And, he mentioned, in bad weather, a golf cart can be chilly or hot or wet if it's raining.
But, he added, the electric Nissan Leafs were coming off lease and we could buy one for not much more than what a four-seater golf cart would cost. Of course, they have a limited range, less than a hundred miles.
The objection about bad weather made me stop and think. I don't want to arrive at the library or bridge class soaking wet and grumpy. And a Leaf's limited range is okay. We only need it to run around the island. And unlike a golf car, it can go to the mainland and other places off-island.
So we went out and looked at new Leafs. It was big enough, looked okay, but there were no used ones around here. Not only would we have to go to one of the bigger cities but we'd have to go from car lot to car lot, something I detest! So I got online and found Carvana.
Anybody heard of them? They deliver free if you live within a hundred mile radius of one of their hubs. Since most of the Leafs we found were in Atlanta or Orlando, buying from a dealer there meant we'd pay shipping costs. Carvana's delivery policy sounded great!
On their website, you can browse or put in your make and model and year to filter out cars you don't want to see. They have Carfax reports so you can see it there were several owners or whether the car's been in a wreck. They also have a tour through the car you're looking at. It shows the outside (focusing on imperfections like nicks or scratches or scuffs) through the inside (highlighting features like GPS, cruise control, Bluetooth, rear camera, etc. and also pointing out discolored places on the upholstery).
After checking every day for several weeks, I'd almost decided on one. But someone snapped it up before I made up my mind! So the next time one showed up with low mileage and a good background, I went for it. To be honest, I dithered the first day but visiting relatives kept urging me to take the plunge so I did. I clicked on the buy button and got started. I filled out paperwork online so that the actual delivery wouldn't take so long, signed the releases, and waited for the call.
That was Friday morning. They called that afternoon and said it would arrive Tuesday between one and two. Tuesday, the driver called and said he was leaving their hub and would probably be early and would that be all right? Heck yeah! I danced around impatiently waiting.
He arrived exactly on time. Wish all my service appointments were so punctual.
After he unloaded it, we sat down with some minimal paperwork. I signed and watched him send my deposit to Carvana's bank. We were done in about half an hour. At the risk of sounding like a commercial for them, I'll say that Carvana gave me the easiest car buying experience I've ever had.
Oh, and I have seven days to request a refund if I decide I don't like it.
But I do like it! It's quiet and cute and just like a golf cart only better!
Now to pick out a name...
