Buying a car, part 1

The story so far:

I drive a minivan. I have driven the same boring but reliable Chevy Venture since we moved back to the US in 1999. We bought it then because we were sick of having two cars that were so small we had to take the new tv out of the box in the Best Buy parking lot because otherwise it wouldn't fit in the door. I endured much good-natured ribbing about doing things backwards by getting the van first and THEN having a kid. I like being able to haul 20 bags of mulch at a time, but I don't like driving a tank all the time. I only have one kid, and it's going to stay that way. It's time to downsize a bit.

After poking around in a few new cars and reeling in sticker shock and taking some test drives, I pretty much settled on the Kia Rondo, which is sort of a crossover/hybrid/stationwagon/SUV thingee. Four doors and a hatchback, optional third row of seats to make it up to a 7-passenger car, moderately lousy gas mileage. Nifty storage features, funky seats that fold into all sorts of unusual positions, lots of cupholders, good safety ratings - all that good stuff.

After reading the article that mentions how car salesmen are running scared of their internet sales departments, I decided to see how that worked for me. I sent out two requests via edmunds.com, one for a sort of bare-bones LX model, and one for an EX with leather and a sunroof. The requests got sent to four Cleveland-area Kia dealers, and I've been bombarded with e-mails and calls ever since.

Observations:

1. When you send out the request, you fill in very specific information about what you want: color, options, etc. There's no way to fill in "I'd like it, but it's not absolutely necessary," which is I guess why every single dealership felt the need to call me and confirm what I was looking for. But the whole reason I am trying to do this via the internet is that I have a cranky three-year-old hanging on me for a good portion of the day. All kidding aside, I fielded three of the eight or ten calls yesterday while the kid was on the toilet. Ever try to discuss car options and financing while wiping a kid's ass? Yeah, that was fun.
2. The computer at each dealer apparently doesn't recognize that it's got two requests from the same person, so in some larger dealerships the requests got routed to two different salespeople. Hence the eight or ten calls, by the time you include missed calls and return calls with followup information. Um, I thought this was supposed to make things easier?
3. Considering how widespread internet car buying is supposedly becoming, you'd think the people in the internet sales department would handle it a little better when I tell them "I don't want to come to the showroom, I want to handle this over the phone, show up and sign some paperwork, and drive off with a car." That doesn't sound so hard, does it? I mean, people do that all the time in their showroom, walk in and walk out a couple hours later with a car. I just want to skip all the tedious "entertain a toddler while the salesmen pretend to make me a great deal while hideously overcharging me for the car" stuff. Sheesh, I just want them to give me a firm quote on a specific car, not tell me what day the Second Coming will occur.
4. Statement that made them love me even more: "I've requested the same information from three other dealers, and I'm ready to buy tomorrow if you can get me the best deal. But I'm not haggling, and I already know roughly what the going rate is for this specific car in my area - so send me your absolute best price, and I'll let you know if you've won my business."
5. If you're going to handle business via e-mail, please proofread your messages for punctuation and spelling. I'm not a grammar Nazi (my thesis advisor can attest to my inability to use commas ONLY when necessary - Hi, Stan!), but sheesh, I do have SOME standards ...

Hi it's XXXX from XXXX Kia the total out the doo price on the rondo including tax is $21,078.63 .I'm sure I can make that an even $21,000.00 . If you and your husband like our figures give me a call ,Also remember this is an LX with the premium pack ,carpeted floor mats and bumber protecters.Don't get confused by lesser numbers on lesser cars CALL ME FOR MORE DETAILS!!! Thanx ,XXXX

So that's where we stand now, I guess. I've gotten three "quotes," none of which gives me a list of exactly what is included in that price (taxes? fees? floor mats? a few details would be nice, guys). So I've asked for clarification, and hopefully I'll have some basis for comparison early next week.

Oh, and the irony of this all so far? The car that has the options I want is in ... Kentucky. If it's down near where we used to live, I'll go pick the thing up myself and get the kid's portrait done while we're there :)