A few of you know about my adventure in buying a new car back in August. My car was ten years old and started to show her age, so I decided to go online and search the various auto dealers’ websites to see who had the best prices. While the thought of purchasing a car after ten years was nerve racking, it was nothing compared to the adventure that was about to unfold.
If you recall, the “Cash for Clunkers” program was still being offered by the government, giving people up to $4500 for their “clunker” if they traded it in toward the purchase of a qualifying vehicle. My car did not qualify for the program even though it was ten years old. This was something I knew up front and was not a motivational factor in my hunt for a new car.
I found the model car that I was looking for online advertised for $19,000 (a price significantly lower than all other advertisers) at a dealership 50 miles away from my home. For the discount, it was worth the time and distance to drive up there to buy the car. After an hour at the dealership, the salesperson and I sat down to do the paperwork to complete the purchase. I was surprised when I started seeing numbers much higher being written down on the paperwork, so I stopped the sales person and asked him where he was getting the figures.
Turned out that the advertised price assumed the Cash for Clunkers-eligible car was being traded in, even though it was not noted in the online advertisement. Needless to say, I didn’t purchase the car and drove away very frustrated and disappointed. Too bad my story doesn’t end there.
Two days after my experience with the car dealership, my car was involved in an accident a repair shop. As the mechanic was driving the car into the service bay, the car struck another vehicle. Fortunately it was a low-speed impact and nobody was hurt. Unfortunately, this was the start of a month-long headache since three separate insurance companies worked with each other to identify who was at fault and how it would be remedied.
In my state, you are required to have insurance on your car or pay a set fee for your uninsured vehicle (a requirement similar to the proposed health care insurance policy in the House Health Care Reform bill). I have carried the same insurance provider for the past two decades, and have been quite satisfied with the service they provide. While the hassle of trying to resolve the liability and costs associated with my car following the accident was frustrating, the insurance provider did explain the procedures and terms associated with my claims in this incident.
Most people who try to find an insurance provider will seek out cheap full coverage car insurance first, hoping to get the most bang for their buck. This is a good practice if only to create a baseline to compare quotes from various insurance providers. I went through this practice before settling on my current provider. And while they are not the cheapest, they are competitive compared to some of the other national insurers. I think the added costs of my plan helped with the “relatively” quick conclusion of my claim.
Though my adventure didn’t unfold the way that I thought, it did create a story that I will remember and retell for many years to come. It also reinforces two rules in life. First of all, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Secondly, you get what you pay for. This applies even to things like the Health Care Reform proposals.
We are being told that the House plan would provide near universal coverage for all while saving the taxpayers money. I just have a difficult time accepting that Congress, who has yet to resolve the shortfalls of the existing Medicare program and Social Security, can establish a new Federal program that lowers cost. Just as when you search for an insurance policy, or as when you are given bad news by your doctor, I think we need to search out another option before we assume a new entitlement program that we cannot afford, or at least, get the most bang for our buck.
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