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Antillie posted:Now I really want to do this the next time I buy a car. Go in, get the best financed deal I can (with no pre payment penalty), then gently caress them over by paying off the loan a week later since I was really a cash buyer all along. We just bought a car. Surprisingly the dealer financing was better than our CU, but they also had a 6 month period of pre -pay penalties attached.
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Dec 6, 2023 23:47
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Fezziwig posted:We just bought a car. Surprisingly the dealer financing was better than our CU, but they also had a 6 month period of pre -pay penalties attached. Yeah I read my agreement and saw there was a 2 month penalty window, presumably so they could sell it to some big bank as part of an auto-debt CLO or whatever, so I just paid it off in 3. 
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Dec 7, 2023 00:28
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We bought out our leased car which made the overall process fairly stress free. Write a check for the pre-COVID residual value + fees, inexplicably sit around an extra hour, then say no to the $8k of extra stuff they wanted to sell.
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Dec 7, 2023 01:50
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Ham Equity posted:I've heard this is a good way to get hard hosed on dealer servicing. This is nonsense. The service department might as well be in a different country.
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Dec 7, 2023 02:01
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:This is nonsense. The service department might as well be in a different country. I think it is well-established that I am very much not a car person, I just remember seeing someone post about it in one of the other BFC threads (BWM, possibly).
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Dec 7, 2023 02:09
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Antillie posted:I have literally never taken a car to a dealer for servicing in the past 20 years. Are you buying new cars? If you are, not cashing in on the warranty or campaigns/recalls is very silly.
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Dec 7, 2023 02:14
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Are you buying new cars? If you are, not cashing in on the warranty or campaigns/recalls is very silly. dangerous, even
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Dec 7, 2023 02:33
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Natty Ninefingers posted:dangerous, even I only bring my car to the dealership if its car under warranty. If its not, Ill bring it to an independent shop. The dealership closest to me are pretty expensive and predatory. My most recent experience with them even leads me to believe that theyre incompetent.
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Dec 7, 2023 03:00
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Natty Ninefingers posted:i will report back regarding what that thread says. For edification and enjoyment, and because part of it is in response to your post, here is what I just posted in the car buying thread using the form in that threads op Do not get a 4 runner. You can choose between a RAV4, CRV, and a Crosstrek. The Crosstrek sport will be the best bang for your buck. (Bought one in 2020 for 2 people plus dog to go camping, mountain biking, and skiing) E: having one car for a family of 2 is very reasonable in most situations. spwrozek fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Dec 7, 2023 |
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Dec 7, 2023 05:16
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:This is nonsense. The service department might as well be in a different country. The way they really get you is stealing your Twix bar from the snack machine when yours gets stuck
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Dec 7, 2023 17:26
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Natty Ninefingers posted:How the gently caress do I buy a car? Is it more sensible to try to get used, or is the market still do fucky that you might as well suck it up and get new. I bought my first car in 2019 at age 36 and I also had no idea what I was doing. I ended up settling on a make and model based on some online reading. Then I used the various second hand car websites to get an idea of what pricing was like in my area. I found a specific car that I felt was a good deal based on the mileage, year, and condition. I went to that dealership, test drove it, and then bought that car. I don't think I got screwed, and I like my car. This was pre-COVID car fuckedupedness though.
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Dec 7, 2023 20:26
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Awkward Davies posted:I don't think I got screwed, and I like my car. I think modifying this to "I can afford this car, and I like this car" and largely forgetting about who won the negotiation is maybe the best you can do. The guy selling the car sells tons of cars every year, while the buyer is getting a car every 5-10 years probably. You're out of your depth the moment you walk onto the lot, it's just the way it is. Not entirely unlike home-buying. Do I like this house? Can I afford this house? Do I plan to be in this house for a while? That's about as far as you can go as a buyer.
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Dec 7, 2023 23:29
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Serious_Cyclone posted:I think modifying this to "I can afford this car, and I like this car" and largely forgetting about who won the negotiation is maybe the best you can do. The guy selling the car sells tons of cars every year, while the buyer is getting a car every 5-10 years probably. You're out of your depth the moment you walk onto the lot, it's just the way it is. Man, that's kind of defeatist. You have plenty of leverage in both situations. In the one situation, there are a lot of cars, and a lot of dealers trying to move those cars. In the other situation, people are usually very time constrained when they are trying to sell a house. If they don't sell it quickly, the price starts dropping. There are fewer people than you think looking at that house in a week or two.
