“It’s a Manual 5 Speed.”

I bought a car! Finally! Thanks to Scott Anderson of Heritage Mazda of Bel Air. He promised he’d find me a car. And he did just that.

He called me on Wednesday night all excited that he was sure he found the car for me. It was a 2006 White Mazda3. 15k. Sunroof. Power windows. In my price range. For a second, my heart fluttered. I just had a good feeling about this one. But then I asked the dreaded question, “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch.” Then he hesitated and said, “Well… It’s a manual 5 speed.”

I laughed for a moment and thought back to the first time we had driven down to Bel Air to check out what they had a week earlier. We looked at a 2007 Black Mazda3 that was also a Manual and decided to test drive it – even though it was WAY out of my price range. Well, my father had to test drive it because I don’t – well, didn’t – know how to drive stick. So of course, Scott and my dad had something to say about that, which mostly consisted of making fun of me. My dad was convinced I could learn. I wasn’t so sure.

In response to his “catch,” I said, “Well… I’d be willing to try to learn. We will come in tomorrow afternoon and look at the car.”

Scott was so confident that this was the car for me; he set up a time to meet with us the next day even though it was his day off – and meant taking a break from doing yard work for his mom. So around one the next day, we headed off for Bel Air again. Another hour in the car. But for some reason, I just had a good feeling about this trip. That it wasn’t going to be a waste of time, gas, and disappointment this time.

On the phone he told me that his manager was going to raise the price after we looked at the car if we didn’t buy it. Neither of them understood why it was so low – whether he only said that to push me to buy the car, I’m not sure. Anyway, when we got there, we didn’t immediately see it in the Mazda lot. Scott had pulled it into the Cadillac lot since that was where he was working that afternoon. Or just long enough to sell us the car.

The moment I laid eyes on it, I loved it. The inside was spotless – well, nearly spotless. For a used car it was perfect. And after today – Saturday – we were able to get rid of all the very small, very minor spots. The interior is beige. I originally wanted darker seats because it would show less dirt, but I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to keep the inside nice since my Mustang’s interior was also beige and remained spotless.

Front Interior

Back Interior

View Looking to the Front Seat

The outside was beautiful – with only a few minor scratches. Most in which we were able to buff out today. My dad and I also noticed a small dent on the frame of one of the back passenger doors. Though, it was only noticeable when the sun hit it in the right light.

My New Baby!

Side View

Back View

So I was excited to take it for a test drive. Well, I sat in the passenger seat, of course. My dad took it through Bel Air – through a small town, on a highway – just to test its “pep,” the “tightness,” and to make sure there was no “shake.” All words I’ve learned from my dad through our car shopping excursions. My dad said it road great. It was peppy. It was tight. And there was no shake.

Then it came time to decide. It wasn’t black – my first choice. White – my second choice – was awfully cute though. It had a sunroof – something I really wanted. It was manual – a scary thought – but something I always wanted to learn how to do. By buying a manual, it would certainly force me to learn.

So without a lot of hesitation, I said, “Yes!”

We went into the dealership from, sat down, and Scott brought us two bottles of “Dasani” water. Now came time to tell Scott what I wanted the car for. Despite the fact that he told me his manager thought the price was already set too low on the car – at $12,950 – I wanted him to come down another $200 to match a price at the Heritage Mazda of Owings Mills (even though the car had 15k more than this one). My leverage was that the one in Owings Mills was a year newer. Plus, my dad said that it was a perfect time to buy a car – at the end of the month – because they want to get as much of their inventory out as they can before the month ends.

Scott responded with, “Well, how about we take the dent on the passenger door out for free and leave the price where it is?”

I looked over and my dad and then back at Scott and said, “How about you lower the price and take the dent out for free.”

Scott smiled at me.

I grinned, shrugged innocently, and said, “Sorry, I drive a hard bargain.”

He said, “Let me go talk to my manager and see what we can do.”

He came back with a smile and said, “We will lower the price to $13,700 and take the ding out for free. Do we have a deal?”

I smiled and said, “Yes.”

He held his hand out and I allowed him to take mine. And from there it was a bunch of paperwork, plus the realization that I was going to be more or less broke after this purchase. Oh, and the apprehension of not even knowing how to drive a car that I spent nearly $14,000 on.

Scott let us take it home that night. Of course, dad drove it home. And that night, I started practicing over in the church parking lot. Bill came over and took me out. He’s extremely patient. A good teacher. An even better friend. It was only for a few hours though that we were out. I got frustrated and was ready to be done for the night. Let’s just say, I’m very familiar with what a burning clutch smell like.

We went out to Buffalo Wild Wings and met up with Sean, Dan, Steve, Steve’s  girlfriend – I can’t think of her name at the moment, and Nora, Bill’s ex-girlfriend. She’s not very fond of me, but that’s a whole story in itself. Well, after she sent me a Facebook message later that night, aka a whole long STORY, she might be okay with me now. Either way, I could care less. I’m just not really into the whole unnecessary “drama” thing. And boy, did she blow things way out of proportion last summer. But if she’s gotten over her jealousy and whatever tiff she had with me, then that’s a good thing.

Anyway, my dad took me out the next day – Friday – and I really started to get the hang of it. Really started to find where the clutch “grabs.” I even drove to my grandmother’s house, about 20 minutes away, and only stalled in traffic once.

Today went even better. I’m getting more comfortable. I think I’ll even be able to drive to work on Monday. I haven’t driven the car yet by myself. I’ve always had my dad in the passenger seat to coach me, but each time I get in the car, I’m more and more confident. I still manage to mess up the gears from time to time, but I even managed to not stall out on a hill! Very proud of myself for that one.

The stress that came along with buying a clutch – a car I didn’t know how to drive – is beginning to fade away. Now I’m starting to believe everyone when they say how much I’m going to love driving a stick. So I’m much, much more excited about my car today.

I woke up and my dad was out detailing it. We were supposed to do it together once I woke up, but he’s nearly as excited as I am. He couldn’t wait. So after he cleaned the car inside out, we drove to the Auto store – I can’t remember what it is called – and he bought some Bug & Tar remover to try and get a few more spots on my car out.

I was searching the isles for something I wanted, and other customers in the store were staring at me. I figured it was because they don’t normally see girls in an Auto store. But then I looked around and noticed there was another woman in the store plus two girl cashiers. I don’t know why they were staring. It made me uncomfortable.

I eventually found the bottle I was looking for after asking the cashier where it would be because I just couldn’t find it. So I bought some “Rain-X Original,” which is an agent you apply to the exterior of your car’s glass surfaces. It ultimately repels rain and reduces the adhesion of sleet and snow and improves wet weather driving visibility by a TON. Trust me. I applied it to all of my glass surfaces – windshields, side windows, and even the sunroof. In fact, the next time it rains, I’ll take a video of what it looks like, update this entry, and post it RIGHT HERE – well, right below here.

My mom just got home from working with my grandmother at the Curiosity Shoppe for the day and I’m pretty sure we are going to Five Guys tonight for dinner. I’m going to go get ready!