Car Shopping in the Hood

I have to buy a second car before the end of the month to make my New Orleans voyage every week. My budget is tight so my options are kind of limited. That requires that I take my time and make sure that I am not buying a lemon. I don't want to be stuck on I-55. Since I am not from this area I have been doing more shopping through the paper and the internet (Yashakia I know you gave me the number to your friend at the dealership and I didn't call him so I probably deserved what I got). I was searching this morning in the paper and found the perfect car. A 1997 Chevy Lumina with only 24K miles on it. I immediately called the number to make sure the car was still available and was that it definitely was. I got up, got dressed and headed out to this black owned dealership in South Jackson. Even though I have had some bad experiences, it always feels good to deal with your own people. I especially liked the place because the owner told me his family was from New Orleans and was still in the Ninth Ward during the storm. The car was in perfect condition for it's age, it ran like a champ and was owned by and elderly disabled person so there were no ghetto accessories rigged up to it. I made the deal and headed to the bank to get the cash. It took about 30 minutes for me to get from the bank and back to the car lot. Here is the thing. When I got back to the lot another gentleman was there with paperwork and the rest of his money to buy the same damn car. It turns out that this guy had already put half on the car a few days ago and was waiting for the bank to give him the rest of the money. The old dude that answered the phone and told me the car was available hid and the owner that let me test drive the car (the New Orleans dude) was inexplicably absent at the time and didn't come back the whole time I was there with the Lower Ninth Ward in me coming out more and more minute by minute. I didn't hurt the old dude even though I felt like it. He offered me another car but I told him I couldn't give him all my money after that kind of business dealing going on. I still don't have a second car. My people sure know how to test your dedication. I will end this post with a question. Why do I always have so much trouble when I do business in the hood?