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suchmeagerinsight

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suchmeagerinsight

Tag Archives: new car

On Being Scammed

19 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by suchmeagerinsight in Trust

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

avoid scams, Bible, Birdie, buying a used car, foolishness, Kia Sephia, learning lessons the hard way, let's not get hasty, make a list, new car, scam, trust

Yesterday, I was scammed. This is a truly horrible feeling.
However, things could have been much worse. Here is the story.

We all know that my dear little Birdie, my very first car,
was totaled. So, on Sunday I was looking on Craig’s List for a new (albeit, used)
car. This is when I happened upon a little blue Kia Sephia. It had a nice
price, with relatively few miles, and no glaring problems. I had my dad look at
the ad, and then I called seller. Later that afternoon, I went to see the car
and gave it a test drive. I did not notice anything wrong with it, except that
it seemed like the brakes didn’t always want to work very well. Foolishly, I
failed to mention this to my father. It still seemed like a great car. We
bought it. On Monday, my dad picked it up and took it to the mechanic. This is
when we found out the brakes were indeed going bad. Additionally, we learned
that the car’s computer is completely dead. The mechanic fixed the brakes, but
not the computer. Therefore, the “check engine” light is always on and the fuel
gauge does not work. Fortunately, the car runs and shows no signs of breaking
down. So, the good news is: I have a new car! Yay!

Now, about the scam. 1) The problems with the car mean that
it was only worth half of what we paid. 2) The man told us he was selling the
car for his daughter and son-in-law. My dad checked: The people who own the
title are not related to the man who sold us the car. 3) The man also claimed
to be a notary public, so he notarized a Bill of Sale for us. His notary
license had actually expired. 4) The apartment building where we met the guy
was not actually where he lived. I have no idea where he really lives. 5) This
is the real kicker: The people who had owned the title to the car sold the car
to this guy just the day before for exactly what it was worth. They had no idea
he was going to turn around and sell the car for twice what he paid for it.

Seriously, I feel like an idiot. I was so anxious to have my
own car again that I just didn’t pay attention to what I needed in a car. I
didn’t inspect the little things (like how the stereo or the gear shift
worked), and I didn’t question the big things (like the brakes or the engine).
So, here’s my learned-the-hard-way advice about buying a used car.

  1. Make a very detailed list about what you need in
    your car. What can you absolutely not live without, like air conditioning or
    cruise control? What problems are inconsequential, like cosmetics or the number
    of seats? What things might cause problems that you might never consider
    becoming problems, like the engine or the brakes or the sparkplugs or anything?
    Get specific.
  2. Take your list with you whenever you decide to
    look at a car. Ask about each thing on your list. If you don’t get a straight
    answer, or if you get a bad answer, just walk away.
  3. If someone is asking for straight cash, WALK
    AWAY. Especially if someone denies a cashier’s check, this really should be a
    red flag.
  4. Give yourself options. Look at many different
    ads and make calls to several sellers before deciding which cars to look at.
    Find out exactly what is out there before making any decision.
  5. Don’t get hasty. There will always be people
    trying to grab up the “good deal” you are going after, but it is important to give
    yourself time to consider everything about your potential purchase. Remember,
    there will always be a good car waiting for you, so if someone else is trying
    to take one you aren’t 100% sure about: just let them have it.

There you have it, the highs and lows of my past few days. I
have learned a lot, and now I have a car to drive to work every day, but I will
definitely be looking up a few Bible verses about foolishness for the next few
days.

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On Camp and Car Wrecks

09 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by suchmeagerinsight in Changes, Trust

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blinded by panic, Camp Fire USA, car is totaled, car wrecks, day camp, edge of the road, Ephesians 3:20-21, God, Jesus, new car, panic, summer camp, tree

Well, this has been an interesting summer. So many crazy
things have happened that I don’t even want to begin discussing them right now.
However, I will recount the events of Tuesday evening for any of you who read
my sorely neglected blog. Hopefully this final debriefing will help me
thoroughly recover.

As most of you know, I am spending my summer days working as
the Activities Coordinator at a day camp I attended as a child. (I really love
this camp, by the way. It is a Camp Fire USA camp, and I have learned so many
things from Camp Fire and this camp that I am truly honored to finally be
employed there.) So, on Tuesday, I and the two camp directors were preparing
for a camp session that was to begin on Wednesday, and I left a little after
6:00 that evening. I drove my little Ford Escort, fondly known as Birdie, out
of camp and down the road toward the highway. A few moments down the road I reached down to scratch my leg (lame, right?) and felt my front passenger wheel
go off the edge of the road. I panicked (because I am good at that) and yanked
the wheel to the left. If I had calmed down right then I would have been fine,
but I had overcorrected into the other lane. There wasn’t anyone coming either
direction, but I was still scared, so I yanked the wheel to the right. That
time I really did go off the road. I bumped around for a few moments and then
ran into a tree. I was so blinded by panic that I couldn’t even see the tree,
so I really didn’t know what had happened until I got out of the car. Later, when
my dad asked me what happened, I told him that before I hit the tree it felt
like I was floating (like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, bumbling around
and such). When the car stopped I felt rather fluffy and fuzzy for a moment
until my brain caught up with my body and I could hear a roaring in my ears and
feel a burning pain in my left shoulder. My life did not flash before my eyes,
fortunately. After those few moments that I really do not understand or
remember, I remember just about everything (which really is odd for me). I won’t
go into detail because it gets boring, but I did manage to get out of the car
with no broken bones. After calling my mother, inspecting the damage, and
removing some of my belongings I walked back to camp. Luckily (I suppose?), I
had crashed right outside one of the camp entrances, so I didn’t have very far
to go back to the office. I gave the directors a good surprise when I walked in
quite dazed and a little too giggly given the circumstances.

So, after my adventures, I now have a sprained shoulder,
countless bruises (they are either very impressive or thoroughly disgusting,
depending on your point of view), and no car. That’s right, my little Birdie
was totaled. The windshield was smashed, front wheels pulled in different
directions, the passenger side was completely smashed in (if I had had anyone
riding with me, we would have needed an ambulance) with that window entirely gone,
and of course both air bags deployed. If we had tried really hard, everything
could have been repaired, but it would have cost two or three times what the
car itself cost. Therefore, I am currently on the lookout for a new car. Craigslist.com,
here I come! “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at
work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory
to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and
ever! Amen,” Ephesians 3:20-21 (NLT).

Now, do you remember when I mentioned that I was “blinded by
panic?” Well, I certainly was (blinded, I mean), and I have learned (the hard
way, obviously) that panic can blind us in all sorts of situations. Fear and
panic inhibits rational thinking and prevents us from making good choices.
Furthermore, panic occurs when we feel out of control. Then, rather than
letting God take control, we fight to regain control. This is a blatant
mistrust of God’s plan and power. Read Ephesians 3:20 again. See that part
about His power? His mighty power! Working in us! Now read verse 21 again.
Glory to God! My panic caused an accident, but God’s mighty power can fix that
accident. This is truly wonderful! But I still wish it hadn’t taken a tree to
teach me that.

Have you ever been blinded by panic? How did you find God’s power working in you and the situation?

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