Somewhere between the dreams of what we want and what we can afford lay
your next car purchase. The ads get you in, the salesman try to get you to buy,
but there is always the matter of price standing between you and driving your
new car. But more than price, for most of us it is the monthly payment, and how
we get to that number. Until the first payment it is like driving the car for
free, then the payments begin, and the time spent in our negotiations become
reality. Did we really get the best deal? Could I have gotten more off on the
price? Could the interest rate been lower? All things to consider, but when
buying our 1992 Ford Ranger I learned that not only price, but where you buy is
important.
Our old 1987 Escort was wearing out, bought as the price leader, it had no
options and served its purpose as basic transportation. When sold of course we
are told how great they are, and it was, but at trade in time the dealer acts as
if he is doing us favor taking it in trade. Low balling the Ranger, the trade
was low too, but the price seemed right, and the payments were affordable, so we
bought. Drove it home, and the nightmare began. To start with, pun intended,
every time it was put in reverse, it stalled. Amazing how much time we spend
going backward. Which was fixed after numerous trips to the service department,
it seems a wire connecting to the ECM was routed wrong, and when placed in
reverse was stretched just enough to pull away, they reseat after shifting out
of reverse. And all was well, then the phone call came...
“Bring the truck back, we cannot get you financed.” And the battle began.
In California on the contract, they can sell you a car hoping to finance you,
and if they cannot they get it back, and can charge for wear and tear. Or offer
you a higher interest rate, all of course after you have bragged and shown your
new car to everyone. They got you by the ego, and they had me for a moment.
Then the battle began, which got heated because they had already wholesaled my
trade in, and were offering an unusually high interest rate. Refusing to cave
in, our family attorney referred me to a motor vehicle attorney, yes they do
exist, and he handled it. One stern letter, and all was well, at least for me.
But not for the dealer, as it should be. It seems this dealer had made a habit
of doing this, taking trades, wholesaling them then charging a higher interest.
They also were not paying off the new vehicle they had floor planned right away,
making it hard to register because there is a lien on it. My ruthless attorney
had copied Ford, and the Attorney General with his letter, and they were about
to investigate. And it got down and dirty...these guys were crooks, plain and
simple, and in a carefully thought out and executed plan were making lots of
money selling other people’s trade ins for cash, delaying paying off their note
on the new car, and then holding customers hostage for a higher interest rate.
Until I complained...
Bottom line is I kept the truck, the interest rate stayed the same, the
dealer made the first few payments, and the state put them on notice, with the
threat of rescinding their dealership license. Ford also put them on notice,
and the General Manager threatened me, accusing me of trying to get him fired.
“I didn’t break the law, you did,” I told him, and my attorney placed the info
in my file. No further problems, we enjoyed the truck for 165,000 until a tree
stopped it one night, but a lesson was learned. I hope you can learn from it
too.
Peyton Manning when asked about retirement said “I will not make any
decision on emotion.” Something I have been telling my sons and myself for
years. Never make a decision on a high or low, never look back and say I wish I
had waited. Works with God too, as many are drawn into churches with promises
of prosperity. Health, wealth, and days of no problems ahead, just sign up with
Jesus, and all will be alright. And some do, and then the car won’t start. The
baby gets sick, you lose your job, or you buy a new car and have trouble with
it. “Wait a minute Lord, this isn’t what I signed up for? If you love me why
do these bad things happen to me?” And too many walk away, for what should have
been an affair of the spirit, was an affair of the heart, or a spur of the
moment decision. Which is why hospitals do not let people evangelize, who
doesn’t want to feel better when they are ill? Who won’t grasp at the last
straw when the doctors say there is no hope? But is God in it? Years ago I
visited a sister in law in the hospital. She was afraid of death, and being the
Christian in the family, I was invited to talk to her. As she opened up, I
shared the gospel, and she was responding. She wanted what Jesus had to offer,
and I was about to ask her to pray a prayer of salvation when God told me “NO!”
Stunned at first, but God, she wants to be saved. His answer was more telling,
“it will only be emotional for here, not spiritual. She wants the things of
God, not Jesus. Don’t pray with her, she will think she is saved but isn’t.”
So I didn’t, leaving the room knowing I had heard God’s voice, but a bit
confused. I had witnessed, I had shared Jesus, I had testified to his saving
power, but God showed me it was by his spirit we are healed, spiritually and
physically. We don’t save, there is no magic prayer of ceremony, it is between
him and us, one to one. Personally.
And I was to see what God meant a few months later when she gave her life
to the Lord for real. In my zealousness if I had not obeyed God she might have
thought she was saved, but no Jesus in her life. A lesson for all of us, only
the spirit saves, we don’t and in times of desperation, we turn to God only for
a moment, without any change of heart. But it is where the change begins, the
heart, then reflects on the outer man. Hastily made promises are expected when
buying a car, not when dealing with salvation. Salvation is simple and free,
and only available through Jesus Christ. No letters, no membership, no classes,
and no tithing involved. That is religion. Jesus cares about us, and loves us
as we are. He just doesn’t want to leave us that way.
So maybe salvation is easier than buying a new car. No financing, no
qualifying, we all have sinned and fallen short of him, and it can be done
anywhere. We sign contracts when purchasing a car, they have a start and finish
date. Jesus makes a covenant with us, a contract with no ending date, for
eternity has no end. Whether buying a car in 1992, 1996, 2001, 2003, or even
today, it pays to shop first, ask lots of questions and don’t rush into
anything. Salvation is something to not rush into, but don’t put it off
either. Ask questions, seek God, and let the spirit guide you, whether sharing
or on the receiving end. Today is the day of salvation for many. But only in
Christ, no matter how good the offer sounds. Don’t make any decisions based on
emotion, but seek the spirit while it can be found. You will know for sure when
you do, and the change inside will show on the outside. The best trade you will
ever make, your sin for his glory. And if you can find a deal for a car like
that, buy it. In God we trust, all others pay cash. Or finance. Only in Jesus
is the bill paid in full.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com