People are increasingly aware of the importance of presentation. It’s why you dress up in a suit and try to smell nice when you go on a job interview. It’s why you pay extra at a Japanese restaurant, so you can gaze at the little ginger flowers and perfectly-stacked multicolored morsels on your plate before scarfing them down.
Continue Reading »When you’re buying a used car, what you see is not always what you get. The vehicle may look beautiful and clean, and it might purr nicely during a short test drive. How do you know the power steering pump isn’t about to break? What assurance do you have that the transmission has only a few hundred miles left in it?
Continue Reading »Since buying a car, then paying for insurance, gas, and parking can be so expensive, car-shares with friends may seem like an attractive option. Before you go this route, consider the implications carefully.
Continue Reading »Buying a car often means figuring out what to do with the one you currently have. Some people, when buying from a dealer, choose to trade in their old vehicle. Others, like my streetsmart pennypinching dad, would never do that in a million years. What you choose really depends on the type of person you are and what’s important to you.
Continue Reading »Selling your car can get you thousands more in cash than the trade-in value. But how can you make that sale, without being taken for a ride?
If you are thinking of selling your car, you may be wondering:
where to advertise,
how to show the car,
what must be done to ensure a fair price,
how to fill out and hand over the paperwork.
Continue Reading »You’re likely to keep a car longer if you’ve bought it new, so lenders can afford to give you a lower interest rate. They know that you’re happy with your car and chances are you’ll continue making your payments. Someone who has bought a used car, on the other hand, may not be as satisfied with their purchase and less inclined to fulfill the lender’s investment.
Continue Reading »Next time you’re stopped at a red light looking at the traffic around you, count five random cars. One of them is probably a leased vehicle.
There are a number of reasons why someone would choose to lease a car, instead of buy it. Lease payments are generally lower than loan payments. Sales tax is also lower when you lease. And after you’re finished using the car, you don’t have to worry about offloading a used vehicle.
Continue Reading »Is a pink or otherwise non-traditionally painted car hard to sell? On average, yes.
Does that mean you can’t sell it for a great price? You may be surprised at the answer.
If you’re selling a pink car, you’re not looking for the average buyer. You want the ONE buyer who will love your car enough to trade their hard-earned cash for it.
Continue Reading »Maybe you want a vintage drop-top for a cheap price, to show off on the weekends – or perhaps you’re just interested in seeing how little you can spend and still score a convertible that runs. In any case, it is possible to own a privately-sold used convertible for less than $10,000 – even less than $5,000, in some cases. Beware that most of these cars will have hefty mileages: at least 80K, and often over 100K. As my used-car hobbyist dad knows, however, sometimes you can buy an old car and still get a couple of years of great running ability, as long as you take care of it and you’re not relying on it for, say, a 50-mile daily commute.
Continue Reading »The world is divided into two groups of people: those who at some point give in to their basic human desire to own a convertible, and those who don’t. There is one main difference between these two groups. Those with the wind and sun in their faces as they zoom handily around curves are much, much happier.
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