And the Winner is…..(not quite the conclusion, so this is part three)

I have news, news, news and a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s hop to it. First order of business, I am ready to announce the name of the company I will be blogging for very soon.  Ready?  (Drum roll please……..)

Probably J-Hud and I will be besties now.

Weight Watchers!  They have a “featured contributing blogger” section, and I will be posting 2-3 times a week.  The format will be very similar to this blog, just substitute cliff hanging stories about my Weight Watchers experience (I’m totally serious).  I am the first blogger to write as I am going through the program (most people have already hit their goal weight), so it will feel like you have a friend going to WW with you, learning the program, making mistakes, and (hopefully) getting things right. I am down a little over 18 pounds since my post about not fitting in my symphony gowns, so I can tell you–WW works.  And yeah, I call it WW because I’m not typing that name out every time.  Please add it to your at home glossary, and make a flash card.  This will be on the midterm.

So what does this development mean for My Own Space? Is this my last pot?  Are my days of blogging for free over now that I am dieting for dollars?  The answer is…..what, are you nuts?  Do you really think I would give up this blog?  Every one please sit down at your desks and pull your textbooks back out.  Class is not over.  In fact, not only will this essential font of daily information continue, but I will be able to link this blog to my WW blog, so you guys can read BOTH if you so choose to.  As I just said to Rob, you guys are probably like, “read MORE blogs?”  I know.  It is extra credit only and we will file it under “health class”.  No, it can not count as your P.E. credit so don’t ask (unless you read while on an elliptical). The good news is this blog will continue,  with one less post a week.  I’ll do 2-3 posts a week here until I have things under control over at WW and can go back up to my normal amount.  Special thanks to my friend Pauline for the WW hookup, she is also a blogger for WW and you can check out her blog here (she specializes in how to do WW while traveling):

http://community.weightwatchers.com/Blogs/UserBlog.aspx?blogID=1008520

Okay!  Now, for David Cleveland’s sake, I will wrap up my And the Winner is… story.  This is David’s idea of story telling heaven…used cars, frugality, AMC huts….let’s not torture him another minute.  It’s about to get really good.  Everybody grab a healthy snack (I’m having gum) because we are going long. If you missed the first two posts of this earth shattering story, go here.

We’d left Vinny the Volvo creep and were heading up to check out an astounding deal I’d heard about in Cortland.

The role of Fast-talking-Jimmy will be played by my look-alike agent, Craig.

Subaru 2010 Forester with 2,700 miles.  Note.  Not 27,000 miles, 2,700 miles.  As Lisa said on the way, “Who only drives their car 2,700 miles in 2 years?  I mean, what’s wrong with it?  Jonathan thinks it’s been repossessed.”  Honestly, I didn’t give a hoot what the story was, I was in the zone.  I could smell a deal and I wanted it.  I zoomed up to Cortland Manor and met up with the guy who’d told me about the car, Fast-talking-Jimmy.  Fast-talking-Jimmy is a nice and well dressed guy, friendly, and, well, fast talking.  Not in a slick way, but in a I’m kind of nervous way.  Physically he immediately reminded me of my agent, Craig, so I wanted to ask him if he thought I needed new headshots, and if Broadway had called with a job.  I refrained.  FTJ (Fast-talking-Jimmy) greeted Lisa (they were old pals since she’d bought a car from him a few weeks ago.  We left Lisa and Beatrix at his desk drinking hot chocolate, while Charlotte and I went off to find the magical low mileage Subaru.  We took out a 2009  Outback because we had to drive to an auxiliary lot to find the Forester.  And by auxiliary lot I mean creepyville USA.  By this point it was dark outside and after a lengthy search through a graveyard of high mileage trade ins, (Charlotte had changed to flats, so it wasn’t so treacherous, but it was very cold), we finally located the car.  It was silver with a black interior–nothing flashy–just a very basic Subaru.  It did have one very interesting feature, though.

