QOTD: Have You Ever Saved Someone?
No, we’re not talking about coming to someone’s emotional rescue, nor are we concerned about that time you pushed your buddy out of the way of that speeding Amtrak while searching for a corpse back in the ’80s.
This is serious stuff. A person can set themselves up for a world of emotional and financial hurt by choosing the wrong car, and, just maybe, you’ve successfully coaxed someone away from the proverbial ledge.
Corey’s quest to find a suitable replacement for his Outback brought this question on. No longer a member in good standing of the Burlington windbreaker set, he finds himself adrift in a sea of choice. Some replacement vehicles are promising, others could be hazardous to his sanity and wallet. Hopefully, once that wagon and its Bernie 2020 sticker are gone, he’ll be happy behind the wheel of a sensible and reliable automobile that leaves him free to pursue a life of religious fulfilment.
However, we all know just how powerful and nonsensical human emotions can be. Giving advice to a friend or family member? They might give your expert words a half-hearted listen just to soothe your frail ego, but the heart so often overrules the mind. One car is cuter, so it gets the buy. One has a nifty feature, so it’s the one dragged home from the dealer.
While we’ve talked about successful buying advice in the past, today we want to know if — and how — you saved an acquaintance or loved one from making the biggest mistake of their life. What were they looking to buy, and how did you sway them away from a life of misery?
[Image: Sajeev Mehta/TTAC]
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I saved my wife from a bad car-buying decision. Back in the tail end of 2015, she wanted to replace her 2009 Jetta, which she's had since college, and get something bigger with AWD. Her choices were whittled down to a 2015 4Runner Limited, Subaru Outback Limited or a BMW X5. She chose the Outback Limited. Not the most reliable thing out there, but just about anything's gotta be better than a BMW when it comes to reliability. I have to say that it's been very reliable so far after three years and 60,000 miles. Granted, three years and 60k miles is not that much -- a lot remains to be seen (and *won't* be seen since my wife doesn't hold on to cars as long as I do) -- but I'm sure that had she opted for the X5, there would have been a series of dealer visits for various problems and maybe even a tow or two. If she bought the X5 and then tried to be like me and wanted to keep the car for 10 years (six years OUT OF WARRANTY)... ***insert Scotty Kilmer's obnoxious chortle here***.
Wheeee ! . -Nate
My newly licensed 21yo nephew in Maine called me up a few weeks ago to ask what I thought about a 4yo Optima with 80K on it for something like $400/mo. So my first questions were "what's the interest rate and for how long, and what's the price of the car"? He didn't know(!) - I told him to find out. $15K, 18%, and 72mo were the answers. I explained to him why this was a *spectacularly* bad idea. Oh, and since he has had his license a month, $200mo for insurance. He takes home
In the summer of 2001 I had just returned from boot camp and with my Army reserve money being a steady income my mother suggested I purchase a reliable but affordable car. I saw a Pointiac Sunfire on my way into class one day and stopped to look at it. The asking price of a brand new Sunfire was lowered to $9,900. I couldn't believe it! So cheap! I asked my mother and step father about it. He took me aside and said "I know you really want a new car, but I can't let you but this piece of shit. I'm sorry" The following week we looked at a Nissan Sentra GXE. Brand new with a convenience package of $450, I took it home for $13,450. I owned that car for 8yrs and 165k trouble free miles.