If you are getting ready to make a major purchase such as a vehicle or appliance, or if you are getting ready to hire an expensive service such as a real estate broker, attorney, contractor, or accountant, how much time do you spend researching before you spend the bucks?
Do you ask friends for advice? Do you read Consumer Reports or some other consumer guide type website or publication? Do you just say: I like the red truck with the extra cab, where do I sign? : )
How do you decide where to spend your money?
Maybe I’ll get a skewed answer since presumably most of you are more research oriented than average or you wouldn’t be a BTer.
I’m thankful for the loyal opposition! It’s hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
Replies
An hour or two, depending...
As you have probably noticced, I am an info junkie, so I stay fairly well informed as it is. Reading these threads, and a handfull of periodicals lays a background for some instinctive reasioning or educated guesses. I listen when others voice opinions, keeping the context of their report in mind.
When I feel uncomfortable, I do more.
For instance, we don't do many air conditioning systems here, so I am lacking in knowledge there. So I got three estimnates for this job, due diligence for the customer and all, then I did a check on the units proposed.
BTW, Consumer reports doesn't get much respect from me, fopr what it's worth. Too many times I have seen them pan a product that I know well to be great, sometimes it seems with a political or PC slant in their basics.
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
BTW, Consumer reports doesn't get much respect from me, fopr what it's worth. Too many times I have seen them pan a product that I know well to be great, sometimes it seems with a political or PC slant in their basics.
great minds think alike ... or something like that.
completely useless to me as a source of info.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
>> An hour or two, depending...
On whether it's morning or afternoon? {G}
I agree that Consumer Reports has some lapses, but it has also sent me to some great buys on several items such as stereo, washer/dryer, dishwasher, truck, car, etc. I especially like their vehicle reviews, since hundreds of thousands of actual owners report on their own experiences with the cars and trucks they own their April issue which covers used cars is a wealth of info. (I have them going back to 1999.) AFAIK, they don't do 3/4 ton and heavier pickups and that's too bad. When approximately 3 or 4 owners in 1,000 of late model Lexus report problems and approximately 70 out of 1,000 owners of late model Jeeps report problems, it's gotta mean something.
Ya gotta figure: Who's gonna work for such an outfit? Some idealistic save the world type, probably. But you know from your experiences here at BT that most of that type would never let their politics slant their work. ; )I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
when I was selling new cars ... I was trained to sell 6 lines ...
4 american(pontiac/olds/cadillac/GMC trucks ... 2 import(izuzu/suzuki). the dealership also had a seperate lexas showroom across the lot, so we were cross-trained, and a saturn dealer in the same big showroom.
I drove all of them daily ... at that time ... the us stuff way outperformed the import stuff was sold ... 2 "truck lines ... Izuzu and Suzuki.
But the imports constantly got better write ups vs the GMC's ...
and the GMC's constantly outperformed those imports in each and every way.
I didn't go into the industry thinking CR's to be the bible .. came out knowing they're more wrong that right when it comes to cars/trucks ...
tons of customers ... all coming back with the same complaints ... "Why's my crappy little import the only one that's crap" ... CR's said this crappy little import is great .. just gotta only mine ... funny how they all had the same complaints? Funny how same complaints never got published??
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
So yer tellin me I mighta made a mistake buying a '02 Ford F150 4x4 because it gets top rating in Consumer Reports?
Remember, I didn't say that I relied on Consumer Reports for new car test drive recommendations, I said I relied on the used car info because it's directly as reported by owners of those vehicles. I think the CR recommendations for cars simply tested by their drivers are no better, and more PC slanted, then the driver tests from the various car mags.
A lot of people use trucks hard out here with steep grades, high elevations (which cut power dramatically), big stock trailers and hay trailers, snow, off-roading in the mountains, etc. I can tell you that there is a rash of problems of every type, but specially trannys and axles, with Dodge trucks.
And I still think that Toyota has built way fewer losers than Chrysler or GM. I hope someday Toyota will build a real pickup truck.I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
no ... I'm telling U ya made a mistake reading the mag in the first place.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Soooo.... You've articulated your b!tches, what do you do before buying a bigger ticket item?I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
drink heavily.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
See you mentioned a/c, last job I did they used high pressure a/c. Bascially 3" flexible hose real slick system without having all the duct work. HVAC guy says they do alot in remodes, might be something that would good for the type of work you seem to get involved in.
