The American Way

I work at a car dealership. Day in and day out I pedal overpriced, under-reliable British automobiles to the elite of the Albuquerque public. Our cars are fast, fun, expensive, and absolutely the best SUV money can buy. Its actually the official car of the British aristocracy. And in an interesting side note it will actually out four-wheel any other car on the market bar none. Well that is when it is taken off road.
I would say that about 99% of our customers will never take it off the pavement in any way, except for the gravel drive up to the summer home. These people don’t know what they are capable of, and half the time don’t even know what their last name is. They are buying the badge and cant pay attention long enough to a lowly salesman to answer their own questions. This is a conversation I have on a daily basis:

Me: So this car is equipped with heated and cooled front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel as well as a heated front windshield.
Customer: Oh… is that navigation?
Me: yes it’s a 30-gigabyte hard drive navigation system, all touch screen as standard.
Customer: (after looking around for 30 or so seconds) ooh are these heated seats?
Me: Yes, it also has cooled seats.
Customer: Cooled seats… Wow. What’s this screen?
Me: That’s the navigation system.
Customer: Oh it has Nav, Is that standard? Is this real leather?
Me: yes all real leather and real wood.
Customer: Are you sure?
Me: Yes its real leather.
Customer: heated?

This passage is literally not an exaggeration. These people are capable of running multi million dollar companies but cant remember that the car has heated seats.
That’s not true actually; they aren’t running multi million dollar companies, Those just have their secretary call and cut us a check. These nitwits are what we call the wannabees. Interestingly these are the people we sell more cars to, not the people that can actually afford them. These people come in, and you can spot them from the second they drive up in their Lexus with there Gucci purse and Armani sunglasses. These are the type of people that ask “what are the payments gonna be.” Or “I don’t care what it cost what is the least I can pay every month.” These poor souls are literally budgeting to the last dollar and then some so their friends can see them in a Range Rover, they have credit card debt from clothes that cant afford, Home loans for houses in the best neighborhoods, and owe $50,000 on a car that’s only worth $30,000.
And what to they do?

Me: sir do you know how much you and your wife owe on the Lexus?
Customer: I think its like $36 grand or something well sir we just looked it up and you owe $49,000
Customer: Oh… Well how much will you give me for it?
Me: about $29,500.
Customer: Oh, Can you do any better?
Me: No
Customer: Ok well how much is that Range Rover?
Me: That Range Rover Sport is $67,000
Customer: That’s OK, Just role over what we owe from the Lexus into the new loan?
Me: Are you sure that makes the it an $87,000 loan with a monthly payment of $1600 (way more than my house payment by the way)
Customer: That’s fine. I mean why pay now when you don't have to right?!

I honestly believe that this is what’s wrong with America. Because if we cant afford it we just finance it, because we want it right now. God forbid we might have to work a little harder or a little longer. After all why pay now right! And sadly I’m contributing to the problem selling me wares to an ignorant society. I don’t feel to bad though. I mean Its not doing anything to harm our economy right now! We will worry about that the next time the market crashes right? After all it’s the American way.