Car Hunting

So we are on the prowl for a car. Jenna's parents are going to be visiting us for 3 weeks in late May, and my mom and Bill will be here in late June. Both were going to rent a car, plus it will be super nice to have a car for weekend outings and such, so we felt now was a good time. Things are a bit settled at work (at least there is no word of them sending me to Hamburg right now), so I have some time to think about it. Our budget is around 1500 euros. There is a government plan right now that says if you have owned a 9 year or older car for the past 1 year, they will give you 2500 euros towards a new car. It's a good idea that seems to working, at least it seems to be keeping the auto industry from completely buckling over here. But this means that there are not many older, cheaper used cars around. So it is taking awhile to find the right one, and they go quick. 

What do Bon Jovi, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Steffi Graf all have in common? They have thier names on a German car! Couldn't believe it. Guess in 1993 when Pink Floyd had their big reunion, VW sponsored them. Bon Jovi is huge over here, especially 10 years ago. Genesis sold thier souls to car compaines in the 80's sometime, soon after Phil took over. And Steffi Graf was a big stud in tennis for while, so she gets her own car. Wonder if there is a David Hasselhof car haha. KIT! Glad they didnt make a Michael Jackson car, nobody would want that now. I just set up a bad joke about Michael Jackson seat covers, but I won't go there. The funny thing is that the cars arent anything different from their normal versions. The Pink Floyd is just a VW Golf with "Pink Floyd" on the trunk. No Dark Side of the Moon roof art, or Pipers at the Gates of Dawn steering wheel. Nope, just a plain ol car. 

Visiting a used car lot over here is much different than in the US. At home we would be approached immediatly and pressured by multiple salesmen with baited breath. Over here it's the opposite. You have to seek out somone to help you and then they don't even care if you buy it. So strange. We had to convince one salesman to let us take the car for a drive. Like he is doing us a favor.