After eight and one half years with her signature yellow beetle, Kathleen was at a crossroads. The yellow one had a fever, needed an alternator, drive belt, and something called an oil valve cap. The laser blue bug beckoned and the deal was done. Well, not quite.Carol Jean, one of the few floorwalkers ever to take seriously a short, older woman looking at cars, was most helpful and found just the right package. That's Carol Jean in the photos with a very happy Kathleen. Then, in a scene reminiscent of the closing room in the movie Fargo, Stan and Kathleen were ushered into a small chamber with a business manager, to get a high pressure pitch.
Many cars are made from fiber nowadays so they just don’t rust. (This one is "guaranteed" not to rust for 12 years. Could just as well have been "until hell freezes over.") So the modern day equivalent of the old rust proofing pitch is a portfolio of polymer products they can spray on windshields and bodies and whatever for hundreds of impulsive, last-minute dollars. The terms "Lloyds of London", "3M" and "safety" are sprinkled liberally throughout the lecture.What we actually wanted was an extension on the 4-year warranty. That is exactly what we got, after Stan whacked Wm. H. Macy upside the head and retook control of the room. Bill apologized, meekly promised to rethink his pitch, shook his head and sighed relief when we left. (Photo not available.)
We’re very happy with our deal. The car has a bigger engine, gets better mileage and has a sunroof, yet we paid the same price as we did eight years ago for the original yellow one. Now Kathleen is back in action and we’ll give these shiny new wheels a 1,200 mile test on I-94 all the way to the Rolfsrud Reunion and back.
