I was reminiscing with them the particulars about ordering her. As you may recall, the New Beetle came out in the Spring of 1998. I was driving a very good car at the time, but being a former owner of the old beetles, I was very curious to check out the new model. In May of '98, I drove to a VW dealership and got in the long line to take a "trial" drive. There were so many waiting to try one, that they allowed each driver a short drive down Highway 100 to the first exit, then go up the ramp, cross over the bridge, and return to the dealership. This was a total drive of about 2.5 miles. Well, as soon as I drove it, I knew I had gotten the "bug." So, I went inside and put down my deposit to order one. Here's what I ordered:
- Color: White, Dark Blue, or Red
- Automatic or manual shift
- Leather or cloth
- Sun roof or no sun roof
I wasn't really fussy - - I just knew I wanted one! So I was put on a waiting list as the company could not keep up with the demand.
Long about the end of June, I began calling the dealership on Fridays. I would request to speak to my salesman and ask him, "Where am I on the list now?" He would put me "on hold" and check. I can't recall how many were ahead of me, but I called every Friday during July and most of August. During the last week of August, my salesman phoned me to ask if I would take a red model; automatic transmission; cloth interior; without sun roof? "Yes, yes," I said. So on the 8th of September I drove to pick up my new car. My salesman told me that day that my name had not really made it to the top of the list. Rather, after my last inquiry, the manager had instructed him to give me the very next car that met any of my criteria the minute one came in. So, I got my car early.
Oh, I still really, really like it.
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