Dentistry

Went to the dentist today.  I'm one of those violently dentist-avoidant types who hides it well.  I've had a few really, REALLY bad dental experiences, and, as a result, I am on the brink of panic throughout the entire appointment.  I don't look like I'm freaking out, but trust me, I am.  On the inside.

Not really liking my new dentist situation.  It's an office with a number of dentists, and I've never had the same dentist twice.  The last one (pre-today) was pretty good--very Denzel-ish, calming, did a good job. 

The guy today?

Not so much.  Chattier, quicker, but the guy slammed so much Novocain into my face that it took almost five hours to get feeling back in my upper lip and cheek, and even now, it's a little off.  Even with the mega-dose of face-deadening chemicals, I was doing okay until I noticed that the guy assisting kept watching the dentist work, then shaking his head in apparent disapproval.  Actually "tutted" a couple of times.  What the hell am I supposed to do with that?  Put a stop to proceedings and demand to know what's gone wrong?

Now that the feeling has returned to my poor face, I'm finding that the filling work (resin) is quite rough.  Grabby, with sloppy spots between and over the two teeth.  I can get floss between the teeth, but it's very difficult.  I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I'm not too happy with the work.

Speaking of being unhappy with the work, the new car has a mechanical issue.  A software problem, actually.  When the car is cold, there's a heck of a clunk when downshifting at around 20 mph.  I did some research, and it turns out this is a known issue.  Well enough known that there's a standing service order out there on the problem.  Hubby called Brown's Hyundai in Manassas about the problem this morning and was told that the work would have been done for free six thousand miles ago, but not now.  He was also told that the warranty's "drive train" coverage doesn't actually include the transmission.  So, if we want it fixed, it's a hundred bucks. 

Nice.  In other words, you sold us a car you knew had this problem, you could have fixed it before putting it on the lot, but instead you chose to not fix it, to sell it to us with this pre-existing problem, and now you want 100 dollars for the repair.  That puts us solidly into "even if we do get it fixed, we won't take it to Brown's" territory.  Way to squander that good will, guys.  You've likely lost a new car sale two years or so down the line.

Trying to decide where to get a warehouse shopping membership.  Sam's Club is the cheapest, but that's not where we're going--we already have a problem with how little Walmart pays its workers and how lousy the benefits are, so why on earth would we go to Sam's Club?  Costco treats its employees like gold, good pay, great benefits, somewhat discounted gasoline, but  higher prices, crappy hours, and they don't take manufacturer's coupons.  BJ's is in the middle, prices-wise, accepts manufacturer's coupons, but is farther from home, doesn't provide for its employees nearly as well as Costco's (but better than Sam's), and is reputed to have a more limited inventory.  If anyone has any insight or experience, let me know.  Our temporary BJ's membership is about to expire.


Tomorrow, the lost autumn of diet and exercise idiocy ends.  Batteries are back in the stationary bike and I'm ready to go!

Me, with Novocain

Me, without Novocain

Not in a Thousand Years

Would I have expected this.  Wow.

After much agonizing, we decided that fixing the car just wasn't feasible.  It wasn't reasonable or realistic.  A 900 dollar repair that might not fix it, the possibility of a thousand-plus repair on top of that, and all for a fading, ten year old car that is a FLOOD SALVAGE.  No.

No, no.

Of course, with our credit as abysmal as it is (not for late payments or delinquencies--no, we're current and always have been, we've just got a lousy available credit to debt ratio), there's no way anyone would give us a car loan.  Heck, we tried to get one a year-and-a-half ago, when our credit was markedly better.  Facing a future without wheels, we called a local used car lot, Shannon Autos, and they said that, sure, they'll finance us with bad credit--if we put FIFTY PERCENT down. 

Rigghhht.  Like that's going to happen.  Thanks for exactly nothing, folks. Completely crestfallen, we started kicking around renting a car on weekends so we could do our shopping and errands.  We'd just do without during the week.

