Posted: December 13th, 2009 | Author: Joe | Filed under: spending, Tips | Tags: Buying, Gift Cards, Tips | No Comments »
By now we’ve all heard about the various “gotchas” often applied to gift cards. We’ve all heard the warning bells of hidden fees, expiration dates and the like, but how do you know if that gift card you’re about to buy is booby trapped?
Well, here’s a really simple and handy web site you probably want to check out.
It lists many popular gift cards from credit card issuers, retailers and even restaurants. It then breaks down whether each has purchase fees or if it can expire. There’s also a link to the issuer’s site to buy a card online and the table lists whether the card is shipped for free or not.
This can potentially save a lot of headache and hassle this gift giving season, for you and the gift recipient!
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Posted: September 25th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: spending | Tags: Buying, Opinion | 6 Comments »
Photo by David Clanton
GM has a radio ad for the new Saturn Astra compact which uses a “neutral transmission” at stops and gets 30 MPG highway. Why is this the best U.S. auto manufacturers can do ? It’s pathetic. My 1999 Honda Civic gets 34 and it’s a vanilla (10 year old!) 4 cylinder!
Here’s my thinking on patriotic consumerism:
I buy the best product. Period.
I think that’s best for a free market.
If you want people to buy your product, be better than the competition. It’s that simple. Of course “better” is a complex result that represents a myriad of smaller aspects of a product, such as price, construction, performance, etc..
I would prefer that the best product in a given market is American made, but don’t think you can phone it in, give me some sub-standard product and expect me to buy it just because it’s made in America. You still need to earn it, damn it.
As an American, I don’t want people to buy American products because they were made by Americans. I want Americans to make the best products, and have people buy American because it’s built to last, out performs and is fairly priced.
Let’s consider automobiles, because it seems to be one of the few things that are sometimes still made in America ever since manufacturing made a mass exodus to cheaper and less regulated locales overseas.
Personal Experience.
I’ve owned 4 cars in my life. The first 2 were American made (Buick and Ford). The last 2 have been foreign (Hondas and Subaru). The Buick was a piece of junk, I’m sad to say. It topped out at 89,000 miles. The ford made it to 109,000 miles before it basically rusted away around me. I was told by the mechanic that it was quite exceptional to break the 100k mark in a ford. This did not make me feel better.
The Honda is my commuter car. It’s not as spacious and luxurious as my Buick was, but it gets 34 mpg, just broke the 145,000 mile mark and is still going strong. In fact, a mechanic recently told me it was “just broken in.” The Subaru is our family car. It’s got many warts. Those are the result of striking a deer, and having children. It’s recently hit the 119,000 mile mark and is still plugging away. I should say that the Subaru is an Outback, is a 1999 and gets better gas mileage than many automobiles domestic manufacturers are touting today as “efficient” – and that’s with full time all wheel drive!
Anecdotal Experience.
On our recent camping trip I was lamenting the fact that foreign cars are just plain better than domestic, despite the price. One of our friends told us the story of his Dodge Neon. He absolutely loved that car and was quite upset when he had to buy a new car, but he had little choice. It needed more repairs than it was worth and he had to trade it in. The dealer actually told him the car had been very good to him at 79,000 miles. Yes, you read that right. 79,000 miles.
I had a co-worker last year who owns a Ford Taurus. He’s had to effect major repairs on this car over the past year. Something to the tune of $2,000. He was just told that it needed a new transmission. It has something just shy of 100,000 miles on it. He’s a middle-aged, father of 2 and does not drive like he’s qualifying for Nascar.
Now, I know that these are probably not what would be termed the statistical norm, but the track record is not a good one in my experience. And it’s about the same for everyone I talk to.
The Problem.
So, American made cars suck. But why?
Well, let’s look a GM. General Motors was once the icon of American engineering. The pinnacle of automotive excellence in the world. General Motors has bet the farm on it’s line of trucks and SUV’s. There’s nothing wrong with that – as long as that’s what is selling. It doesn’t take a genius to see that with gasoline at $4 per gallon, trucks and SUV’s have lost their luster. It also didn’t take a clairvoyant to see this a few years ago.
So, I suppose at some level management is to blame. But so are the Unions in my opinion.
According to an article in the NYT from 2005, G. M. and Union in a Deal to Cut Health Benefits :
“It will also cut G. M.’s annual health care expenses by $3 billion before taxes, and save it about $1 billion a year of cash, out of a nearly $6 billion annual medical bill.”
That’s essentially $6 BILLION in the hole that GM began each year with prior to this agreement. This has led some to ponder whether GM is an auto manufacturer, or a health care provider. Still, acerbic commentary aside you can see that you’ve got a company in highly competitive sector playing with a deck stacked against them. And that’s not taking into account the cost of Union Strikes.
Your Take.
What’s your take on all this?
Am I way off base? Am I basing this on flimsy evidence and dealing with data that’s out dated? Please tell me that U.S. Auto makers have turned the corner, gotten their collective act together and are on the fast track to marketplace supremacy once more. Please.
Photo of American Flag made out of cars by David Clanton
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