Car shopping! Gah!

I loath car shopping. I recently rather, um, broke my car. You will find driving into the central res of the M4 will do this. Poor Marlena the faithful bug is no longer with us. RIP Marlena. We have morned her as if she was a beloved pet and not just a car. She stood for so many things. Upon the demise of the hated Peugeot I started the search for a new car. I never wanted the Peugeot. It was suggested I should have one! Most persuasively. So when the time came I was still in the frame of mind of cheep and practical...But the little girl voice in me kept whispering "you always wanted a beetle", "just take a peek" knowing I would not e able to afford one I peeked and low and behold there she was. In my price range. All shiny and rounded. I played hardball with the sales man and scowled when it was suggested I would like it for the "flower" Only when I had safely left the garage did I allow myself a secret smile at the flower....thus Marlena was ours. Alas not even for a year. It has been some weeks since I found myself thanking my lucky stars to still be on the earth. But Marlena was not to come out of it.

So I find myself back in the market for a car. Of course I wish for another beetle and that is what I will have. But I HATE car shopping. I know what I am looking for. I know I want a detailed service history. I want to know when the cam belt was last changed. I want to know how well it runs. I want to know if the dealer is prepared to back my purchase with a good warranty. I know to check the spare is all present and correct. There are many other things I look for before even thinking about the colour or presence of the flower!
Yet I still feel that every sales man I talk to is patting me on the head. "aw bless does the ickle lady wanna bug?" I hate it I hate it I hate it. The last time I took my dad with me. God bless him he knew less than I did. However I still found that we were treated differently. They spoke around or over me to my Father. He would pointedly say "it's her buying the car not me!" but still. What I would like is to have a knowledgeable man go out and look at my choice of cars and make the sale. Be there in lieu of me. Not because I feel incapable you see. I feel it is more their incapacity to see me as anything other than a silly girl. Will it ever be simple?