Canadian Personal Finance Blog

Archive for November 5th, 2007

Buying Used Cars

Buying a car seems to really bring out the worst in people (me 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 mis-trust involved), but my wife and I continue to have worries about whether we are making the right decision.

I think 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 can be 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 really 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.

Why is Gas Cheaper in Cornwall?

I got gas for 10 cents cheaper in Cornwall, and I have no idea why?