New or Used
Lynn at Wisebread recently wrote this list of “21 Things You Should Buy Used” that appeared at Yahoo Finance.
A great list, but I didn’t agree on all the items-I thought I would see what you think.
I Agree-Great used items!
- Books-used books are cool-I drop by our local bookstore to swap paperbacks-especially when I am taking vacation time. When digital readers drop in price further-used bookstores may go the way of newspapers…
- Exercise Equipment-I call treadmills clothes racks at my office-as that is what 90% of my patients do with them… So buy used until you are sure you will stick with it.
- Cars, Trucks, and Cycles- Buying used is almost always the way to go-Depreciation, Depreciation, Depreciation.
- Office furniture-I have an eclectic mixture of office furniture-the new is almost always expensive, but poorly made.
- Ikea Furniture-back in the dark ages, we called college furniture, cinder blocks, and 1×12′s, a transistor radio, and a bean bag chair.
- Musical Instruments-Until you have mastered an instrument, no reason to buy new. Even violin, guitar and piano experts buy used their entire career. Stradivarius baby!!
- Video Games-Kids are fickle-they may only play for a day.
- Home Accents-In South Georgia, we call these knick-knacks-or usually just junk! “Antique-like!” Yard sales, and Goodwill stores rule! But the less the better, according to clutter experts.
- Recreational toys-boats, RV’s, and other motorized toys. Just make sure you get a qualified mechanic to check ‘em out first. I once bought a used sailboat. The engine quit in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on my way home-thank goodness it had a sail! My fault for not having it checked out better. Just needed a flushed fuel tank.
- Gardening-yard-household Supplies-a good friend has a pressure washer I borrow once a year. He likes the fact that the engine gets turned over more than just once a year. I always leave it filled with gas and oil. Well, almost always….
Things I personally would think twice about buying used:
- House-I have bought new and used. Since I am not much good at fixing up-I have really enjoyed my new home-(now 20 years old). Many new homes are going at a great discount right now, and construction prices are lower than in many years. You need to think this one through carefully-for your needs.
- Jewelry-If I had a reliable source for used jewelry-maybe. But how do you know you aren’t buying fakes. Buyer beware-get it appraised before purchase.
- Timeshares-I wouldn’t even buy a used or after-market time share. A friend, (a millionaire nurse by the way) bought several a few years ago. He thought he was an expert, sophisticated purchaser. It wasn’t the price that got him, it was the yearly maintenance fees and nickle and dime charges over and over…
- Electronics-if you have techno-skills maybe. If not save your money, and make a good purchase on a new one. Plan your spending and purchase, of course.
- DVDs and CDs-only if they are pristine condition. I have had no luck with used discs.
- Hand tools-these are usually so inexpensive-just buy ‘em. You will spend more on gas looking for good ones at the yard sale, and remember your time has value. And can you really just walk past that Elvis rug, while looking for that special hammer!!
A caution about borrowing.
I borrowed a large extension ladder from the same friend who loans me the pressure washer. He came by one day and asked to BORROW his ladder back.
I looked in the back yard where I thought I left it. It wasn’t there… I had a moment of panic, thinking it had been stolen, and of course, told him I would repay him.
That’s when he broke into a grin, and told me he picked it up the day before….FRIENDS!!!! I might have called him a name.
Reader Questions/Comments:
What do you like to buy new, and what used?
Do you think buying used always saves money?
Do you know what cinder blocks and 1×12′s are for-have you ever heard of a cinder block?
Tags: buying used, buying used saves money, does buying used save money, new versus used
Yep, I think it has everything to do with the ‘use’ of the item in question.
I have always bought ‘new’ school books even though they recommend you buy used. It’s a personal choice of wanting to ‘mark up’ the book to my liking since I’m a bit of an over-kill with tabs and highlighting. LOL
I think if you do your ‘homework’ on the item in question, new or used will reveal itself without any trouble at all.
Sean, yes with anything, you have to do your homework. New-you have buyers regret, and depreciation/overpaying. With used, you deal with the risk of unknown issues/damages.
I think that, overall, I am moving into used on more and more.
I would be afraid to buy a completely new home after all the talk about shoddy construction practices has been floating around. I wouldn’t want a home that was 100 years old, but a home with some life to it already would be nice.
Where are you buying your used CDs/DVDs? We have a huge used store here in Knoxville, and I’ve never bought a CD/DVD from there that was scratched. (The ones that were scratched usually had a warning label on the front of the product.) Maybe you just need to find a more reputable store.
I really can’t think of anything I’d have to have new over used, except underwear! I know they sell lingerie in some thrift shops, but that just grosses me out! :-p
As a medical professional-I am with you on the lingerie!
I just can’t buy used books. I often buy a hardback…and when it comes out… the paperback, because it is easier to read. I am apt to read the book over and over again and I loan them out to friends. As for “used” jewelry, estate jewelry is often much nicer than newer pieces. Many reliable jewelry sites sell estate jewelry and you can count on it being unique. As for “used” cars, I have never bought one, but with this economy, I am on the lookout for a nice, lightly used Mustage
Lisa, I am just going to trust you on the estate jewelry. I would be afraid of being wrong/fooled on pricing. Maybe with experience, but doubt I will be getting it (experience in jewelry buying).
Good luck on the “used Mustang”.
CDs and DVDs are fine if you stick to “very good” or better.
Thanks for stopping by! Maybe it’s my player.
I love buying EVERYTHING used, everything. WEll, maybe not….. computers, I like to buy new, as they do seem to have a 5yr shelf life before things start fading hard.
I haven’t bought a used computer yet, though I have inherited a few used components from my techno-geek son….
I have looked for a used apple macbook-to dip my toe in the mac world, but haven’t found one yet that I wanted to pull the trigger on.
Nice article, going on my “best reading” Sunday roundup tomorrow.
I’ve had good luck with electronics. I owned a Mac from 2003, $2500+ when new, and saw it was going for <$200 on eBay. It runs up to Leopard (One OS from Apple prior to current) and is a workhorse.
I've also bought TiVos. The weak link in a TiVo is the hard drive and I'm comfortable imaging a drive to replace it. TiVos with lifetime service are available and when you compare to the cable company rental, the money saved will pay to replace these one every 6 months. 2 years now and none have failed.
I find that I'd go back to very few books. So it's the library for me.
Thanks for the round-up love!
We are in the dark ages with basic cable-so haven’t tried a TiVo yet. And libraries RULE!
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