A car can look like the deal of the century on a computer screen, right up until the buyer sends money and discovers the dealership never existed. Scammers now create convincing dealership websites that copy real businesses, complete with vehicle … [Read more...] about Fake Car Dealership Websites Are Taking Buyers’ Money — Here’s How to Spot One Before You Pay
A shiny paint job can hide an ugly secret underneath the hood, and sometimes behind the steering wheel. If a used car has a crash in its history, NHTSA now urges owners to take a particularly close look at the air bag system because dangerous … [Read more...] about Bought a Used Car That Was Previously Wrecked? NHTSA Says Check the Airbag Immediately
A $75,000 salary can put a surprisingly nice car within reach, but it does not mean a $50,000 car suddenly becomes a smart purchase. The real question involves more than whether a lender will approve the loan. It comes down to how much room the car … [Read more...] about How Much Car Can You Actually Afford on a $75,000 Salary?
A $20,000 price cut can make a house look like the deal of the century. It can also be the financial equivalent of finding a suspiciously cheap steak at the grocery store and wondering what happened to it before it reached the clearance bin. When a … [Read more...] about A $20K Price Cut Usually Signals A Failed Inspection — What To Ask Before You Lowball
Picture the paperwork after a serious crash: the car sits in a repair shop, the insurance adjuster starts crunching numbers, and the auto lender still expects the remaining loan balance. The vehicle is worth $18,000, but the loan balance sits at … [Read more...] about Your Car Is Worth $18,000 but You Owe $26,000. What Happens If It Gets Totaled Tomorrow?
There is a particular kind of household box that never gets thrown away. It contains old coins, a watch that stopped working sometime during the previous administration, a stack of baseball cards, strange-looking tools and perhaps a belt buckle … [Read more...] about The Stuff Men Keep “Because It Might Be Worth Something” — What’s Actually Valuable?
The dealer asks, “What monthly payment are you looking for?” It sounds like a perfectly reasonable question, but that number can make a car deal look much better than it actually is. The better question comes first: “What is the out-the-door … [Read more...] about The Dealer Wants to Talk Monthly Payment. Here’s the Number You Should Ask for Instead
A loose cabinet handle is one thing, but a leaking pipe behind the wall is a completely different animal. Some home repairs make excellent weekend projects, while others can turn a five-minute YouTube tutorial into water damage, electrical trouble, … [Read more...] about DIY or Call a Pro? 8 Home Repairs Where Getting It Wrong Gets Expensive Fast
