noun
- something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot: It is always his fate to be left behind.
- the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time: Fate decreed that they would never meet again.
- that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny: Death is our ineluctable fate.
- a prophetic declaration of what must be: The oracle pronounced their fate.
- death, destruction, or ruin.
So, as the title suggests, Matt and I bought our new family vehicle on Sunday. I was pretty excited about it because we ended up going with the one I originally wanted rather than his preference, and it was HIS decision to do so. Originally, he wanted to go with the Prius V but after test driving it, decided it wasn't the car for us. I wanted to go with the Jetta Sportwagon TDI and, after test driving it, he decided he couldn't live without it. I really wasn't involved other than to make suggestions, as it was his car that was being traded in. Yes, I kicked in 1/2 the money for the new car, but ultimately, we were getting rid of his Jeep so it really needed to be something that he liked since he was the one who would ultimately be carless.
Now, we got the car I wanted. Why, you ask, did I start this post with the definition of fate? Because, friends, I'm beginning to think that, while I wanted this particular car, the universe may have other plans for us. First off, the car we wanted is pretty much impossible to lay hands on. Why? I don't know. But I'm not saying that we couldn't get the color or the features we wanted. I'm saying that we couldn't even find someone who could get us that car. True, we wanted the TDI (which is the diesel engine) and we wanted it with a manual transmission, but we are buying new so why should this be such an issue? I still don't know. Pa Rehbein had convinced us to go with the premium package because we'd have the car for so long that it would help keep it fun for us, but that turned out to be absolutely impossible to find. Anywere. Not in GA. Not in FL. Not in NC. Not in VA or DC or MD or PA. Nowhere. That, in and of itself, is very bizarre to me, but I have heard of people flying to TX to get a car that they want so I didn't think the universe had aligned against us at that point. After about two weeks of looking, Matt found a dealer in VA who was able to get us a more basic model, which was more than anyone anywhere else was able to do so we decided to go see it on Sunday.
Sunday rolled around, we looked at the car, and Matt decided that we might as well just buy it because he was sure it was the one he wanted and there don't seem to be any others available. We were at the dealer, having agreed upon numbers and completed signing paperwork, waiting to meeting the the Financial Manager to discuss some last minute details when the power went out. On the entire street. That was annoying, but it happens from time to time so it wasn't a huge deal. We waited for a bit while the salesman rushed about around us; we figured he was trying to figure out a way for us to complete everything without a computer. Oh, how wrong we were. About an hour after the power went out, the salesman came back in and said there was a "small" problem with the car. Huh? We JUST saw it. Not one like it but THE car itself. What could have happened between then and now? As it turns out, they had brought the car over from the lot where they had it stored to get it cleaned up and ready for us to drive away. They were pulling it into the clean up area when the lights went out... and they backed it into a wall. <sigh> The only one available on the entire East coast was just backed into a wall practically before our eyes. Needless to say, we could not drive the car away that day.
"What does this have to do with fate?" you might ask. As more and more things happened to keep us from getting the car we wanted, I started to think that maybe the universe was aligned against us to get that stupid car. I told Matt about my thoughts on the Peace Corps and how many hurdles and hoops I had to jump through to get in, let alone to find a place to live, only to end up getting unceremoniously ejected 1/2 way through my service. I told him that I felt like maybe I was never meant to go in the first place. He reminded me that, if I hadn't ever gone, I wouldn't have ever met him, wouldn't be having this baby, wouldn't be starting this new family. So I guess, in the end, even though it seemed like fate was aligned against me with that, it was a good place for me to be. I hope it's the same with this car. :)
Now, we got the car I wanted. Why, you ask, did I start this post with the definition of fate? Because, friends, I'm beginning to think that, while I wanted this particular car, the universe may have other plans for us. First off, the car we wanted is pretty much impossible to lay hands on. Why? I don't know. But I'm not saying that we couldn't get the color or the features we wanted. I'm saying that we couldn't even find someone who could get us that car. True, we wanted the TDI (which is the diesel engine) and we wanted it with a manual transmission, but we are buying new so why should this be such an issue? I still don't know. Pa Rehbein had convinced us to go with the premium package because we'd have the car for so long that it would help keep it fun for us, but that turned out to be absolutely impossible to find. Anywere. Not in GA. Not in FL. Not in NC. Not in VA or DC or MD or PA. Nowhere. That, in and of itself, is very bizarre to me, but I have heard of people flying to TX to get a car that they want so I didn't think the universe had aligned against us at that point. After about two weeks of looking, Matt found a dealer in VA who was able to get us a more basic model, which was more than anyone anywhere else was able to do so we decided to go see it on Sunday.
Sunday rolled around, we looked at the car, and Matt decided that we might as well just buy it because he was sure it was the one he wanted and there don't seem to be any others available. We were at the dealer, having agreed upon numbers and completed signing paperwork, waiting to meeting the the Financial Manager to discuss some last minute details when the power went out. On the entire street. That was annoying, but it happens from time to time so it wasn't a huge deal. We waited for a bit while the salesman rushed about around us; we figured he was trying to figure out a way for us to complete everything without a computer. Oh, how wrong we were. About an hour after the power went out, the salesman came back in and said there was a "small" problem with the car. Huh? We JUST saw it. Not one like it but THE car itself. What could have happened between then and now? As it turns out, they had brought the car over from the lot where they had it stored to get it cleaned up and ready for us to drive away. They were pulling it into the clean up area when the lights went out... and they backed it into a wall. <sigh> The only one available on the entire East coast was just backed into a wall practically before our eyes. Needless to say, we could not drive the car away that day.
"What does this have to do with fate?" you might ask. As more and more things happened to keep us from getting the car we wanted, I started to think that maybe the universe was aligned against us to get that stupid car. I told Matt about my thoughts on the Peace Corps and how many hurdles and hoops I had to jump through to get in, let alone to find a place to live, only to end up getting unceremoniously ejected 1/2 way through my service. I told him that I felt like maybe I was never meant to go in the first place. He reminded me that, if I hadn't ever gone, I wouldn't have ever met him, wouldn't be having this baby, wouldn't be starting this new family. So I guess, in the end, even though it seemed like fate was aligned against me with that, it was a good place for me to be. I hope it's the same with this car. :)
Do you like how I decided that the universe cares about what car we buy? Ha! A bit megalomaniacal, yes, but hey, that's me. :)
so what happened? are they gonna order you one?
ReplyDeleteApparently, if they order one for you, it can take more than 7 months to arrive. It's just so stupid. The damage was in the back on the tail light, the bumper and the back, non-bottom piece so they're just going to replace all that. It's not going to be registered as an accident on the vehicle, I guess, so it won't affect the value of the car. And it should not affect how the electronics work since it's the back. Matt handled it very gracefully; I did not. I was very very angry and upset about it.
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