12/05/2001

Learning How to Negotiate

When did you first learn to haggle over prices to get the best deal? Probably not in school. Yet it's an important life skill we all need to acquire sometime, somehow. Richard Benton took the negotiating plunge (and learned a few unforgettable lessons) when he bought his first car.

My First Car
By Richard O. Benton

I had $125 in my pocket and this was the day. I had been driving my parents' 1947 Ford for a while, but they needed it. So I went car shopping. The used car dealer at the corner of New Park and Oakwood Avenues had a selection of cars. And right in the middle of this lot, all nice, shiny and kind of set off from the rest, was this beautiful 1950 Mercury. I said to myself, "this one is mine." It was black and curvy with a long, gleaming hood. And the chrome? Hot-cha! Chrome all over, to my mind! It had sleek lines, reminiscent of an old Hudson Hornet. Now THAT would be a car to have! Alas, not on my budget. That was just a dream.

"It has only 96,000 miles on it," the salesman said. "Good for years to come. Strong engine, nice cloth interior, three speed on the column. All those horses!"

He painted a glowing picture. The car would go very fast. I was in the Air Force then, stationed at Saratoga Springs in New York. I needed speed to get back and forth from the Radar Site to home on weekends. I didn't need to convince myself that this big baby was what I wanted. But the salesman was still talking—smooth yet anxious. At that age I wouldn't have guessed that the car had been on the lot for way too long, and that the salesman was looking at me in the same way he would favor a basted turkey at Thanksgiving. He wasn't drooling, but that would have completed the picture. To me, the car was beautiful, and I wanted it. It was all I could see just then. I would show people back home what a great deal I got.

"Yes sir, you can have this beautiful car for only $250. How's that for a bargain?" The salesman said this with a smile that wasn't quite a leer.

"Gosh, I only have $125. That's all I have. Guess I can't buy it after all." I started to leave.

"Wait a minute, young fella. Let me talk to the boss." He went into a little shack that seemed to have been constructed on this lot as an afterthought. Maybe it was just a place to get out of the rain. He was in there talking for a few minutes. I looked at the car I just lost, for want of money. I heard raised voices. Sounded like the salesman was going to bat for me.

Mister Nice Guy came out, gave me a big grin and said, "well, I convinced the boss that you are a nice young man and you should have the car. He'll let you have it for $150." That was a lot closer, but that's not what I had. I said, "sorry, I told you all I have is $125."

He looked at me and said, "look, what about taxes and... you know?"

"Well, if I can have the car for $125 including tax and all, I will buy it right now."

The salesman kept trying. "Can't you maybe borrow a little from somebody?"

"No, this is all I have."

"Look, I'll go in and tell the boss that you are down on your luck and you really need this car for your job. OK?"

"Sure, if that's what you want to do."

He left and went back inside. There was more arguing coming from inside. There was the salesman and someone in there I never saw. Funny how both voices sounded kind of alike. I was getting tired of hanging around.

Just then the salesman came out of the shack with a big beaming smile that didn't quite belie the piggish eyes, and said, "I convinced him. You just bought a car."

Hey, This was great. The car was mine! I drove to Wethersfield in Mom's car and stood in line until the paperwork was done. Then I picked up Mom, who got her first look at my new beauty as she dropped me off at the used car lot. I attached my new plates and drove away.

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This really happened. The car lasted five weeks. It was such a dog that I brought it back to the dealer and demanded my money back. Guess what? I got it.

Editor's Note: Richard Benton is a freelance writer living in Litchfield, CT. He has written one complete novel and is working on a second. He is a founding member of The Litchfield Writer's Guild and has recently associated with the Goshen Writer's Group.

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