I'm doing a Lion King, here's Part 1 1/2

When I wrote Part 2, I was too tired to write all that happened in between Part 1 and Part 2 of my Truck Purchasing Drama. The story really didn't form until Hubby and I told it to Mom last weekend. So in tradition of the Lion King animated movies, here's what happened in between.

Being the geek that I am, I used the power of the internet in my truck search. Autotrader.com and Cars.com were my best friends. Even though most vehicles posted on their sites are 'teaser priced' to get you on the lot, at least you can get some competitive prices and negotiation power.
I expanded my search not just locally but 50 miles from my zip. This included southern ATL.

During the 1 1/2 weeks we were waiting on the Part 1 truck to be ready, I still continued the search to make sure we were getting the BEST deal, but not as aggressively as before. On Cars.com, there were several trucks in the ATL area that were still on my list but I hadn't pursued. After the ordeal in Part 1 on Tuesday, I upgraded my search again, but this time the selection was dimmer than before. I was told that used crew cab trucks are hard to find and there are many other buyers searching for them too. Even when they do come available, they do not last long.
I was not surprised, there are plenty trucks in the parking lot at work, at the grocers, and other shopping areas around here.

I became so discouraged that I began looking for SUVs, even though I knew we needed a truck. Hubby was starting day shift the next week and we needed to get something by the weekend. Earlier had mentioned to Hubby that there were a few trucks in the ATL on my list that I hadn't followed up on. He felt that ATL was too far away, we should be able to find a deal down here. But being the stubborn person I am, I could not delete them from my saved list until I at least checked them out. One was in Union City (Ford F-150) and the other in Decatur (GMC Sierra). I made contact with both.

The salesman in Union City was quick, cordial and eager for me to come take a look. The salesman in Decatur was cordial too, but seemed to move slow for me. I guess that's the no pressure demeanor for Saturn.

On Thursday, I had made arrangements to go to Union City, and also made informed the Saturn dealership (via email, his preference) that I wanted to see the Sierra while I was up there. Since I hadn't heard back from Saturn, Hubby suggested I called the General Sales Manager to try to get the ball moving. With only 11,000 miles for an '07, it was the best option we saw. It was time for me to pick up son from camp, so Hubby called for me. A few minutes later, before I could get situated in the car, Hubby called with arrangements to go see the Sierra truck first. So after picking up son and getting something to eat on the road, we were headed up I-75 to the ATL.

Now one major concern Hubby had was that the Prelude would overheat on the way, if we were caught in the most common traffic backups. I was not concerned, son and I had a prayer before we left for the Lord to get us there safely, without the car overheating. We were to drive the Sierra back home so hubby can check it out.
As I drove through the 90F degree heat, the Temp indicator rose steadily, but I kept my faith and drove on. With the indicator nearing the top, the Lord stepped in and provided us an afternoon rainshower. As it began the car temp cooled drastically. I drove on slowly knowing the Lord was getting us there, as we had prayed. The rain continued until we neared the bypass I-675, once there, the skies cleared and there was no heavy traffic. The temp needle rose again but we were almost to Decatur. We arrived not long later, having no problems.

After a test drive, loaner paperwork was done and we were on our way, except for a quick "breather" stop to see my cuz before the drive home. There was rain on the way home too, but not as heavy.

Friday morning, Hubby checked out the truck and we decided to move forward with the purchase. I spent the day trying to get all the financing and insurance taken care of with the credit union when Hubby called and said that Saturn wanted the financing and was willing to negotiate and get us a lower rate. But since we was no guarantee we would finance through them, we hurried to get a check from the CU before they closed. Thankfully, they were open later on Fridays.

Now to the big day, Saturday, we drove back up to the ATL with check in hand. We had prior given Saturn our financial info so they can get started with the credit approval. What really proves that the Lord had intervened two days earlier, this time we were in the usual traffic backups. That Prelude would have surely overheated leaving son and I stranded on the interstate.

Eventually we arrived and met with the GSM, different one than Hubby talked to Thursday, to discuss their financing offer and complete the deal. The original offer was not what we expected. The rate was lower, but with their add-ons the payment would have been higher. As Hubby and I discussed it, the GSM was giving us payment amounts with the individual options but not all. We said that we would just move forward with the credit union offer. To my surprise, he offered to match the CU payment and give us all the options and lower rate. We agreed and the deal was done. This shows it's great to have a backup plan in place when negotiating.

After the dust settled and I began to think about the search, I realized that truck had been on my list near the beginning. The Lord presented it to me, but we looked locally. We were not meant to have that truck in Part 1. I could see that then. We had worried that the Prelude would die in days and had not put our trust in the Lord to get us through.

This is another example in my life where by putting my faith in Him, He blessed us with not just what we needed, but also what we wanted. GMC Sierra is my favorite truck.