- Aug 19, 2001
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There's a chance I'll need to buy a car in the next 6 months. If I do, I need to be as smart as possible about it because the purchase will be funded with loan money. I spent the last few hours reading at the usual sites (Edmunds, FWF, SD, KBB, Cars.com etc) , but I don't think I've come across any articles written in the last 3-4 months about car shopping.
I get the feeling that the economy is so off-kilter that I need to find a good article comparing buying new vs used. With the incentives and financing available (unless something changed in the last 6 months, my FICO is great), I think it should be possible to make out with a hell of a deal. My financial aid is awarded in lump sums to cover living expenses each term. With my package and my frugal lifestyle, I should have ~8k extra in each term. I'm not keen on the idea of borrowing at 8.5% (Grad PLUS) to buy a car, but if I have to shadow someone 30 minutes away and volunteer at clinics at odd-hours, I'll need some form of reliable transportation.
I know it would be cheaper to rent a car for the shadowing and bike to/from clinic, but when I start rotations in 2011, I'll definitely need a car. I'd rather buy now, when I think we're near the worst of the recession, than buy when things ought to be improving.
Anyway, has anyone spotted a recently published article about car shopping? I've read some that lack publication dates, and others from December 2008. I'm hoping for something published after March 2009.
I get the feeling that the economy is so off-kilter that I need to find a good article comparing buying new vs used. With the incentives and financing available (unless something changed in the last 6 months, my FICO is great), I think it should be possible to make out with a hell of a deal. My financial aid is awarded in lump sums to cover living expenses each term. With my package and my frugal lifestyle, I should have ~8k extra in each term. I'm not keen on the idea of borrowing at 8.5% (Grad PLUS) to buy a car, but if I have to shadow someone 30 minutes away and volunteer at clinics at odd-hours, I'll need some form of reliable transportation.
I know it would be cheaper to rent a car for the shadowing and bike to/from clinic, but when I start rotations in 2011, I'll definitely need a car. I'd rather buy now, when I think we're near the worst of the recession, than buy when things ought to be improving.
Anyway, has anyone spotted a recently published article about car shopping? I've read some that lack publication dates, and others from December 2008. I'm hoping for something published after March 2009.