Best Family Sedan?

[MarkS]

And then he goes onto say that people should use debit cards instead of credit cards.
Maybe there is a difference in how you spend between cash and plastic, but between plastic and plastic, really?

And then you lose all of the protections and benefits that credit cards give you.

With debit cards you are limited in what you spend. If you only have $100 left in your account and you still need to get gas, you will spend less at the store!

Again, I agree with you over him, and I personally use CC's for everything. I'm just saying that I definitely end up spending more overall because of it.

[Nitantnel]

And then he goes onto say that people should use debit cards instead of credit cards.
Maybe there is a difference in how you spend between cash and plastic, but between plastic and plastic, really?

And then you lose all of the protections and benefits that credit cards give you.

He says to use it when you MUST

About the miles/benefits Etc.. he claims that most people do not cash in on it. I guess he doesn't know about DD...

[Dan]

Bottom line is the guy has a lot of claims that have no basis in fact.

Only have $100 in your checking account?  Even if you buy just $30 of gas the station will lock up all of your money for days so you have no access to it.

And let's see how that chargeback goes for a purchase you're unhappy with or a fraudulent transaction with a debit card.
That's right, you have no access to that money even if your bank does let you do a chargeback while they investigate.  Whereas with a credit card you won't owe a cent until the investigation is complete.

And on and on and on...

[Nitantnel]

 

Bottom line is the guy has a lot of claims that have no basis in fact.

Only have $100 in your checking account?  Even if you buy just $30 of gas the station will lock up all of your money for days so you have no access to it.

And let's see how that chargeback goes for a purchase you're unhappy with or a fraudulent transaction with a debit card.
That's right, you have no access to that money even if your bank does let you do a chargeback while they investigate.  Whereas with a credit card you won't owe a cent until the investigation is complete.

And on and on and on...

What do you think about storing 10,000.00 Dollars in case of emergency?

[AsherO]

What do you think about storing 10,000.00 Dollars in case of emergency?

$10,000 in cash?

[Dan]

What do you think about storing 10,000.00 Dollars in case of emergency?

That depends on your level of paranoia and what you're afraid of.
I'm sure 1930's German jews would say it makes perfect sense.

Generally speaking though 10K sounds high.  Just ignoring lost interest/miles, what if you are robbed?  Most insurances won't cover currency.

But it does make sense to have some level of cash on hand in case of an emergency.

[Nitantnel]

No, he doesn't mean cash. Actually he says to put it in a CD or any other relatively accessible interest earning account.

My real question is this, Ubhakdim: I did as he says and I will soon have the 10,000 dollars; however I don't know what to do with it.
Savings these days give back only 0.25 percent (and that is only on +10,000 dollars),
CD's give back about 0.90 percent if you leave it in for 9 months.
Even if I leave it in for the 5 years, earning me the highest interest level, it is still only 2.25. With such a interest level, it can hardly be worth it: if i have an emergency on the last day of the forth year, the penalties might be more than all of what I accumulated!

Ubchan, Dan: any suggestions what to do with it?

[Dan]

That's an odd way of phrasing your question.  "Storing $10,000 dollars."  Sounds more like keeping cash under your mattress.

At any rate, my view on this is pretty clear.  As long as interest rates are so low on liquid account you should be earning tax-free AA miles.  1.2 miles per dollar interest beats what the banks are paying and there's no tax owed on miles.
And yes, of course people should have a good chunk of change in a liquid account...no big chidush there.

[AsherO]

No, he doesn't mean cash. Actually he says to put it in a CD or any other relatively accessible interest earning account.

My real question is this, Ubhakdim: I did as he says and I will soon have the 10,000 dollars; however I don't know what to do with it.
Savings these days give back only 0.25 percent (and that is only on +10,000 dollars),
CD's give back about 0.90 percent if you leave it in for 9 months.
Even if I leave it in for the 5 years, earning me the highest interest level, it is still only 2.25. With such a interest level, it can hardly be worth it: if i have an emergency on the last day of the forth year, the penalties might be more than all of what I accumulated!

Ubchan, Dan: any suggestions what to do with it?

BankDirect

[Nitantnel]

That's an odd way of phrasing your question.  "Storing $10,000 dollars."  Sounds more like keeping cash under your mattress.

At any rate, my view on this is pretty clear.  As long as interest rates are so low on liquid account you should be earning tax-free AA miles.  1.2 miles per dollar interest beats what the banks are paying and there's no tax owed on miles.
And yes, of course people should have a good chunk of change in a liquid account...no big chidush there.

I actually never knew such a thing exists!

and now I can finally start to understand your signature...

Excuse my ignorance, is the 1.2 every year, or every month?

looking on their web site:

New Account Offer:

    Earn 1,000 miles for each new Mileage Checking Account or Mileage Money Market Account opened. Additionally, earn 1,000 miles for every $100,000 in the initial deposit.
    Earn 10,000 miles for establishing full payroll direct deposit from your employer into a Mileage Checking Account.*
    Earn 5,000 miles for using BankDirect’s bill pay service.*
    Earn 5,000 miles for using your BankDirect Visa® CheckCard,*
    Earn 1,000 miles for referring a friend when they open a Mileage Checking account.
    All customers limited to 2 transaction accounts per household; one Mileage Checking Account and one Money Market Account.

it hardly seams worth it. At the end of all, I will get about 20,000 miles for the first year, and 10,000 for the succeeding. Why get a credit pull for so little miles?
Explain if i'm wrong

[Dan]

I actually never knew such a thing exists!

and now I can finally start to understand your signature...

