure your future business, the sales person will exercise any pull necessary to get you the best service deal when thats necessary. That's just part of why longevity at the dealership is important for the salesperson from the customer's viewpoint.
3) go to buy towards/at/just after the last weekend of the month. They work on monthly quotas -- May sales month may end on the 31st but might go on to June 5th. Find out! (It may differ from one dealership to the next.) The salesperson may give a little more to make his/her assigned quota; the dealership's sales manager may do the same to make the dealership's quota. The best deals are available, of course, when the dealership and salesperson have the most incentive to deal.

And yes, I took a class to learn all that.

Best of luck!

-- Kevin