Jumping a car in a car dealership. An omen of future problems or a good negotiating tool to get a great car for next to nothing?

It wouldn’t start.  I mean, at all.  As in “click, click, click.”  FTJ was mortified, but quickly explained in 500 words (I will summarize).  Someone had left the interior light on.  I–always on the lookout for a deal–was still interested.  It’s like finding Prada shoes at T.J. Maxx.  Low hanging fruit.  I encouraged FTC, let’s jump that dead car.  FTJ found some jumper cables, hooked them up (any one else would have left by now, I know this, but I was very game) and we jumped the car.  Nothing.  I hopped in the Outback and revved the engine.  Nothing.  Finally, the lights came on and the car gave a pathetic attempt at a start and then died again.  By this point, FTJ was almost crying.  We left.  On the way back, FTJ tried to sell me the car we were driving in–which was nothing like a vehicle I wanted–but I was so desperate to get the deal done I considered it.  Also (weirdly) Charlotte and Beatrix were in love with the Outback and asked repeatedly if we could buy it.  More miles than I wanted, older than I wanted, a really ugly color, very long, bad gas mileage but it is a great car with a lot of power.  I seriously thought about it.

Then it dawned on me.

I had the perfect negotiating tool right in front of me.  FTJ was mortified about that dead Forester.  All it needed was a new battery and they would sell it in a New York Minute (another one of my dad’s phrases, to go with “you can’t beat that with a stick” and “we’re gonna make a million”).  I had the deal of the century staring me in the eye.

“You know, I came out here for that Forester.  I’m disappointed.  I thought I would go home with it.  I like those low miles…..although I am a little suspicious about why no one drove the car.”

FTJ was all over it.  He leaped from his chair and ran to get the car facts sheet.  He talked to his manager.  he came over and said. “Here’s the deal on that car.  It came in yesterday and was from a person who’d bought it and then went into a nursing home.  It’s been sitting in a garage for over a year.  My mechanics can have it cleaned up and as good as new by Tuesday if you’d like to come back for it.  Obviously I will knock some money off the price because I am so embarrassed you saw the car that way.”

Bingo.

In about 10 minutes we had a deal that made the manager furious.  Well, okay he was annoyed.  He wasn’t actually furious until I requested they install leather and match an insanely low price Lisa had been given at the very same dealership.  I left a refundable deposit (I hadn’t driven the car yet) and we left.

But.

The carfaxs paperwork on the car revealed that car had actually had two owners and the battery had been replaced at 172 miles.  Suddenly things started to bother me.  They didn’t add up.  Why 2 owners and so low miles?  Why wouldn’t the car START after an extensive session with jumper cables?  I was smelling citrus.  This car might be a lemon. I went home, meditated on it, and realized I was:

a) Genuinely nervous about this car.  Sometimes a deal IS to good to be true.  What if it was a car that had been stuck in the nearby flood and this was just the beginning of the problems?  (A very real issue around here because of Hurricane Irene).

b)  If I was very quiet and honest, I liked The Honda CRV.

The next morning, Rob and I jumped in the car and drove a Honda CRV.  We agreed that we liked the car, and if I

Subarus are “all weather vehicles” but this might be a problem.

could find a good deal on one we should consider it.  We were not ruling out the fantastic deal on the nursing home/flood car  Subaru, though.  Just adding in other options.

Okay, look.  I am at 1,500 words and the truth is, I still have more to tell in this story.  I can’t rush it because the final chapter is the best of all.  I think what we are going to have to do is end this one here, publish a SMASH fact or fiction?  tomorrow, a video post with Jacob on Friday and then finish this up on Monday.

David, if you call me I will tell you the rest of the story live.  For everyone else…….we’ll finish up Monday.  Will we buy the flood car?  Will we buy a CRV?  How does a minivan fit in the picture?  Who went to the emergency room?

All this and more coming up on Monday.

(For the next post in this series, go here!)

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