I often hear, “You should never cheap out on a good office chair, shoes, underpants, backpack etc…” but what are some items that you would feel OK to cheap out on?
This can by anything from items such as: expensive clothing brands to general groceries.
Kind of a “duh” thing but, only buy used cars.
Always have a trusted mechanic who doesn’t work for the dealer look it over before you buy. Usually new car dealerships are reputable and are looking to move their trade-in inventory, especially at the end of the year when they need to clear the lot for the next year’s models. You can even find deals on vehicles that are only a year or two old like a returned lease, with a moderate number of miles on them and little to no wear and tear. Those are usually just as good as new but so much cheaper.
Be super cautious of the used car dealer chains, like Drivetime and Carvana, they have loads of customer complaints and legal problems in a couple of states (basically, if it seems too good to be true, it is). Do not ever buy a former rental car, unless it’s true love at first sight or you’re desperate… even then think about how people, who’ve only paid like $10-20 for rental insurance, have probably treated that vehicle and reconsider.
The newest and most expensive car I ever bought was a previous model year’s dealer demo. A dealer demo is what it sounds like, it’s the car the dealership displayed in the show room, used for test drives with unsure buyers, running office errands, and showing off at the mall or in parades. Cons: There’s only a few of them, they’ll have a couple hundred miles on the odometer, and you don’t get to pick the color or options. Pros: They’re usually at a decent trim level, in an agreeable color, and well maintained… for thousands less than brand new because they’ve already left the lot a whole bunch.
I rented a corolla to do Uber in, and I ran that car like a motherfucker. I don’t drive like an idiot, (optimizing for rider experience, which overlaps a lot with minimizing car wear) but I did push the car in a way I wouldn’t push my own.
I’ve often wondered, how were the economics of renting a car to drive for a service? Did you usually make back your money for renting and fuel, etc?
I’ve bought a couple former rental cars and they were fine. While people might drive a bot more aggressive in them, if it didn’t have body work done it’s likely still fine. The big plus for rental cars is they generally get proper maintenance so they are mechanically solid.
See I drove my last car 16 years, always went to the dealer I bought it from for maintenance, and they were always forthright every time. He finally told me the last time I took it in for service that he was really starting to cross his fingers when he put it on the hoist, and that it might be time to stop throwing good money after bad. I never felt pressured.
Well, what I meant was don’t just take a dealership’s word for the maintenance of a car they’re trying to sell you. But yeah, dealer mechanic shops can be some of the best out there especially for their particular brand.