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Dec 8, 2023 00:39
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Baddog posted:Man, that's kind of defeatist. You have plenty of leverage in both situations. In the one situation, there are a lot of cars, and a lot of dealers trying to move those cars. In the other situation, people are usually very time constrained when they are trying to sell a house. If they don't sell it quickly, the price starts dropping. There are fewer people than you think looking at that house in a week or two. I read Cyclone's post as saying "if this stresses you out, then focus more on finding a transaction that you're happy with, rather than trying to maximize the value of that transaction." Sure, you can put a lot of effort into research, shopping around, practicing resisting the psychological manipulations the dealer throws at you, etc. But if the idea of doing all of that makes it hard for you to actually get the car/house purchased, it's not essential. You'll be leaving some money on the table, but maybe that's worth it to you.
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Dec 8, 2023 01:36
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Yeah it becomes an analysis paralysis problem and takes the focus off of what you're interested in (making an informed decision on Purchase of Thing) and places it on whether you are winning a contest or not. Against someone who does these transactions hundreds or thousands of times more than you do and has access to information you don't have, no less. I think negotiating is fine, so long as it serves the goal of making an informed decision on Purchase of Thing.
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Dec 8, 2023 20:35
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Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but: I rented a car from Avis over the summer in italy, and about 30 miles from the airport, the clutch suddenly and totally failed. I couldnt shift into any gear (i could move the stick, but the gear wouldnt engage). Now Avis is trying to make me pay $1200 for the repair, claiming I damaged it. There wasnt any grinding, burning, smells, etcit just suddenly failed. So far, Amex is taking their side. Anyone have any tips on fighting this?
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Dec 8, 2023 20:37
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Anecdote: 15+ years ago bought a brand new car with a partner. Had a horrible sales process, and answered the mail surveys as such. Brought the car in for a service/warranty issue within a year and were met by the manager and he essentially said that since we were so unhappy with their dealership that we should maybe bring our car to another dealer. So, in my experience of buying exactly one car new from a dealer, the sales and service sides definitely talked.
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Dec 8, 2023 22:31
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I don't know for a fact that managers of car dealerships are the most petty and miserable jagoffs on the face of the earth but it wouldn't surprise me if that turned out to be the case
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Dec 8, 2023 23:14
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dexter6 posted:So, in my experience of buying exactly one car new from a dealer, the sales and service sides definitely talked. It's less that they "talked" and more that those surveys are about as valuable to dealerships as the cars themselves and your review probably cost them some standing with the automaker. Good, gently caress them. Paying the loan off under the terms of the agreement isn't going to raise the same flags.
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Dec 8, 2023 23:23
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Are you buying new cars? If you are, not cashing in on the warranty or campaigns/recalls is very silly. Yeah I've only been buying new for a while now. I took my wife's 2014 minivan in once for a recall related to the middle row seats a few years ago. I don't consider that to be "service" in that I'm not getting something fixed because it broke. My old car never had any recalls in the 10 years I owned it. I do the oil, battery, and wiper blades myself. By the time I needed tires or breaks on any of my cars the warranty had long since expired so I take them to a local shop for that. Beyond that, I've just never had anything break. My current car has had two or three recalls in the past year or so but they have all been fixed via software updates overnight. So still no need to take it anywhere. I've still got that minivan, just replaced the factory tires a few months back at Discount Tire and did the battery myself a couple of years before that. I replaced the factory wiper blades a couple of weeks ago. It'll be due for new oil in March. Antillie fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Dec 8, 2023 23:28
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Awkward Davies posted:I went to that dealership, test drove it, and then bought that car. Ive never bought a car before and Im not good with high pressure negotiating or negotiating in general. I laughed because your post has that step one draw a line, step 2 draw the rest of the loving owl vibes lol. I can do the research for what car I want, find a specific car, etc. But Im gonna need someone to couch me step by step on exactly what to do and say when I walk into the shop cause I have no loving clue how to deal with a salesperson. I would prolly just buy a car from carvana rather than dealing with talking to human trying his best to gently caress me over.
