"Wow !!! What a great show !! Everyone I knew at the show said it was a great improvement over the one in Philly. We had a blast. can't wait till the next one in the fall. Good to see you again." --Frank Forward I had a good time. It was a nice turnout and the lot was full. I liked that there were more vendors this year--gave us another thing to do while checking out the cars. We also liked the art show. I was too lazy to get anything together for this year, but I picked up some cards of other artists and may buy a print or two. --Don Haring, Jr., Philadelphia, PA |
||||
| click on thumbnails to read articles | ||||
Hey! Just wanted to extend a big thanks to you and everyone involved with the Hot Rod Hoedown! We really had a great time the venue was cool and it was a very well-runned event. The response to our set was great! We met a lot of new people and nearly sold out of all the shirts and CDs that we brought with us! We'd love to come back and play Philly again...if there's another event that you need Psycho Charger feel free to drop us a line! Thanks again Hey ProfCouch The car I towed registered number 185 what exactly IS it? Also if you know of anyone who took any pictures or video of my shows have them send it to me I'd really appreciate it. Well that's enough for now. Keep in touch I'd like to work with you guys more often! Thanks I wouldn't miss it for anything. Definately the craziest party this year! I can't stop telling people about it! casey /tric magazine ***Dear Furry Thanks again for including us. Cruise easy Flaming Don ( Dad Don ) & Kathe Smith Forgot to tell you we are going to laminate your write up "Like Father-Like Son" for Don. You know what we had almost too much fun. Is that possible? Don & Kathe Smith To read more visit the Ouch Zine. |
||||
|
||||
| click thumbnails to view larger image | ||||
| To Read more on the East Coast Explosion and other stuff check out the OuchZine! | ||||
You literally can avoid the high depreciation of a new car, while still getting the protection provided of a long-term warranty. And when we're talking about used cars, we're not talking about a 4-door Nova with one brown door. There are plenty of clean, low-miles, late-model used cars available from reputable used car dealers. Used car sales are no longer limited to weedy lots on the outskirts of town. Many luxury new car dealers are even offering "certified" used cars, which are immaculate and offer extended warranties, just like brand new cars. Used cars are readily available from dealers with two-year/24,000 mile warranties. Of course, you will pay more for a used car from a dealer than if you bought one from a private seller. The dealer is in business and needs to make a profit, plus you're getting something extra-the security afforded by the warranty. Let's say you don't have the money to pay dealer prices. You need to buy a car from a private owner, as is, with no guarantees. Are you opening yourself up to get rooked? New car enthusiasts like to say so. They'll always note some hypothetical friend of the sister of someone they work with who swears it's true that they bought a used car from a private buyer and it turned out to be a 95% Bondo and they were stuck with it. (And then they came home and found a poodle in their microwave.) People do get stuck with lemons, but this is probably a phenomenon of lazy or uninformed buyers who are more impressed with shiny paint and a bitchen radio than the actual mechanics of a car. As we've stated many times in this column, a trustworthy mechanic can give a used car a very thorough check and let you know what condition the it is in. Having a mechanic check a car is not a guarantee against breakdowns, but it should prevent you from getting a lemon. But even if you buy a used car and have to repair it at some point, you are still better off than buying a new car. New car enthusiasts will argue that they buy new because new cars don't break down and they want to avoid high repair costs of "old" cars. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the savvy hosts of the radio show Car Talk, compared the cost of buying, maintaining and insuring a brand new car, a 3-year-old car and a beater car for a year. Of course, the beater was the cheapest. According to their study, a new car cost over $10,000 a year to own and maintain. Sure, there were lower repair costs, but the cost of making car payments and higher insurance premiums eclipsed the expenses of the beater car. Remember that if you're financing a car, you are required to purchase full insurance coverage. (And none of these estimates even factor in depreciation!) The 3-year-old used car was estimated to cost a little over $5,000 a year, which included some repairs. The beater car, even assuming a large repair bill, averaged only $3,767 a year for everything. He went on to correctly reason that the of fear large repair bills on a used car is unfounded, since with a new car, you're guaranteed to be making huge payments to the bank every month. And even though a used car will need to be repaired some months, other months, it will need no repairs whatsoever. Unless you make a terrible choice in purchasing a used car from a private seller, your repair bill will most likely never equal what you pay in car payments and insurance on a new car.  But what about the value of "keeping up with the Joneses?" Isn't there a value in having the newest, latest, greatest, most improved model? Not really, since new cars really aren't that "new" anymore. Cars used to be radically restyled and redesigned to try to make the owner of last year's model feel like his car was obsolete. New cars today will get a slight change in the curve in the body, a new tail lens design or some little interior appointment that doesn't really affect the overall quality of the car. But as far as serious changes to the engine or mechanics, from year to year, "new" cars actually change very little. Most car designers are concerned with wind resistance, which is why so many cars are sharing the same jellybean-like style. And for those years when a car really is completely new from the ground up, it should be actively avoided anyway. While cars are designed by pros and tested rigorously, the bugs of a new design can't be worked out until it's been driven around by the public. When you add up the exorbitant cost of a new car, the ridiculous depreciation and the high insurance rates, it's really quite a high price to pay to be a hell-heeled guinea pig. In 1985, it took an average of 21 weeks of work to buy a new car. By 1995, it took 27 weeks. Now let's talk about the most ridiculous aspect of new cars-depreciation. New cars depreciate 16 to 35% in their first year. Would you invest in a business where you were guaranteed to lose 16 to 35% of your investment in the first year? (If, so, we know a jackass new men's magazine that would love to hear from you!) Luxury cars and sport utility vehicles have the highest depreciation. Many people are leasing cars now, and this can work to your advantage. If someone leases a new car for a couple of years, they eat the depreciation and then the car goes back to the dealer they leased it from, and usually goes on sale as a used car. (We're talking about cars leased to individuals, not ones leased as weekly rental cars or as part of a commercial fleets. Avoid these cars, as they have probably been seriously abused.) This is a good way to pick up a late-model used car that someone else has already eaten the depreciation on. New cars depreciate the fastest in the first couple of years, and then the rate eases up. Some cars that are only a few years old are also still covered by their manufacturer's warranty, which can oftentimes be extended up to 100,000 miles or sometimes even to the life of the car. The only value of a new car is simply vanity and sheer luxury, and more Americans seem to be realizing this. In 1990, 33% of Americans believed that owning a used car was a negative status symbol. By 1995, only 14% thought it was a negative status symbol. So, used cars are not as dicey of a proposition and they used to be, and you can easily find a late-model used car that is as clean, beautiful and warrantied as a brand new one. The only real difference is in your mind. The only reason to buy a new car is if you have the extra money to throw into a new car to enjoy it as a sheer extravagant luxury. If you do have that much extra walking around or f-you money, congratulations and more power to you. But don't make the argument that a new car is more practical, more dependable or a more secure purchase, because it's simply not true. As always, savveat emptor-buyer be savvy. |
||||
|
||||
