Visionary

Continuing on the topic of credit, I have noticed that car salesmen place more emphasis on getting financing than just selling the car. Basically what they are saying is, “Well, let’s see if we can find a bank out there that thinks you can really afford this car.” Hey Earl, I wouldn’t be in here buying this car if I couldn’t afford it. I know my financial picture better than some guy on the phone looking at a faxed form. And then they come back and announce triumphantly that I qualified, as if they did me a favor. Why? Negotiations are over at this point; I guess they have a hard time hiding their glee that they are one step closer to getting this high-margin sale.

OK, story time form the storyteller. In 1999 I was laid off at my company in California. However, I was extremely fortunate that I was never out of work as I was able to transition into a temporary role back in Dallas, and then into an opportunity with a spin-off organization, also in Dallas. Because of the “layoff,” I did receive six months severance pay in addition to the pay from the new opportunities. It was a very stressful, but lucrative time.

By early 2000, a few months into my transitional assignment, my old ‘90 Honda Accord began a sharp decline in car health, prompting us to car shop. I really didn’t want to purchase a car yet largely because my job with the new company had not yet been made official. But, in our marriage my voice of conservatism is often counterbalanced by the voice of “engine parts are falling out of your crusty old car, tight wad.” So when we went car shopping our recent financial past was glowing, but the future was a little uncertain. One voice in our marriage felt we should buy new for the first time ever. The other voice agreed to this, but it would have to be another Honda, which would be well within our means.

After settling on a car, and price, the dealership finance guy went to work. He came back slightly dumbfounded. He just looked at me and said, “No one has a credit score that high. How old are you? 90?” Kara just smiled as if this were a victory for her voice.

Maybe I am a bit too conservative, but the job situation was not really stable, I knew our old minivan wouldn’t last too much longer and I suspected that with three daughters aged 9, 4 and 1 we might be at the front end of a long and costly string of expensive feminine vanity. (The job stabilized, but the van only lasted 2 more months and the vanity payments? Let’s just say I was a visionary.)

You can’t see that on a form.