do your own homework-I don't do tabloids....
Posted By: google for the bloggers and thinkprogress...nm on 2007-07-25
In Reply to: Please tell me you are not serious? You really are.. - citymt
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
I get the majority of the tabloids and I read this
no where in those- I buy probably 5-6 each and every week but read nothing about Katie trying to escape.
First, do your homework on different makes - sm
and models. Read customer reviews of their cars, what they like, don't like about them, maintenance, etc.
Once you've decided on a model, start looking. I found shopping online was the fastest & easiest way to do it. Whether you shop online, or at a dealership, before buying anything, sign up for "CARFAX.COM". When you find something you're interested in, get the vehicles's VIN (vehicle identification number) and then go home and run a Carfax on it. It can tell you important things - like whether the car was in any major collisions. You don't want to buy something that has had a bent or broken frame that's been spot-welded back together for quick resale! (One reason why it's not good to buy at car auctions...)
You can also see where the car was originally sold, and usually you can get the true mileage of it, but now always. I wanted a car that didn't come from anyplace where it snowed all winter and they salted the roads, because that can cause corrosion underneath.
So now you've found a car, it passed the Carfax, and you want to make a deal. Let me tell you, the sellers are falling all over themselves right now to make a deal! I found my car at a dealership. (I had run the Carfax on it before I even went out to test-drive it... saving valuable time.) I liked it, and wanted MY personal mechanic to check it out. Amazingly, the dealership agreed, even though my mechanic was about 30 miles away! (All I had to do was sign my life away on a bunch of forms, and they let me take it there.)
The car passed the exam, except that the mechanic said to get the radiator flushed and refilled pronto... the fluid in it was ancient! The dealership did that for me immediately.
As for price, do your Blue-Book homework, too. Of course you won't get it for Blue-Book, but if you figure a certain percentage of profit for the dealer, you'll come out at a fair offering price. What I did THEN, was go to the bank and get a cashier's check made out for my first and final offer, which was FIRM, as that's all I could afford to pay. Beforehand, I had let them know (truthfully!) that a similar, cheaper car had been on a dealer's lot just down the street, and the only reason I had tried this car first was that the first car was on a display rack out in front and several cars had to be moved before I could test-drive it. They were too slow in doing so, and as a result had lost the sale!
So we talked money for a few minutes, and when their "rock-bottom" price was still about $900 more than I had, I put the cashier's check down on the table (made out to them!) in front of them and said, "That's all I've got."
The salesman went to talk to the manager, and they accepted my offer.
That was about 7 years ago, and I STILL love my car! I'll probably drive it for the rest of my life. (And best of all, it's paid-for!)
Although not easy to do in this economic setting, years ago I was driving a very old vehicle, and had started socking money away for a down-payment on a new car. When that time drew nearer, because the type of car I wanted was too expensive new (Toyota 4Runner), that's when I'd done my homework about used ones, and found they pretty much last forever. So buying a used one wasn't as much of a risk as it is with some vehicles, though I didn't want to buy it from some guy who'd been out 4-wheeling the h_ll out of it, either. Luckily the car I'd found had been a corporate car, and had relatively low mileage. (Less than 50,000 - which meant I could extend the warranty on it.)
Of course, Carfax doesn't solve EVERYTHING, but at least you go into a deal armed with SOME knowledge about the vehicole you're buying, and every little bit helps.
Even better was this: After I got my car, I got an email from Carfax asking me to tell my story and send in a photo of me and my car. So I did. They ended up using it in an ad, so they sent me an Amazon gift certificate for $100! I needed a photo printer, and got one on Amazon the very next day. (Canon i850 - which also still works great, and has never given me a moment's trouble!)
A lot of my good car-buying experience was luck, but a lot was also preparation and information-gathering. I hope your car-buying experience is as easy and as successful as mine was.
Best of luck, & happy driving!
That is why people have to do their homework in this
A person always needs some kind of representation to help them sort out what is good and what is not but this really works with most business dealings, right? I did not look at your site because I knew someone who had really came out to the good doing this. If my parents ever wanted to go this route I would make sure they have the kind of information you need to make sure no one takes advantage of them. I can do this because my name is also on the home they own. Older folks tend some times to be too trusting and I see after them.
Do your homework on debt collection (sm)
laws also - you just may have yourself a $1000 piece of paper in your hand.
Have you requested validation of this debt? If not, I would do that right away. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Depending on the age of the debt, I would be very careful about sending the canned "do not contact me letter." If the debt is not that old, that can sometimes trigger them to sue. I bet if you send the "please provide me with full validation (not verification that you have my name, address and soc. sec#) of this alleged debt. Short and sweet.
Always negotiate and do your homework before hand!
If you do some good internet research you can find out what the dealer actually pays for the car before their mark ups. I bought a new car several years ago and took this information with me. It was about $3000 less than sticker price and I only paid a couple hundred over this base price AND they went to another state to get the car that I wanted because I didn't want to wait for one from the factory. They will push you hard so be ready to stand your ground. Also, ask them to throw in license fees, plates, taxes, etc. in the price. Many places will do this if you finance through them and some will give you a gas card for $50, free oil changes, and what not if you ask at the end. Just remember, the worst they can say is no. You will likely never see this person again. I would recommend using your own bank for financing. If you use theirs I feel they use that to their advantage and finance you the sticker price and make it more difficult to bargain.
Good opportunities, if you do your homework.
We've kept our investments in utility companies, and those always do well. Not always the highest return, but steady. We look for companies that are investing more and more in environmentally friendly technologies. My son is 19 and has saved $1000 that he wants to put into the market. He's young enough to recover from any bad investment, and young enough to hold on for the long-haul good return. He's doing a lot of research, hoping to find something up and coming. I'm sure he'll learn a lot.
|