Excuse my ignorance, is the 1.2 every year, or every month?

Do you get 0.5% interest every month or every year?
Interest is reported at an annualized rate.
So if you have $10,000 in the bank for a year you'll get $50 interest at .5%, or $4.17 per month.  Then you'll owe tax on that $50.
If you have $10,000 in bank direct you'll get 12,000 miles over the course of a year, or 1,000 miles per month.  You won't owe any tax on the 12,000 miles.

[Dan]

Wound up with an Altima 2.5SL in Metallic Slate (Dark Gray/Graphite color) with black heated leather seats, moonroof, dual-zone+rear AC/Heat, 8 way power seat, intelligent key/push button ignition, etc, etc.

The Altima 4 cylinder has CVT transmission that made it feel more powerful than other 4 cylinder cars.  The V6 would've been a good few thousand more and gas mileage was worse.  Additionally the ride comfort in the 4 cylinder is indeed much better than the V6, as consumer reports also says.  Overall very happy so far, much more fun/sporty than a Camry or Accord IMHO.

Sticker was $27,500+, paid $21,000+.
Had a dealer in Baltimore that was willing to go down to $20,400+ but he didn't have my preferred color and between the airfare there, gas back, and miles on the car it wouldn't have been worth it IMO.

My first car purchase

[AsherO]

Wound up with an Altima 2.5SL in Metallic Slate (Dark Gray/Graphite color) with black heated leather seats, moonroof, dual-zone+rear AC/Heat, 8 way power seat, intelligent key/push button ignition, etc, etc.

The Altima 4 cylinder has CVT transmission that made it feel more powerful than other 4 cylinder cars.  The V6 would've been a good few thousand more and gas mileage was worse.  Additionally the ride comfort in the 4 cylinder is indeed much better than the V6, as consumer reports also says.  Overall very happy so far, much more fun/sporty than a Camry or Accord IMHO.

Sticker was $27,500+, paid $21,000+.
Had a dealer in Baltimore that was willing to go down to $20,400+ but he didn't have my preferred color and between the airfare there, gas back, and miles on the car it wouldn't have been worth it IMO.

My first car purchase

Mazal Tov! May it take you on many safe and fun trips!

Did you get to pay any of it with CC?

[Dan]

Mazal Tov! May it take you on many safe and fun trips!

Did you get to pay any of it with CC?

Thanks!!!

Nope, had to fight tooth and nail to get it down from 22K to 21K locally and there wasn't a chance they were going to lose another cent off me.
If they are willing to take cc it's probably because you didn't push hard enough for more price breaks...

[AsherO]

Nope, had to fight tooth and nail to get it down from 22K to 21K locally and there wasn't a chance they were going to lose another cent off me.
If they are willing to take cc it's probably because you didn't push hard enough for more price breaks...

You still got a killer deal. Did you pay with $1 coins?

(I'm convinced you found a way to monetize the payment part as well, perhaps you and your wife could've paid for it with PayDivvy... )

[Nitantnel]

If the Baltimore dealer was willing to give it to you for 1600 dollars cheaper, the CLE dealer made at least 1600 dollars off you, or every state/dealer is different?

I ma not implying that you got ripped off or something like that - I am just curious how much they "lose" when they claim so.

[yid]

Wound up with an Altima 2.5SL in Metallic Slate (Dark Gray/Graphite color) with black heated leather seats, moonroof, dual-zone+rear AC/Heat, 8 way power seat, intelligent key/push button ignition, etc, etc.

The Altima 4 cylinder has CVT transmission that made it feel more powerful than other 4 cylinder cars.  The V6 would've been a good few thousand more and gas mileage was worse.  Additionally the ride comfort in the 4 cylinder is indeed much better than the V6, as consumer reports also says.  Overall very happy so far, much more fun/sporty than a Camry or Accord IMHO.

Sticker was $27,500+, paid $21,000+.
Had a dealer in Baltimore that was willing to go down to $20,400+ but he didn't have my preferred color and between the airfare there, gas back, and miles on the car it wouldn't have been worth it IMO.

My first car purchase

If the Baltimore dealer was willing to give it to you for 1600 dollars cheaper, the CLE dealer made at least 1600 dollars off you, or every state/dealer is different?

I ma not implying that you got ripped off or something like that - I am just curious how much they "lose" when they claim so.

21,00- 20.400 =600 not 1600

[Dan]

21,00- 20.400 =600 not 1600

That, and dealer costs vary by state.
Generally Baltimore seems to be the cheapest place to buy a car. 

[Deal Guy]

Thanks!!!

Nope, had to fight tooth and nail to get it down from 22K to 21K locally and there wasn't a chance they were going to lose another cent off me.
If they are willing to take cc it's probably because you didn't push hard enough for more price breaks...

Mazal tov!! Now can we see a pic of you smiling in front of your new toy?

[Yellow]

congrats!!

Mazal Tov! May it take you on many safe and fun trips!

+1
I'm really impressed with the way you negotiated so low