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Dec 9, 2023 00:46
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Boris Galerkin posted:I would prolly just buy a car from carvana rather than dealing with talking to human trying his best to gently caress me over. There is nothing wrong with that, and it's quite refreshing to see someone come right out of the gate knowing their limitations of knowledge and experience. Most people don't have jobs/experience where they routinely negotiate for thing the cost of or exceeding a car. It's why the dealership model works for dealership owners and not so well for customers. You might be interested in things like new car buying services. Cosco has one that is well regarded. There are also various national and regional no haggle used lots. You're not going to get "the best deal possible" (lol) but you will know what the costs are, and you will be able to evaluate if that fits your budget and your requirements for cost vs value. If you then decide to make the transaction you do that and move on with your life.
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Dec 9, 2023 01:03
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Also I have no idea about cars other than how to make it move to take me from A to B. If blinker fluid wasnt such a widespread meme I legit would think its a real thing if a mechanic told me I needed to replace it. Id just assume there was some engine component called a blinker. You can kinda get a better idea why I need someone to hold my hand at the dealership.
Boris Galerkin fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Dec 9, 2023 |
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Dec 9, 2023 01:07
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It's entirely reasonable to see a car as an appliance. Most people only need one as an appliance and then decide to spend more money on a bunch of things they don't need. It sounds like you need a nice used Prius. You should fill out the template in the OP and post here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3213538
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Dec 9, 2023 01:09
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Boris Galerkin posted:Ive never bought a car before and Im not good with high pressure negotiating or negotiating in general. I laughed because your post has that step one draw a line, step 2 draw the rest of the loving owl vibes lol. I can do the research for what car I want, find a specific car, etc. But Im gonna need someone to couch me step by step on exactly what to do and say when I walk into the shop cause I have no loving clue how to deal with a salesperson. I would prolly just buy a car from carvana rather than dealing with talking to human trying his best to gently caress me over. lol fair. But I think its worth noting that I treated it that way because I am also not good at high pressure negotiating. I just went in and said I want that one and Im fine with the price basically. Then I just tried to be alert to anything they tried to tack on. Luckily, as far as I remember, I didnt feel anything got added. I might have ended up paying for a longer warranty? I dont remember.
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Dec 9, 2023 01:53
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Boris Galerkin posted:Also I have no idea about cars other than how to make it move to take me from A to B. If blinker fluid wasnt such a widespread meme I legit would think its a real thing if a mechanic told me I needed to replace it. Id just assume there was some engine component called a blinker. You can kinda get a better idea why I need someone to hold my hand at the dealership. Learning a little something about them is just unavoidable as you own one. You dont have to become an expert though. I dont do my own anything when it comes to maintenance, except like wiper blades which doesnt really count. I had to buy new tires for the first time recently, and that was a bit of a pain. But its like anything else, you do some online research, read some articles, 35 reddit threads and then you make the best choice you can. Personally I think theres a lot of weird macho man feelings tied up in car buying and car maintenance, for me at least. I didnt like those feelings. Its liberating to be like, thats not for me and thats perfectly fine. Know enough to protect yourself and be responsible, keep up with regular maintenance, and thats all you have to do.
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Dec 9, 2023 02:04
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The appliance analogy for cars is a good one in that I may not care about my refrigerator other than its ability to keep my beers cold, but I should probably have a decent understanding of how it works.
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Dec 9, 2023 02:23
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Awkward Davies posted:Learning a little something about them is just unavoidable as you own one. You dont have to become an expert though. I dont do my own anything when it comes to maintenance, except like wiper blades which doesnt really count. I had to buy new tires for the first time recently, and that was a bit of a pain. But its like anything else, you do some online research, read some articles, 35 reddit threads and then you make the best choice you can. Oh, no no no. The reason I dont know poo poo is because I cant care enough to bother. I got my first car handed down when I was 16 and never cared then either.
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Dec 9, 2023 02:37
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Boris Galerkin posted:Oh, no no no. The reason I dont know poo poo is because I cant care enough to bother. I got my first car handed down when I was 16 and never cared then either. Oh you already have one. I didn't own one till 36 or so, shortly before this recent purchase. Sorry for assuming you didn't own one already.
