I always save a lot of money buying cars after I decided to follow my uncle’s advice.
Instead of getting something brand new with an immediate depreciation of value, he gets cars that are roughly a year old and purchases a dealer warranty for repairs and maintenance.
He gets a car that is almost brand new and doesn’t have to worry about mechanical issues for at least five years. When I followed his advice, I was amazed with the cars I was finding with less than 20,000 miles on them. The prices were affordable and the lack of concern over mechanical issues while having a warranty finally pushed me to take the plunge. I have done this three times over the last 15 years to great success. And whenever I go to trade in my car for something newer, the difference between what I paid and what I get on trade is much smaller compared to people who buy brand new cars. Maintenance contracts are amazing, especially for air conditioners. When I purchased my newest HVAC system, I wondered if getting a maintenance contract would be worth the cost. Part of my mind was thinking that a new system wouldn’t need repairs, thus the cost of the service subscription wasn’t worth it. However, that is far from the case. Aside from bi-annual inspections to ensure that nothing has malfunctioned within the HVAC system, your technician will also refill your coolant if the levels have dropped, replace your air conditioner, flush your condensate line, and clean your evaporator coil as microbial content naturally builds. This way you can keep a brand new air conditioner running at peak performance for much longer than you would without the constant maintenance and service work.