After a very fraught week of back-and-forth emailing, I have put a down payment on a car! It will arrive at the end of September, and I'm starting to feel excited. I'm still worn out from the negotiations, though - they do that on purpose to wear you down. I did a lot of research, because I want a car that will last 20 years and get good gas mileage, like my last one. I picked a classic model, and then they had shortages all summer, which is why I have to wait. Fingers crossed that it will now go smoothly!😬