flyingfitz

Closure!

I have to post this story. Too good to be true.

In my last post I was very dissatisfied with my Dodge experience at all levels of the buying process. I have had an 09 R/T Orange 6 speed, leather 20 wheels on order since June and was still in C Status with no VIN. I researched another dealer in my area around 6 weeks ago. He had a VIN and thought he would receive the vehicle around now. I called him and his car was still in D status. No one at any level from the dealer to the factory had any clue what was up with my original order. I was ready to throw in the towel. Several of you motivated me to hang in there. To you I am very greatful.

The Short Story.

I was driving through central Missouri today, returing from a short vacation with my wife. It had been a couple of weeks since I checked on the status of the car so I picked up the cell and called. She said that there was no change and didn't know what was up. I then asked her to do a search for orange 6 speed cars in the area. She reported that there was one in Indiana that met my criteria except it had the hi intensity headlights. I think that the dealership that I was working with was also frustrated with this process. She graciously gave me the name and number of the dealership in Indiana. I did not want sun roof/nav lights etc. Just the car in orange, 6 speed, leather. I was willing to throw in the towel on the headlights and give them a call. A quick call revealed that the car was already gone. My hopes were once again snuffed.

About this time I was approaching St Louis from the west heading east in the area of Warrenton. My wife yanks the garmin gps off the windshield of the minivan and does a quick search for dodge. She uses the number off of the gps and calls the closest dealer. At this point by pure coincidence we are passing the dealership we were calling. We told the salesman what was going on and we all laughed. He performed a quick search while we had him on the phone. To our disbelief he reported that if we continue straight ahead 15 minutes we would come to Mid Rivers Dodge. Just by chance they have a 6 speed orange RT in stock. He gave us the name of a salesperson and said he would meet us as we drove in. The only draback was it was a cloth interior with 18 in wheels.

We pulled into the lot about 10 minutes later and there was the car. Unfortunately it had a sold sign on it. The salesman met us and said that the car was sold but there were some issues with the sale. I compared the interior with another leather option RT they had there. It was not leather, but it wasn't bad at all. Also, to my surprise, the car had 20 in wheels on it. It seemed the 18s were swapped out with another RT. I am aware of the different axle ratios for the 18 vs the 20 and am not concerned with the 3.73 vs the 3.92.

I couldn't believe it. After 2 years of watching and 5 months of waiting with no end in sight, my wife comes up with all this in 15 minutes armed with nothing more than a gps and a cell phone. I was faced with the decision to wait an indefinite period for the leather or buy the car with the cloth today. It took about 15 more minutes to decide that the leather held no weight compared to the apparent divine intervention my wife was receiving through her electronic gizmos. I made my offer below msrp and a ray of light shined down on Mid Rivers Dodge. They Accepted my offer. I cannot say enough about my experience with Mid Rivers. Fantastic from the top down. Would recommend to anyone.

As I drove home in a daze, I tried to get a grip on this surreal experience. All I can conclude is that it was meant to be. I am a family first kind of guy. This is without a doubt the most selfish thing that I have done in my adult life. I worried that I would have some remorse about the purchase. Instead, I found myself laughing out loud numerous times on the 40 mile ride home. The canister exhaust of the 6 speed howls much nicer than the suitcase under the automatic. There is no comparison in the way the car drives with the 6 speed vs the automatic. Having driven both the auto and the stick, I would only recommend the stick. If I was a dealer, I would only order the stick. There is that much difference.

My closing words are of thanks and encouragement. Thans to my wife Sherri for putting up with this for the last 5 months. Thanks to those who advised that I not throw in the towel. Encouragement to those still waiting. To those who think that I should have waited for the leather I offer you this thought: In about seven hours I will be dropping off my kids at school in my new 6 speed Hemi Orange R/T with 20 in Chrome Clad wheels. No one will care what fabric they are sitting on, no one will care about the axle ratio or the number on the timeslip. After that I am going to drop by the local dealer where I made the order in June and buy the sales girl a starbucks for her time and frustration.

Closure has come!

Fitz