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Brooke Barnes's avatar

This post emphasizes the importance of scrutinizing promotional deals for hidden costs. Asking for both savings and the lower financing rate may be worth a try, though it’s typically not offered upfront. This lesson teaches students to critically evaluate financial offers and understand how financing affects the true cost of a purchase.

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Rheann Chico's avatar

The focus on the "or" in the promotion and the breakdown of the actual costs after financing charges is an eye-opening reminder to dig deeper into the fine print before making financial decisions.

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Robert Puelz's avatar

Glad you took that away!

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Arden Jefferds's avatar

I'm the main person to take care of the car I use, with services and replacements and any incidents. I tend to be the one handling all the paperwork when necessary. When I do buy my own car, I will be on the lookout for this!! In the past, in my experiences with advertising and what I've learned about the subject, it's very important to read the fine print. I feel like with an asset this large and this important, people might miss those little disclaimers and spend more than required. Thanks for sharing!!

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Robert Puelz's avatar

I am glad you have a personal takeaway! Makes my day.

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Peter's avatar

Great learning lesson not just for finance but for a broader business skill: negotiation. Thanks for sharing

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Robert Puelz's avatar

I love this takeaway!

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Carlo Cervantes's avatar

This post not only help those who aren't willing to read the details understand that they matter, but it also helps the others that interests rates are a huge factor if you are in the market to finance. I personally love how we break down the cost of what the dealership is offering and what the numbers say from what they are offering. All and all, what I took from this was to understand the tiny details and do my research prior to making a financial decision.

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Robert Puelz's avatar

Awesome Carlo. Thank you for your remarks.

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Vanya Perevalov's avatar

This is a great post which shows how it's essential to recognize the difference in total cost when opting for financing versus taking the upfront discount. However I was wondering given the choice between $11,000 in savings or 3.9% financing for 60 months, how would someone decide which option is truly the better deal in the long run?

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Robert Puelz's avatar

If the buyer doesn't have the cash, and wants this truck then the financing option is the one. I might see whether I can get the cash option and finance in another manner.....that likely will not work. For a buyer that has the cash, the decision is what the buyer will do with the cash if the buyer chooses the financing choice? Investing at a rate higher than the true cost of financing is the goal, but implausible to find today and risky.

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Katja Groesser's avatar

I love this kind of personal finance content, short and insightful, especially the conclusion: "Ask the sales team for the 'and'."

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