Das crazy

Minnie - still the most beautiful car I've ever seen!

Yesterday, I needed the oil changed in my car.  A normal, random errand that takes place several times a year.  Nothing really exciting, right... well, it all depends on how you look at it.

Remember back in April when my sweet husband bought me my dream car?  The one thing we never thought of was that my car is German.  It is not your average Chevy and will require maintenance from places that aren't your average places.  For years, we've taken our cars to a major retail store that sells everything under the sun at "everyday low prices" when we needed a simple oil change.  Pokey took his car there and was in and out in under an hour.  He drives a beautiful Chevy and this is what we're used to in life.  It never occurred to me that they wouldn't be able to do my car as well... but they couldn't because of the European synthetic oil and the special oil filter.  Huh, wouda thunk - as my PopPop would say.

Naturally, I called around to other major places that do simple oil changes and the average price, for the select few who had the items on hand, was around $200!  I was practically in tears.  What had I done - why was I being punished with such outlandish pricing simply because I was finally able to own my dream car!!  As a last ditch effort, I called the dealership.  Now, let me explain something first for those who do not know ~ the dealership is usually the last place you want to take your car because they are usually outlandishly expensive.  I mean astronomical pricing and hellacious wait times... and they always find something else wrong when you came in for something simple.  Trust me, this has always been the case... until now.

With all hope lost, I actually called my dealership.  The guy on the phone was very personable and I could get my car done, regularly $80, for half off because they have a coupon right now.  Holy wow, are you serious?  I had an appointment for 2:30 p.m. that day and was promised an hour's wait time.  Sign me up!!  I scooped up Hobbit early, just in case because it was cutting it too close for my comfort with her getting out of school, and we headed out.  They were quick in getting my keys and inspecting my car.  I knew I needed wiper blades and had forgotten to ask so I was prepared for that when they came back with their thoughts.  I was also told of a coupon that would allow me to not only get my oil changed but rotate and balance my tires, check/replace my wipers and some other stuff for just $12 more... sure, sounds good because I figured the wipers were about that anyway, right?  Actually no, they're just over $30 but I digress.

So we're in the waiting room and there are some interesting characters afoot.  A grandma who believes herself to be about 30 years younger than she truly is that kept picking scabs and scratching herself, being sure to get up and wipe the dead skin off the black leather chairs periodically and wander around the lounge barefoot.  A grandpa who knew his age and allowed said grandma to verbally beat him down every time he had an idea or made a suggestion/comment.  A father with two kids, one of whom ran around screaming (literally) and the other who licked (seriously, yeah) all the bagels on the snack counter.  The three of them managed to scarf down all of the complimentary donuts which is just as well because they inspected everything before making their selections.  These are the people who own my brand of car... I do not fit with these people.

The love of a Beetle can conquer all.. true story.

In my world, the people who own my car are quiet, nerdy folk with hipster glasses and sunshine dispositions.  They are fun and kind and respectful.  I fit in with the people in my world... the people who were in this dealership lounge were rude, gross and honestly made my stomach turn.  I kept telling myself that I would be out in hour but the truth of the matter was, I was out in three!  Was it truly worth saving over $100 while wasting over two hours of my life amongst scab picking, insult hurling, bagel licking folk?

Next time, I'll just drop it off and spend that time with the people in my world instead.