Many years ago, this freshly-off-the-boat grad student needed a car. I walked into a dealership in Phoenix and came out the proud owner of a yellow $2,000 Buick LeSabre. I drove this all-American V8 to LA a dozen times, always came back with its huge trunk packed with rice, soy-sauce, seasonings, bamboo leaves, wok, and whatever yearned by my fellow homesick Chinese school mates.
A decade or so passed, Detroit fell from grace and was supplanted by Toyota. I always kept a space in my heart for my LeSabre.
Then GM came up with a credit card that earn money toward the purchase of a new car. That gave us a few thousand dollars every several years: 15% to 20% off for a GM car. With additional lower insurance premium, I drove for much less than my foreign car loving co-workers. I was frequently amused to be the only American made sedan in the parking lot. I have driven Chevy, Buick, and, yes, another LeSabre. Not only they were cheaper, they were also as reliable as my neighbors’ Camries and Accords, just less sophisticated with cup-holder designs. No, I really never thought of spending money on a BMW, Mercedes, or Audi. A Porsche would cross my mind once in a while, but only briefly.
When I needed to retire the one both my kids learned to drive, I found over $3,000 credits on my GM card. Maybe I can slow down Detroit’s imminent collapse, for a micro-second or two? Or I can get that money out of the GM card while I still have a chance?
Several visits to the dealership later, I drove this one out with a price significantly less than MSRP and all my earned credits used. New car smell, money in the bank. Hmm, I like this economy.