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Dec 9, 2023 02:45
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Yeah my bad I wasnt clear. Ive had a car since I was 16, but I dont have one at the moment (well, since 10 years). A car for me has always been like the fridge (I like this analogy). I know how to open the door to access it and if it makes a weird noise I really dont care to figure it out on my own and Id rather just call someone. Problem is, it seems like everyone involved in owning a car is trying their best to gently caress me over? From the dealer trying to gently caress me over to get his commission, to the mechanic trying to gently caress me over to make more money, to the insurance loving me over because I guess even if I had insurance I cant ever use it because if I do (even though Im obligated to, as thats what Im paying for) then they gently caress me over by doubly my rates, to the parking garage loving me over and so on and so on. Everything involving a car just seems so frustrating and stressful. And then theres the actual driving and well 9 out of 10 people are poo poo drivers and are looking at their phone and now Ive gotta deal with all that.
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Dec 9, 2023 03:01
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Its wild to me how people exist without being even a little bit curious about how their refrigerator works.
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Dec 9, 2023 04:35
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Im curious in the sense that I looked it up once 15 years ago and now the best explanation I can give is it works like a window AC, there are coils that the heat goes out of, which is possibly true but not very edifying
Anne Whateley fucked around with this message at 10:11 on Dec 9, 2023 |
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Dec 9, 2023 05:54
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i like nice words
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E: nvm
Boris Galerkin fucked around with this message at 08:28 on Dec 9, 2023 |
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Dec 9, 2023 08:17
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I am taking a few classes at a local college as a non-degree student while working full time. I already have a bachelors. Aside from the Lifetime Learning Educational Tax Credit, is there anything else I should know tax-wise? Would it be at all beneficial to take an additional class and go full-time?
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Dec 15, 2023 21:42
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Any advice on tracking down old 401k accounts? I believe I have 401k accounts with two former employers, having worked there 10 years ago and 8 years ago. These are medium sized corps that are still doing business. I wasn't making much then, so there probably isn't much there, but I want it. Is it as simple as emailing their benefits department and saying "where's my money"?
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Dec 16, 2023 17:44
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I would. Should be a quick reply. (had an old job where I opened up my 401(k) and saw $0. Gave them a call, was told they switched services and I "must not have gotten get the letter they sent me", had it sorted out quickly.)
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Dec 16, 2023 17:58
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Hughmoris posted:Any advice on tracking down old 401k accounts? You can certainly try that, but if you've moved since then and the custodian has been getting return to sender mail when they send you statements and tax forms for a while they may have already (been required to) turn this over to your state's unclaimed property department. I'd start there.
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Dec 16, 2023 18:00
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Uthor posted:I would. Should be a quick reply. Motronic posted:You can certainly try that, but if you've moved since then and the custodian has been getting return to sender mail when they send you statements and tax forms for a while they may have already (been required to) turn this over to your state's unclaimed property department. I'd start there. For closure: I called Transamerica support and found an angel on the other end. She was extremely knowledgeable and patient, and tracked down everything for me. Long story short, my two previous employers moved their plans off to other services. With the information she provided I was able to create accounts on the respective sites and find my money. Now comes the slog of trying to roll everything over into my current 401.
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Dec 27, 2023 17:34
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Hughmoris posted:For closure: I called Transamerica support and found an angel on the other end. She was extremely knowledgeable and patient, and tracked down everything for me. Long story short, my two previous employers moved their plans off to other services. With the information she provided I was able to create accounts on the respective sites and find my money. Now comes the slog of trying to roll everything over into my current 401. Good job, gotta be sure you follow through now! I've got a note on my todo list to try to go through all my old stuff and track down any accounts. In my youth was way less likely to keep track of things! I did call up my first employer and ask them what the hell happened to those "options" they gave me 25 years. It's still a privately held company, so they just laughed. I'm sure they got blanked decades ago.
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Dec 27, 2023 18:27
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Whats the best easiest way to consolidate prepaid visa/mc gift cards? I got a few for Christmas in amounts of $25+. Im asking because I also have a drawer full of old gift cards that each have some unusable but not zero amount (like 0.01-3.00 range) thats effectively money down the drain cause Ill never find a way to use the last 0.69 dollars.
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Dec 30, 2023 15:01
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