Buying a used car can be a great way to save money. First, you don’t have to come up with as much out of pocket and second, you don’t lose hundreds or thousands of dollars as soon as you drive off the lot and your new car isn’t “new” anymore. When you plan to buy a car used, it is important not only to find the car you like, but you also need to be smart about it. Test driving, checking the history, knowing the value of the car, and whether or not to buy an extended warranty are important things to keep in mind when buying used.
What is the car’s history?
An essential factor when shopping for a car is trying to know as much about the car’s history as you can. Often times you can find vital information such as flood damage or a major accident from the title itself. If possible, ask the owner to provide maintenance records showing that the car has had regular tune-ups and oil changed. There are also websites where you can enter the VIN number and (for a fee) find out extensive history such as accidents, previous sales, mileage reports, and more. Sometimes a car lot will provide this report to you free of charge.
Test drive the car
If the owner will not allow you to take a test drive of the car, walk away. There is bery likely something wrong they are hoping you will not notice until the title is in your hands and the money is in their pocket. Most used cars are sold “as is” so once you’ve made the transaction, the car is yours even if the engine dies 3 blocks away. In addition to a test drive, often times you will be allowed to take the car to your mechanic for an inspection. An inspection will be an additional charge, but if you do not know much about cars, it may be money well spent. The best way to confirm that the automobile is in the stated condition is to take it to an independent mechanic who can properly inspect the car and identify underlying problems. Actually driving the car and making sure all normal functions actually function is vital. Be sure to test the AC, heater, brakes, all gears, tight turning, etc. Make the time to properly test drive the car. You want to find a clanking CV joint before you buy the car so you can determine if the price is low enough to warrant immediately putting several hundred dollars worth of repairs into it.
Know the value of the car
Before buying any used car, it is important to be familiar with the value of the vehicle. There are several Blue Book websites or you can purchase the current year’s blue book from a bookstore. Occasionally, your bank may have copies of last year’s blue book that they will give you. While the information will be slightly outdated, once a car is a few years old, it does not depreciate so fast that you will be completely off. In order to get the most accurate value, knowing the make and model of the vehicle, current mileage, additional features and overall condition is beneficial.
Is an extended warranty worth the price?
Many dealers will offer an extended warranty on a used car. Typically these are more expensive than they are worth. Do you really want to pay $2,000 for a warranty on a $3,000 car? Depending on the price, age of the car, and what is actually covered by the warranty, a warranty can be a good investment. Just be sure to research the value of what you are really buying.
Dealers vs private sellers
There are advantages to both buying from a dealer and buying from an individual. Basically, when you buy from a dealer, you are paying for their profit and commissions while buying from an individual you are likely to pay lower than the published Blue Book value. Sometimes an individual will be the original owner of the car and can provide all maintenance records and you can tell just by meeting them and talking to the how they were likely to have treated their car. Are they grubby with stained clothes and bad breath? The car probably didn’t get much better care. When you buy from the dealer, you are buying from a salesman whose job is to sell you a car. He doesn’t care where the car has been or how it has been treated as long as you buy from him so he earns his commission. A distinct advantage to buying from a dealer is if you are in a car that you owe more than it is worth and it is falling apart. Then you can trade it in to a dealer and possibly get a good car that will last longer than the loan, dumping your old clunker. However, you might get someone else’s “old clunker”.
Financing
If you do not have the money to buy a used car outright, you are not “stuck” buying from a dealer. You can go to your bank, tell them you are shopping for a car, and get pre-approved for a loan. They will base the loan off the amount you have for a down payment and then use their blue book to tell you what year (or newer) you have to purchase. One thing to keep in mind when financing versus buying outright is that you will have to have full coverage insurance until the loan is paid off. Another thing to consider is that if you become unemployed or cannot make your car payment, your car will be repossessed. If you own the car completely, you don’t have to worry about that.
Discount movies
Research your local area for discount movie theaters playing older releases for cheaper prices. Combine that with a largish purse/handbag full of snacks and you can have a movie theater experience for 2 for under $10.
Happy hours
Many restaurants and bars have happy hour specials that include greatly reduced appetizer, dessert, or drink specials. Split an appetizer and each have a drink for around $10 including a tip.
Taxi/bus
As an aside to drinking out, take the bus or a taxi. It may seem more expensive initially, but a ticket for drinking and driving (even if you don’t feel impaired) is much more expensive than the few dollars to use alternate transportation. Be safe.
Museums
Many museums offer free or discount days. With a little research you may even be able to find some obscure smaller museums that are free. For example, the Denver Art Museum is free to Colorado residents the first Saturday of every month.
