I bought a different vehicle today. It's a Ford Maverick Lariat. I wasn't overly enthused with the color but
bought it anyway. The color is Alto Blue Metallic. I went to the dealer, which is about 45 minutes from me,
thinking it was a medium to slightly darker blue. When I saw it, it was very dark navy blue metal flake. You
pretty much have to be in the sunshine to see any blue or it looks black. The color is kind of like the Chicago
Bears jerseys, dark. I haven't bought a car since my 2013 Ford Edge and the buying experience has changed a
lot. When I bought my Edge I dealt with one person. Today I dealt with 3 people. Of course when the paperwork
got to me the price had gone up almost $8000. Part of that was our sales tax but other fees were added as well
as diamond ceramic coating on the body and the inside of the car. That was almost $2000. Another added expense
was an extended warranty for $4900. I told the sales person that I wasn't interested in either of those and then I had
to later argue with the sales manager over the same items. This was a used 2022 vehicle with less than 5000 miles on
it. It belonged to a salesman's father in-law. He had ordered a 2023 Maverick and when he found out how long he
was going to have to wait for it to be built and delivered he bought this 2022 to drive until his 2023 arrived. The third person I dealt with today was the person who prepared all the paperwork and I had to again say no to the ceramic coating and extended warranty (after he explained all the great reasons I should have both of them). With the paperwork done I was free to go home and will return tomorrow to cut them a check and pick up the vehicle. The little pickup had a tonneau cover over the pickup box and when I remarked that it "even had a tonneau cover on it" my sales person said, "about the tonneau cover the owner wants to keep that and have it installed on his new Maverick." The vehicle had just arrived when I saw it, I think I was the first person to see it. The salesman who's father in-law was the person who traded it in said he would put one on this vehicle for me for $400. I said that this seemed kind of crazy. Why take this cover off of this truck and then reinstall it on the guy's new truck. Can't I just buy the new cover for him and leave the one on the pickup I bought. He agreed to do that and my next statement was to my sales person that the only thing holding up the sale was the dealership agreeing to drop the price of the vehicle another $400 so I could pay for the tonneau cover. She went to talk to the sales manager and came back with an agreement to do that. So I own a Ford Maverick Lariat as of tomorrow. It hadn't even been cleaned up and inspected yet when I saw it. They'll do that this afternoon and tomorrow
morning before I pick it up. Actually, it was very clean already.