Thanks - that's what it is - a high presure, high velocity system
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Like a lot of BTer, I do my research here at BT. :)
See the thread where he asked for advice if he should have kids or not? There are (or is?) a lot of other similar threads looking for information here.
The answers are usually very diversed and good, that's one of the reasons why I come here.
>> The answers are usually very diversed and good, that's one of the reasons why I come here.
I heartily agree!I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
Some stuff you can go to Amazon and see the customer reviews. I have found these to be very useful. Another site for online resellers is resellerratings.com. Sometimes I research too much and interfere with my gut feel on things.
That is a good point. I bought my mother a TV for Christmass. Started out looking for a DVD/VCR cpmbo 'cause her old VCR had bit the dust. Not knowing much about th enewest tech stuff and not having opportunity to shopp a bunch of stores and look at the things, I used the consumer's reviews posted at online purchase sites to locate what has turned out to be great.It was a TV with the other players integrated and she now has just one remote for everything. We can send her a CD of photos - she isn't on a PC and doesn't want to be - and she can slip it into the multi format player and bingo, slide show! Had I just got a player, the hookup would have been a tech challenge for her. With this, she just plugged it in and the menu came up to say howdy ma'am, please press 1 to play...
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"I bought my mother a TV for Christmass."
Ah, was this lately? I mean , what I was thinkin ,.. never mind. <G>
Not to hijack this thread but, I heard a story on NPR last week talking about the extremely hot housing market in California. There are so many people looking to buy(according to the story) and so few houses, that when a person or a couple sees a house that they might like, the realtors say make an offer right then.
No research, no clause to sell their old house first, no second visits, not even putting language in the offer that says that it's contingent on an acceptible home inspection. Because if they want something like that in the offer, the sellers will just sell to the next guy in line. Oh, and also their offers were for 20-50K more than the asking prices.
One woman said she and her husband researched digital cameras for a week before they purchased one . . . for $300.00, whereas they bought a house for 600K after thinking about it for ten minutes.
What a world huh?
Hasbeen will correct me but its somthing like 20 minutes it takes to sell a house in the buyers mind if its gonna happen. Somthin like that . ,... any way pretty quick.
Tim Mooney
What a wierd specie we are.I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
Maybe I'll get a skewed answer since presumably most of you are more research oriented than average or you wouldn't be a BTer.
Im wondering too.
I dont pull the trigger until Im sure its the best decison if Ive got time . Auctions or things real cheap for value I pull the trigger as fast as a covey rise in the woods. . Last thing I bought was a 14 ft flat bottom boat I saw in a yard . He wanted 100 dollars . I pulled a 100 out as soon as he said a hundred. Sold it for 250 in my yard that weekend. I knew the value as I like to trade on boats in the spring. This is close enough as warm as it is. I make offers on houses on the spot . I try to make an offer on every house I look at but I know the value once again. I bought my truck off the side of the road on my way home . He wanted 16000 . I walked away fom him and called the chevy store for wholesale and my banker for loan value . Banker said 15,600 and chevy store said 15, 300. Retail was 18,500. I called the banker back and told her I just wrote a check for 12,000 and its hot as a fire cracker. She cut it off at the pass . That took an hour. I bought a boat on Ebay in three hours, but I had two hours research. I buy land and repos on the court house steps in 15 minutes with a few hours per unit inspection and research per item. Ive bought a couple of tracts of land on tax sales which are about the same. Takes me a long time to buy new tools , but I dont care as I like looking. I know Im going to pay full retail and that gives me plenty of time. Of course I search the internet for price first. I spend a lot of time on Ebay looking for relaxation and to learn values. The Chevy store and my old broker have both tried to employ me because they know I live and eat trading.
Im gonna add to say I spend a heck of a lot of time looking for price and cant geter done . Thats where most of my time is spent . It took a year to find that truck and nearly that long to find the boat. So in reality I had a lot of time in those buys. Houses is an on going thing , like a way of life. Im doing pretty good if I can buy 1 house out of 12 sets of offers. I might offer 4 times on one house but only count that as one.
Tim Mooney
Great post, Tim. Thanks.I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
Yer talkin about that post to pif aint ya ? <G>
BTW. I dont care what food costs unless Im buyin Mike Smith vettles at Outback.
I dont care what minnows are a dozen but I want two dozen for a dozen price. Lotta people that way.
BUMP