Summer outside movies
Does your area set up a movie screen and show old movies outside in a park in the summer? If there is somewhere in your area that does this, there is usually no admission and it is a lot of fun.
Parks
Grab a Frisbee, ball and couple of mitts, or just a blanket and a good book and head to your local park. Add some sandwiches and you have an inexpensive romantic afternoon out.
Historic Buildings/Monuments
Take a tour of your area looking at all of the historic buildings or monuments. Most towns have several and learning their history can be entertaining.
Free local music events
Throughout the spring and summer months, you can usually find free music at local coffee shops, bars, or restaurants with patios. Finding these can be a great way to get out and about in your town while supporting your local talent.
Use leftovers
Don’t over load your plate. You can always go back for more if you’re still hungry. The more you leave in the pan, the more leftovers you have, the more you can use for lunch, dinner, or snack in the next couple days. Be sure to use leftovers quickly so they don’t go bad.
The last little bit
Almost all products have a “last little bit” that is hard to use. Add a little water to shampoos, conditioners or sauces to use the entire product. For salad dressings, sometimes it is better to add just a little milk.
Old clothes for rags
Don’t throw out your old jeans, shirts, sheets, towels or other clothing items that are too worn to wear. Clothing items past their prime are great for kitchen and cleaning rags.
Less is More
Likely you won’t notice if you are drinking 10 ounces of milk with dinner instead of 12 ounces. Fill your glass a little less than normal. It is amazing what we consume rather than throw away. Often, I’d be satisfied long before I finished my drink, but I don’t want to be wasteful and toss it out. The same goes with shampoo, hand soap, lotion, pretty much anything you squeeze out. I tend to get more than I really wanted or needed and end up using it anyway. Try getting less than what you think you will need. You can always add more later if you need or want more.
Most of all, just be conscious of what you are throwing away and if it is really ready to be thrown away.
If you’ve read the article “Stretching Your Budget”, you already know that I recommend using cash only as a way to save money because if you don’t have it, you don’t spend it. And it’s a lot easier to glance in your purse or wallet and see you only have $20 left for the week than it is to remember you only have $20 left in your checking account when you swipe your check card.
Another advantage to using cash is all that shiny change you get with every transaction. Most likely, rounding every transaction up to the nearest dollar is not going to break your budget. Instead of using your change to pay for the next cash transaction, keep it. At the end of the day, toss all of your change in a jar, box, bowl, or other change holding device of your choice. This change really adds up over the course of a month. You will probably find yourself saving around a dollar a day. That doesn’t sound like much money, but it will come in handy for that upcoming birthday, holiday, or just to treat yourself to something nice you otherwise couldn’t justify spending the money on.
I usually save all my pocket change and have even gone so far as to save single dollars. Really, what can one dollar buy these days? My savings goal is yearly and I use the change I’ve saved for holidays, vacations, car repairs, or other unexpected expenses.
5cents a shave
In this article we are going to discuss the easiest way to get a great shave inexpensively. Modern day shaving is designed to cost the consumer money, with the plastic throw away handles and the disposable triple blade inserts you just spend money, throw away and buy again.
The best way to affordably shave for less money, that I have found, is the “old fashioned” Safety Razor.
A safety razor is a style of razor that was around from about the 1930s until the 1970s. They are easy and cheap to use and they last for decades. In fact, the cheapest way to start out with one is to buy a used one via Internet auction sites or antique flea markets. You can usually find one in good shape for around $5.00. A good safety razor is made of stainless steel so even though they are 50 years old, they are usually in good working condition.
When safety razors very first came out, manufacturers made a couple of different versions with pegs in the razor head in an attempt to copyright the razor blades sold to fit in them. That idea didn’t work out well for the industry and the razor with the ridge down the middle of the head came out and took over the market. You do want to be sure to only buy razors with the ridge in the middle so that any of the blades you buy will fit in them. Make sure to examine really old strange looking razors prior to purchase to be sure they will work with the regular blades. Most of the razors readily available have the general ridge in the head, but if you find a really old one, you might have trouble fitting it with blades.
There are a couple of manufacturers that still make safety razors so you can buy a new one for around $50 if you find you really like them and want a new fancy German one.
The blades have 2 sides providing most people with 2 shaves and can be purchased in packages of 100 for about $10 either on the Internet or some drug. That is about 5 cents per shave. Some stores carry blades in 10 packs, but they usually cost more per blade than getting a 100 pack.
There are a few different brands of blades and some are better than others, but don’t be fooled by the expensive ones . . . they are often not much better than most of the cheaper ones.
Safety razors give a very nice, close shave, but a good, warm shave prep is also a key to get that nice clean shave. Using a safety razor is a great way to get a closer shave for a fraction of the cost when compared to a plastic disposable razor.
