I think everyone has a 'Dream Car'.
For some it's flashy and expensive. For some it's the muscle car from their youth. For others, it may be that convertible they always wanted.
My dream car is the one Tara drove in Sons of Anarchy. This little beauty.
I've also said I'd like a Charger or a Challenger, some day.
Unfortunately my bank account has different ideas, so I figured when the time came to buy a car, I'd settle on a Chevy Cruze.
I drove one as a rental a couple of years ago.
It was economical and didn't scream Mom-Mobile like my minivan did back in the 90's, so, yeah, I decided on the Cruze.
Last year, I saved and saved and saved ... then moved across the country.
When I left Nova Scotia, I gave my car to the daughter of a friend, so I've been walking or bussing it since I moved to BC.
When I was in Burnaby last summer, it was fine because busses and the skytrain were only minutes away, and there was always a bus arriving shortly.
Where I am now, while I have a bus stop right across the street from me, the frequency is ... every half hour. Every hour on the weekend. GAH!
I was definitely ready for a car.
So I saved and saved and saved again, and a couple of weeks ago, was finally ready to buy one.
After checking out a few dealerships, and one private sale I went down to a dealership on a Monday morning (after speaking to them on Friday and seeing a Cruze), cash in hand, ready to buy the car.
Unfortunately for the car buyer, if you're actually paying for the car and not financing it, the dealership won't make any money off you, so they may not be as flexible when dealing with you.
THIS is what I found at the dealership I was ready to purchase the Cruze from.
Because I was paying cash, they wouldn't budge on the sticker price.
What dealership doesn't budge on the sticker price?!?!?!?
One that's NOT going to make any money off you if you're not financing.
So ... since he wouldn't budge on price, and wanted to charge me the additional 'fees' and tax on top of it, with the exception of one sketchy fee, I walked.
And since he wouldn't make any money off me in the end, he let me walk.
And I was OK with that.
However at this point, I didn't want to look at another car or talk to another car salesperson.
I was DONE with spending $40 on Ubers to take me to dealerships. I was DONE dealing with sketchy private sales and I was DONE dealing with car salesmen and their sketchy fees who spoke to my son more than to me, the woman who was buying the car.
This was going to be a huge purchase for me, and I was starting to get anxiety over the bullshit involved in finding something I wanted, for what I could afford.
I did NOT want to finance a vehicle.
I work on contract and I never want to be in a position where my contract ends, I have car payments and NO new contract to begin.
I was not putting myself in that position, so I wanted to buy outright.
GAH! Not as easy as it sounds when going through a dealership.
Until ...
My son looked over at me in that car dealership parking lot and said, 'What about Canada Drives?'
Now I'm not going to lie. I'd seen the ads. I figured it was a scam.
My son had been helping me find a car and I hadn't even wanted to mention it to him, because I figured he'd tell me it was a scam.
How could you actually buy a car from the comfort of your home, without having to deal with a salesperson? Or fees. Or scams of some sort.
I was soon going to find out. We made the call.
The FIRST thing I will say is ... other than when my mother gave me her car when she was done with it, this was the EASIEST car buying experience I've EVER had!
Canada Drives really DOES make it THAT simple!
Perhaps my experience was a little different, because I didn't have to deal with financing, which they also do in-house, but here's how it went for me ...
After making the initial call, it was really as easy as going to their website and finding the car I wanted.
Having said that, if you're looking for a used car for under $8000 you probably won't find it here, as when you're setting the filter range, the minimum amount you can choose is $10,000, but it did show some in the $8-9000 range, which is what I was looking for.
I scrolled through the cars, looking for a Cruze.
I found one. It was burnt orange.
Well, burnt orange wasn't exactly the colour I was going for, but at least it wasn't silver or grey, something I did NOT want.
So I thought I had found my car.
'There', I thought. 'DONE!'
Then, for whatever reason, I scrolled a little further, and I saw her.
A black Dodge Avenger.
Well now!
Immediately my heart went, 'MINE! MINE! MINE?'
I looked at the price. Same as the Cruze.
Hmmmm. What to do?!?!?!
I checked out the car report. It was good.
I was determined I was getting a Cruze, but ... this little Avenger was like a baby version of a challenger or charger. Sort of.
She definitely had my heart.
Then my brain went back to one of the Canada Drives policies ... If you don't like the vehicle, you can give it back within 7 days.
A 7 day test drive, if you will.
Alrighty then!
A black Dodge Avenger it is!
My thinking was, get the Avenger. If I didn't like it after driving it for 7 days, I'd give it back and get the Cruze instead.
It was then as easy as clicking the 'Start Process' button. Or whatever it was that it said.
I clicked it.
I chose my car and financing option, chose my delivery date (the next day), agreed to TOS, paid a $500 deposit and that was pretty much it.
I then got a phone call from a Canada Drives representative to verify everything I had chosen online.
They then sent me the purchase agreement, online.
I signed everything electronically and sent it back.
Easy as that, I had bought a new car ... from the comfort of my living room, wrapped in my blankie.
Well, it's a used car, but new to me!
The next step was insurance.
An insurance rep from Canada Drives called me the next morning and we had that set up in minutes, again signing all documents electronically online.
The only thing left to do was wait for the car, and spend the next 7 days driving it!
But then I rescheduled delivery.
It was scheduled to arrive in my driveway between 7-9PM the next evening.
But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see my new car for the first time in the daylight.
So I rescheduled to Friday morning.
Just after 11am, I got a phone call.
I looked out the window as I was answering and could see them across the street.
The big blue truck was HERE!!!!
My new (to me) car was HERE!!!!
They backed it out and we went over it inside and out.
We went over the paperwork.
I signed a few more things in person and gave them the bank draft.
They gave me the registration and insurance papers, and put my plates on for me, God luv 'em!
They took a video and a few pictures, then handed over the keys and a $25 Gas Card ...
... then I thanked them and then I drove her into my driveway!
I'm very happy to say, I've had my girl Gemma for almost two weeks.
She did NOT go back!
I know some people will think, 'How could you buy a car without even seeing it?!'
To me, that wasn't really a big deal. I saw it online. I read the car report.
As long as those were accurate, the way I looked at it is that I'd have 7 days to decide.
7 days of actually driving it.
I called her Gemma because she's sleek and Badass, just like THIS Gemma 💖.
And they even put snow tires on for me!
Which ... considering this, which arrived a couple of days later ... I'm glad they did lol.
So I tried this whole Canada Drives thing, and my honest impression ...
It was SO easy!
It was NOT a scam!
There really are NO hidden fees.
NO pushy salespeople!
You really DON'T have to leave your house!
VERY quick turnaround from first click to new car!
I absolutely LOVE my new (to me) car!
I would DEFINITELY recommend this company to anyone looking for a new vehicle.
While I tend to be the type of person who is skeptical, and expects a scam around most corners, the whole Canada Drives experience, for me, really WAS just as easy as it promised it would be.
Now if you'll excuse me ... it's time for Gemma and I to hit the road!
And since the Boy & Girlfriend already generously gifted me a GPS system for Christmas, I can (most times) even figure out where I'm going!
Merry Christmas to ME!
And Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to all of YOU also.
Now go buy a car!
K.
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