Page 124 of A Light in the Dark
Ouch. My wallet—or Joel’s—would be crying. “Can you pop the trunk for me?”
The woman smiled. “I will return with the keys in a moment. Would you like to take it on a test drive?”
“Only around the parking lot to get a feel for it. I have a headache and won’t be driving anything more than that tonight. But a trip around the parking lot will be sufficient for my needs.”
I had a few simple criteria, which involved liking how my ass felt in the seat, my ability to peer over the steering wheel, and confidence I could reach the gas and brake without issue. While I could handle driving Joel’s SUV, I preferred being a little closer to the ground.
While waiting for the woman to return, I prowled around the car again.
Joel joined me, caught me licking my lips, and laughed. “That is not one of the colors you wanted.”
“I didn’t know cars came in this color,” I confessed. “Someone is getting the keys so I can putter around the parking lot to see if I like her. She’s one eighty. I am concerned I’m about to spend an offensive amount on a car, Joel.”
“I can afford one eighty, but I’ll have to wire the funds to the dealership, which means we won’t be able to finalize the sale until later unless my bank happens to be open and theyaccept confirmations. I don’t know if this dealership does. I haven’t bought from here before.”
“I’ve noticed a significant lack of SUVs on this lot.”
“This brand specializes in luxury family and sports cars. This is one of the luxury executive models, basically meant for frou-frou business people who want to drive themselves and their families around in comfort. This is a good car, though. You should like it, and it has plenty under the hood to deal with our hills.”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t buy this car, Joel?”
“I can’t think of any. As long as you like how it handles, it’s a good vehicle, and this brand has an excellent reputation for reliability.”
The woman returned, and she handed me a fob, taking a moment to explain what each button did. At her encouragement, I popped the trunk to have a look inside. It had more room than I expected, and it included a mesh barricade to help keep things separated. I pointed at it. “Does that come with the car?”
“Yes, ma’am. There’s also a fire extinguisher for the cabin and one for the trunk, but we keep those stored inside. The cabin extinguisher has a special spot underneath the driver seat for easy access.”
I stared at Joel with wide eyes. “But why?”
“People like modifying these cars to be sportier, and once you start plugging in some of those add-ons, the risk of fire becomes real. It’s always good to have an extinguisher. Is there a window breaking kit?”
“We sell a kit, but it’s not included, sir.”
“I’ll go shop for accessories for your new baby, Valerie. Go on a test drive, and don’t limit yourself to the parking lot.You’ll be fine to go around the block even with your headache. If you don’t feel comfortable driving, just pull over and let the nice lady take over. If you buy it and we can drive it home tonight, you’re fine to drive. Don’t fret. I’ll follow you, and if you become uncomfortable, I’ll phone a friend to drive my SUV home and I’ll drive your car.”
I could work with that. “Okay. Hi. I’m Valerie, and I really like this car.”
The woman smiled. “I’m Jinny. Pleased to meet you. Is this your first time buying a car?”
“It really is. I’ve never needed to have one before now, and I can’t steal Joel’s all the time, so I need to become independent and drive myself around as needed. Honestly, I could have gotten the cheapest car on some lot, but if I’m going to take the dive, I want to be fancy and get something I want to keep for years.”
“Will you be financing or leasing?”
“We’ll be paying in cash, probably by wire.”
Jinny’s expression brightened. “We have wire confirmation access with most banks, so if you’re paying in cash, you’ll be able to drive off the lot tonight if you’re willing to wait two hours for the service department to finish preparing her.”
“I can wait two hours,” I confirmed before unlocking the car and getting behind the wheel. The woman took the front passenger seat, and Joel abandoned me to go shopping inside the dealership. “Here’s what I need to know about this car. How much will she cost to fill her tank? Is her mileage tolerable? Can she romp around other city-states without running into any issues?”
“She’ll cost you about a hundred to fill at most stations.She uses premium gas. The cheap gas will clog your engine and make a mess of your day. Her mileage is on the upper end of average, and if you drive her in her economy mode, she gets excellent mileage. She has three modes: economy, normal, and sport.” The woman showed me the buttons and took a few minutes to explain the differences in how the car performed. “If you’re doing city driving on the hills, you want to be in economy mode. The car will have a preference for keeping in the lower gears, which is better for the hills. I honestly recommend either sticking to economy mode or sport mode. Normal mode is boring and doesn’t perform well enough to justify the extra gas. But it’s there for people who want a little sportier driving without going full sport mode. As for emissions, she will pass emissions testing by default in all city-states for the next three years, after which she will need to be tested every two years.”
I smiled at that, and I pointed at the navigation panel before digging my phone out of my purse and holding it up. “Is that compatible with this?”
“It is, and we sell the cable you need to plug the phone in. This carcanwork with your phone wirelessly, but I recommend being plugged in. That will spare your phone’s battery.”
“Excellent. Is this one of those cars that can switch from manual to automatic transmissions?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. We also offer complimentary lessons for those who are new to manuals.”
