9. buying and selling cars + some initial F1 thoughts
mostly, venting about the patriarchy nonsense
I’m sitting here watching F1 qualifying in Bahrain. I’m trying not to get my hopes up for Alonso, but I would so love for him to do well this year, fighting for wins and podiums, if not even a championship?!
I also started Drive to Survive, I don’t think I can, nor want to, finish it. I hate the manufacturing of drama for the sake of drama. The out of order story-telling that doesn’t actually tell the whole story, only what Netflix or Liberty Media or whomever wants you to see. How drivers like Verstappen are vilified over and over again, which is no wonder that Max refused to participate in seasons past. Or how others have complained about the misrepresentations of what was shown vs. how the season actually went, for the actual people who lived and breathed it. This Economist article does a pretty good job of explaining that blurring of lines between fact and fiction.
Edit post-race: OMG ALONSO!
Let’s talk about something a bit more serious for a second, something I am still a little annoyed about a few days later.
As I mentioned last week, Mark and I have been looking for another Miata and/or “fun” car for us. The unfortunate part about this endeavor is the current Miata market is absolutely bonkers right now - beaters are going for silly numbers, and if you want a relatively low-mile (I.e., under 100k miles), be prepared to pay 2-3x what they were ~3 years ago. Hard top? Good luck.
So, we stopped by a dealership on Friday evening because the dealer had reached out re: a 2023 GR86, with a manual, that was actually on the lot.
The problem, and the cause of much of my frustration with dealerships and car people in general, is their treatment of females in this space. As a female, I am getting pretty darn tired of people being amazed that I can drive a manual transmission. And please, I am begging you, please do not look at my fiancé, or any male a female is with, and ask them, “wait, she can drive a manual?!”.
Sorry, what?
Yes, I, a female, can drive a manual transmission. It’s just crazy, I know.
Then, after that, to proceed and run us through the ringer for over 20 minutes, while you parade out every manager you have in the facility, only to tell us 30 minutes later, after I walked out, you have a $7k markup, which we had specifically said we are not interested in. And I know the market is weird right now, and I know pretty much every dealership is struggling for inventory, especially on these “special” vehicles, but come on.
Which reminds me of that time I went to test drive a Ducati Monster. While Mark had taken it out for a test ride, the sales guy looked over to me and tried to teach me, with no bike, how a shifter works on a motorcycle.
I bought the bike. But had a sister dealership do a dealer trade for me so I wouldn’t have to deal with that condescending attitude.
And I know they probably, hopefully, maybe weren’t doing it in a malicious way.
But, it’s 2023.
I want to ask why this is still a thing. Why am I treated any different at a dealership? Why, in any dealership I walk into, the sales person automatically directs all conversation to Mark like he’s my keeper? Why are you so surprised I can drive a manual transmission? Why are you so surprised I already own a motorcycle? But then I look at the world around us and well, yeah… unfortunately, I just don’t see it getting any better. And it’s not even the older generations that do it. It’s sales people that are younger than me, who probably don’t even know how to drive a manual transmission themselves.
So, yes, I can drive a manual. And while Mark did help me build my track-prepped Miata, I could have done it without him, but I chose to have him help me because it was more fun that way. A track-prepped Miata that I daily drove the hell out of, which was also, probably, my favorite car I have ever owned.
Then we went to sell the WRX to Carvana on Saturday. It was two females working, both of whom had no issues moving the WRX, which, has a manual. Who are these crazy alien women and what is wrong with them?
Side note: while we’re talking about Carvana, selling the WRX to Carvana was so insanely easy. We were in and out in less than 15 minutes, check in hand. They were professional, respectful, and went above and beyond to make the experience good for everyone. Contrast this experience to when Mark sold his Miata to Carmax. We were there for over an hour, and it was just such a massive headache.
And if we’re talking to you about potentially purchasing a vehicle and/or motorcycle, and you give me attitude and/or direct your conversation to my fiancé, I will not be doing business with you.
I know not all men are bad, nor people for that matter, but it’s exhausting sometimes, dealing with this. Wanting to stand up for myself in a dealership, yet being labeled as the “difficult” one. I already dealt with having to file sexual harassment claims at my previous employer - one against a colleague, the other against my boss. I don’t, also, want to deal with disrespectful (whether malicious or not) men at a dealership.
P.S. This post from
is a GREAT read on this subject; delving much deeper than I into this arguably decisive issue, specific in her case to the dating world, but still with many relevant points to this conversation.P.P.S. I am, fortunately, extremely lucky to have Mark who supports my crazy, independent self and the silly things I do. And several other, successful, wonderful, male friends and (former) colleagues who have been incredible hype men to me in the work place, looking out for me and generally just being good people. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today.
P.P.P.S. Found a good dealership and now have a 2023 BRZ on order. :)
P.P.P.P.S. New business idea: Carvana for new cars, where I can build the car I want, with the specs I want, submit my financing information online, and then have the car delivered to my driveway by a nice, professional individual. Not this back and forth nonsense, spending hours sitting around for all the bureaucratic paperwork and parading of managers around so they can all feel important.
You’ve been able to drive a manual since you were 16!! So annoyed you had to deal with that nonsense.