Fresh off our most recent disappointment with Mr. Car, we headed to the Toyota dealer downtown to look at Corollas. Our initial entrance into the dealership was met with the same reaction that our previous two trips into car dealerships has been: no response. I suppose we don't dress like we have money, or my young looks make us appear less adult-like, but, for whatever reason, sales people are not eager to help us. After touring the inside, we went across the street to look at the used cars. No one over there offered to help us either. When we went back inside, we asked one guy that wasn't doing anything if we could take a test drive. He said he was with a customer, and immediately sat down at a desk where another salesman was helping a customer. Then another man came over, we mentioned which car we would like to test drive and he went off to "get the keys." He never came back. It was then that Hyper Boy came into our lives. More than likely he was purposefully sent over because he was inexperienced. Normally the car salesmen that I have dealt with are macho, overbearing, arrogant jerks that try to make you feel stupid while simultaneously trying to talk you into buying something. That was not the case for Hyper Boy.
Hyper Boy walked over (or should I say bounced? skipped?) with much energy and enthusiasm. He looked young and was dressed in something straight out of GQ. He immediately asked Prince E if he was Filipino, and when Prince responded affirmatively, HB said "Really??!!! Me too!!" (think sort of Valley Girl-ish). They exchanged pleasantries in Tagalog and off we went to look at the used car lot. He talked non-stop, but not in a smooth-talking salesman way. His manner of speaking was like someone on four large cups of coffee. He laughed after nearly everything he said, as if not believing his own B.S. at times. And he was really flinging the B.S. After the Prince mentioned we were getting married in the fall, HB told us that we would have the cutest babies, because his brother had married a girl that looked like me and they had really cute kids.
We decided to check out the new Corollas, so we headed over to a different lot. Prince commented that he liked the color of a Rav-4 parked in the lot. Turns out that was HB's dealer issued car. He would admit later that the cool new car was his main reason for liking the job. We went into the warehouse and looked at a bunch of Corollas. He talked so fast that I couldn't really keep anything he said straight. When he was talking about rebates or something, Prince E mentioned something about a deal at the Honda dealership. HB stated, "that is because they can't sell their cars." To which I actually responded, out loud, "Well, now you are full of it." HB laughed because he knew I was right. He was really making a hard-sell, saying he would do everything he could to give us a good deal. He even offered a $1000 off for a "Filipino discount," because "Filipinos are cool and I have to support my countrymen." He also stated that a lot of his customers were Filipino. It made me believe even more that he was intentionally sent over by the bosses to wait on us.
We test drove a very nice Corolla S, dark gray with black interior. During the test drive, we learned all about HB's apartment in Lakeview and that he can't really afford it on his salary. He even told me later exactly how much he made last year. I didn't believe him. Unless he spent all of his money on clothes. I think it was just a tactic to make us feel bad. I didn't.
After the test drive, HB showed us around the vehicle, pointing out the various features. It became fairly clear that he knew very little about cars. He did not seemed ashamed of it. When he popped the hood, he basically said "this is the inside of the car. Isn't it pretty?" (not in those words, but you get the idea). He said "this is where the wiper fluid goes." Prince E explained to him that he thought that was that brake fluid. HB said "I really don't know anything about cars. I can tell you all about the options and how much it costs, though!!!" Then he skipped around to the back to show me the trunk. He seemed relieved when I asked him an easy question about putting the rear seats down.
Despite all of his best efforts, Prince told him that we would not be buying a car today. He seemed disappointed. He took us inside to get our information. He then told us that the manager wanted to come over to say "good bye." Right. A stern, mean (but very short) man came over and said he wanted to put us in a car today and would knock off $1000. I am not sure if that was on top of the $1000 "Filipino discount," but we said no thank you and headed out for some ice cream instead.
