Written back in 2007 before I confirmed to myself that the entire “Car Game” was a scam.
Buying Used Cars
Buying a car seems to bring out the worst in people (myself included). My Honda is about to “fall off the roof“, and I am looking at “new” (to me) cars and have found one that my mechanic is selling. It looks like a good deal, it’s about the right price, and I trust my mechanic too (so there is no mistrust involved), but my wife and I continue to have worries about whether we are making the right decision.
This is a natural line of thinking because we are about to spend a not-insignificant pile of cash on a consumable asset (with no real value). Some of the questions that we have asked ourselves:
- Do we need a second car? I think we do.
- Is this a good deal? I think it is as good a deal as expected, should I try to get a lower price? Maybe.
- Are we simply buying the first car we see? Maybe, but do I want to spend hours going to dealerships and such?
- Is this the best deal? We won’t know until we can look back on it, which is true of any investment.
It’s an interesting financial balance beam you walk in these situations.
I suspect the gas is cheaper in Cornwall because people can simply cross the border to fill up their tanks on cheaper American gas… just a hunch I’m throwing out there.