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Don’t Settle

Don’t Settle

Don’t settle for something that isn’t what you really want when you buy things. Doing so will cost you in the long run, and leave you feeling unsatisfied.

I nearly did this years ago, when the Mazda Miatas first came out. There was quite a buzz about them. It seemed like everyone wanted them — so much so that they were going for premiums of up to $8000 OVER list price. (List price was just under $14,000 for the no-frills version.) I remember having to leave a $400 deposit just to test drive one. I test drove it with the idea that maybe it wouldn’t live up to its hype, but it did, and I was hooked. But the base price alone was more than I made in a year. Add in air conditioning, the premium, and tax and we were getting close to twice my annual income. There was just no way. But boy did I want one.

So what did I do? I spent a year or so wishing, and then the Mercury Capri came out. It was significantly cheaper than the Miata, and was also a 2-door convertible. It wasn’t what I really wanted, but it was much more affordable, and nicer than what I currently had. I went down with the intention of buying one. I’m grateful to my ex-husband for what happened next: on the way to the Mercury dealership, he pointed out that I should buy what I really wanted instead. I realized he was right.

Why spend all that money on something that was just a poor substitute? Sure, I STILL didn’t have the money for the Miata and couldn’t buy one, but if I bought the Capri instead I wouldn’t even have a shot at the Miata. We turned around and went home, and I stuck it out with my existing car for a while longer. Shortly before Christmas that year, I came across a low mileage loss leader Miata that was discounted enormously, and I drove home with it Christmas day for less than the price of the Capri.

How much would I have spent over the years on cars if I hadn’t done what I did? It’s hard to say for sure, but probably at least 2-3 times the amount of the original premium-priced Miata. Since that day, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my money buying things that weren’t exactly what I wanted. It’s cheaper in the long run to wait, and the feeling of being completely happy with a purchase is worth it.

View Comment (1)
  • Good idea, knowing what exactly you do and don’t want is really important. It’ll stop you from buying the frill and buzzy items that really aren’t what you’re about.

    What I want isn’t necessarily what I need nor is it necessarily what I really want… keeping up with the Jones’ whoever they are really sucks sometimes

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