Last week we talked about the importance of having your financing ready before going to a car dealer. Today I want to cover another form of advanced preparation that?s equally important: have your down payment ready before you buy a new car. When ever we go into a car dealership?or any business?a… Continue Reading

The single best tactic we could possibly use in negotiating a deal for a car is painfully simple and at our disposal any time we choose to use it. Here it is: If you don?t like the deal they?re offering, just get up and leave! It's your nuclear option at a car dealership.? It?s the one action that?s… Continue Reading

I?ve read the arguments supporting buying a brand-new car. I?ll admit that there are times when that is the better choice. Certainly if you have a very long daily commute, or live in an area with a particularly hostile climate, a new car will be the better choice over a used one. But in most other s… Continue Reading

Question: is a car an asset or a liability? That was a theory question in a sophomore level accounting course I took in college way back when. After some debate among the class, the professor confirmed what we all knew, that the technically correct classification is ?asset?, but felt compelled to… Continue Reading

One of my core beliefs about the US economy is that we all need to get more out of less, and it should be obvious that this is no longer a temporary situation. Cars are one of the biggest expenses in the typical household, so there's plenty of economy to be had on that front. Learning ways to keep y… Continue Reading

In an earlier post we covered the importance of having your down payment ready before you buy a new car and now we?ll take a look at the mechanics of how to sell your car yourself to help raise that down payment. By selling your car yourself, you can maximize the amount of money you?ll get from i… Continue Reading

As I've written so many times in previous articles on cars, I'm not a "car guy" - a.k.a., a car expert. But I'm always excited to find ways to reduce the cost of car ownership in any way possible. This includes car insurance. We're required to have it by law (though not here in New Hampshire), so it… Continue Reading

This post is the most recent edition of how we once again beat ?The Man? on yet another major car repair. ?The Man? is of course a high priced car repair shop, you know the kind where they?re all ready to charge you anywhere from $500-$1,000 or more for even the most routine repairs. Some years a… Continue Reading

Buying a new car has never been one of my favorite things to do. It?s not that I don?t absolutely love the idea of having a new car, I sure do! But the flaming hoops you have to jump through at the dealership to buy a car takes some of the fun out of what should be one of the most exciting events of… Continue Reading

Whenever it comes time to buy a car there?s a strong tendency to go with the one stop shopping dealerships offer. But take advantage of that perceived convenience, and you may very well pay far more for the car than you should. Dealerships hawk ridiculously low interest rates on their financing, so … Continue Reading