HOW I CHOSE A NEW CAR

Have you noticed that our streets are becoming more colorful? I decided to join this movement!

The lease on my Audi Q5 was coming to an end, and I had to make a decision. The natural choice would have been to lease another Audi Q5, which would cost about $56,000 before taxes, or keep my existing car, which has only 27,000 miles, and finance the remaining $32,000 through a bank at 5.375% interest over five years. But I started thinking: During the next five years, anything could happen to the car. If something went wrong, I would have to pay for the repairs out of my own pocket. That realization led me to explore other possibilities.

At my age, I no longer need a large, fancy SUV. I started looking for a smaller SUV with an attractive financing package, starting at 1.9% interest. That way, I could save money and enjoy the peace of mind of a manufacturer’s warranty. After all, this is the kind of practical thinking I have always recommended to my mortgage clients!

Not far from our office is a Kia dealership in Serramonte along with other dealerships in the area. I decided to take a look. When I entered the showroom, I saw a beautiful blue car with a sticker advertising 54 miles per gallon. It turned out to be a hybrid, which was exactly what I was looking for! It offered excellent fuel economy and required only regular 87-octane gasoline instead of the more expensive 92-octane fuel I use now. Since my wife already has an electric Smart car, getting another fully electric vehicle didn’t make much sense for us.

A hybrid seemed to be the perfect compromise. I looked at several beautiful cars in different colors, but blue is my favorite, so that made the decision easier. The car also came with an attractive financing package at 1.9%.

There is an old story about Henry Ford and the Model T. According to the famous saying, customers could have any color they wanted, as long as it was black. In fact, the Model T was available in several colors between 1908 and 1914 before Ford eventually standardized on black for production-efficiency reasons.

Fortunately, we have come a long way since then! Today, we can choose from all kinds of beautiful colors. And here is another interesting observation: despite what many people believe, red cars are not necessarily the most likely to attract a police officer’s attention. White cars are often reported as being among the most frequently stopped, although the number of cars of each color on the road also matters.

After choosing my new car, I agreed to leave it at the dealership and return later to pick it up. When I came back, I noticed a sign on the windshield. It said: VIP Manny Kagan SOLD. That was a nice way to welcome me back!

So, if you decide to follow my lead and visit the Kia dealership in Serramonte, ask for the same VIP treatment and a good financing deal. You can also ask for the manager, Ebrahim Rahimi.

I promised you a good story, and I hope you will enjoy the ride! Three images above show only some of the available colors.

Enjoy and share!