While looking over used cars online, I noticed on the Brown's Hyundai (Buy Happy!)dealership site (Brown is where we took the car to find out the module on the SRS was bad), they said, "Bad credit doesn't matter." Of course, my first thought was, "Oh, bull--it totally matters, don't say that."

It didn't matter.

We did a little phone tag, then drove down to the dealership with ZERO hope.  In fact, I kept saying to our boy, "This isn't going to happen, don't get psyched."  I intentionally went sans makeup so that, when they turned us down, I wouldn't wind up with tear streaks and mascara runs. 

How's that for pathetic?

We told them we wanted to keep it to under ten grand.  The nice young salesman showed us a number of cars, including a Saab, a couple of Fords, and a few Hyundais.  We were eying an ugly little Hyundai Accent (a 2007, I think), and thinking to ourselves, "It's just temporary."  Of course, at 8 grand (ten after all the fees and such), it's not so temporary.  He kept trying to edge us up just slightly, price-wise (not obnoxiously, mind you--very nice guy).  Then he showed us a 2009 Sonata.  He said (and he's right) that a lot of lenders balk at financing cars with high miles--this one had a little over 60,000, which is a little high for the year, but not devastating.  It's a nice silver/grey (same color as my old Mustang, pretty much), and is an automatic.  It also has an iPod port and CD changer.  Makes the hubby happy.  It was $11,214, which was a little higher than I thought we could afford with any comfort.  Certainly more than anyone was going to finance us for.  Like anyone was going to finance us at ALL, right?  So, of course, we test drove it, just to guarantee the sharpness of the pain when they eventually turned us down (which I was certain they would).  It drove quite nicely.

They sat us in the little cubicle and asked us questions.  Wrote things down.  Asked about the Sonata we were hoping to trade in.  Asked if it had a "clear title."  Then mentioned things that would make a title not-clear--like being a flood salvage.

Yeah.  Obviously, we were totally honest with him.  And that was that--they didn't want our car.  Period.  I thought that was it, since, without the trade we had only $500 as a down.  I actually picked up my iPad and started to stand.  But he kept talking.  So I sat back down.  He asked what we wanted our payment to look like.  He walked away.  Came back. Walked away again.  Asked for our insurance card.  Copied it.  Walked away. 

Then another guy came.  Very nice.  Wanted to talk about payments and terms.  Then left to talk to his "higher up" finance person.

All the while, I was convinced this wasn't going to happen.  No WAY it was going to happen.  Even as the terrifically nice woman in finance was printing out contracts, I was sure something was going to fall through.  Even as I was driving the car home, I was thinking, "They said they were letting us drive off the lot 'pending completion of the particulars.'  They can still take it back."

Well, that was Tuesday.  It's now very early Thursday morning.  I guess I can maybe relax a little.  Not a lot--it's a used car without a warranty, so I can't really relax.  But I can maybe sleep now.

The payment is going to wipe us out--no more jaunts and lazy shopping.  We can do it, but it's not going to be the happiest.  The lesson I'm hoping anyone reading gets out of this?  It can't hurt to try.  The worst they can do is say "no."  Yeah, that would have been pretty bad in our case, but we'd have survived.  So don't think your credit's too awful, don't decide not to give it a shot.  No, I'm not encouraging folks to rack up debt, but if you're stuck like we were, give it a try.  Someplace like Brown's might come along and surprise you. 



Hyundai old (right/blue) and new (left/silver)


Oh, and a quick "oh, hell, that can't be good" before I go--talked to my step-mother yesterday.  We chatted for a good hour.  During the chat, she asked me about my diet.  I said I was slipping up, but that my blood sugar was still good.  She said, "Well, you're father's developed quite a paunch . . . he says the doctor says it's just a cyst, and I'm going to believe him."  Oh, damn.  That doesn't sound at all good, does it?  I'll be talking to him today or tomorrow.  Not sure if I dare ask.