Way to survive in America - 3

Now you are ready to buy a car!
So, how does it work in America?

Typically you choose a dealer and go there to buy your dream car. Contra to Denmark, where you come to a dealer, choose a car YOU want, choose a package YOU want and then wait 6-8 weeks for the delivery, in US you drive out of the dealer in a car the same day. The only slight detail is: NOT in the car you intended to buy but the same day. Why? Remember, we are in America, so the typical thinking of a buyer is an algorithm "I want=I need a car NOW". So when a customer enters the shop the chances of a car you really need or want is there equals close to zero. The idea is to let you test drive a vehicle and make sure you will be absolutely in love with it that nothing will stand in your way. So for a typical customer it wouldn't matter to upgrade from standard to luxury package for extra cost, something you absolutely don't need, as NOW you absolutely in need of THAT car.

Now, I come to the shop. I know exactly what I need: the color, the brand, the size, the package, and boy, I am NOT popular. I am straight forward and telling, no, I don't need your navigation system that one can hardly see on a 20cm screen, nor I don't need your floor mats or baggage net for additional only 500$. Oh God, how do we deal with her.
Then it comes to the price. In America it is all about sale. Now on sale 30% off, labor day sale, Black Friday, you name it. One of the experiences I went through is with a dealer in New Jersey. We tested the car, everything was good, but when it came to the price, it happened to be that those discounts we saw in the add could be reached only if you're a previous owner of the same brand, recent graduate and have a military ID. And this comes AFTER I have submitted all my papers. Of course they know that probability that a person who served in Iraq and just got a degree showing up at their dealership is more negative then close to zero (I think I was told in the whole their practice, they have seen 3 cases) that it worth commencing it with all these discounts. Because by the time you get that far with the talk about the financing, the price wouldn't matter, because, remember, YOU WANT THAT CAR!!!

So here I stand and confront them with the fact that by having L1 visa, or any other visa, there is no way I could be a last year student and served in US army. Ups.
On a positive sight, there are dealerships there, who are willing to do business with someone like us, sell what WE want and even finance on a relative low interest rate. Just keep searching, trust your instincts and don't let your spouse tell you, I need it now whether you like it or not.

Way to survive in America - 2

You're about to buy a car...
A car is a good thing to have in the US. Not only because it is a necessity (don't even think about walking from one shop to the other) but it is a valuable collateral that you can use later.

But before we get to car business, you need to get a valid drivers license first, from the state you live in. For us, as lucky as one can get, New Jersey doesn't except any drivers licenses. Said that, no matter if you are from Canada, Denmark or neighbor Pennsylvania, you need to take a knowledge test. But before you get there, you need to prove that you are you. As a rule,  you do have a snowballs chance in hell to be allowed to take a test, first time you appear in DMV as in 99% of the cases, first timers,  do not have the exact amount of point with them. Even if you did your homework and read that nice blue pamphlet, and got everything they ask for, the clerk reserves the right to ask for additional paperwork. Remember, drivers license is your primarily ID, so they need to make sure that it is you and not someone else there in from of them.

Anyway, you got your points, you have been checked, double checked, took a picture, paid bloody 10 $, now you're about to take a test. More specifically: a little knowledge about driving and a substantial knowledge about American society (drinking measurements, drinking and driving, learner's permits, deadlines for reporting a change of name or civil status, etc). In other words you have a snowballs chance in hell to pass this test first time. So, now you spend a whole day in DMV and got nothing. No, you got a book with explanations on how to drive a car, how many ounces of beer equals to how many ounces of wine and what to expect when you about to enter a curve. (Hint: beware, the car will not turn by itself!)
Next time...

Yes, next time you will come prepared with fully uploaded iPhone, a book, computer, spouse (as L2, I have a take both my marriage certificate and Morten  with as a proof), patience and ability to count till 10, and you good on our way to become a little closer to your dream of being treated as a normal human-being.
A little note: in 4 years or earlier, depending on your expiration date, you will be back at DMV with the same paperwork, the same personal, the same hell on earth, but this time no test (unless you're a week late 'cause you dared to go on a honeymoon first and not to DMV).