21 Things You Should Never Buy New

Wise Bread ^ | 6/28/10 | Lynn Truong

[MissTed]

If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used.

1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't want to bother with a return, there are ways to remove the scratches and make the DVD or CD playable again.

2. Books: You can buy used books at significant discounts from online sellers and brick-and-mortar used book stores. The condition of the books may vary, but they usually range from good to like-new. And of course, check out your local library for free reading material.

3. Video Games: Kids get tired of video games rather quickly. You can easily find used video games from online sellers at sites like Amazon and eBay a few months after the release date. Most video game store outlets will feature a used game shelf, as well. And if you're not the patient type, you can rent or borrow from a friend first to see if it's worth the purchase.

4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: Sometimes you'll need to buy formal clothing for special occasions, such as weddings or prom. Most people will take good care of formal clothing but will only wear it once or twice. Their closet castouts are your savings: Thrift stores, yard sales, online sellers and even some dress shops offer fantastic buys on used formalwear.

[SIDENET]

Never, Never buy a used monkey. It could be very bad.

Oh, NOW you tell me.

[OldPossum]

... I always adopt grown dogs (used) because you can tell their personality. You get a puppy at a pet store - you have no idea what their personality is.

I always adopt old dogs (those from 8 years on). Mainly because I'm a softie and hate to see these wonderful dogs euthanized because their owner died or something like that. Besides, there's a good reason why they're old. They've been good.

[BlueLancer]

"Never, Never buy a used monkey. It could be very bad."

However, I have had nothing but success from my used moose. Still gets great milage.

[BlueLancer]

mileage ... milage ... malage ... menage ... whatever ...

[US_MilitaryRules]

Sears outlet for my new washer and dryer. Electrolux. Just over 1/2 price and they have a little scratch and never used.

[hennie pennie]

Just surf on over to google and type in:

define:

followed by whichever word you need a definition/spelling of, and you should quickly learn the correct spelling.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=define%3Amileage

[Richard Kimball]

This is a list that's probably a good thing to check, but sometimes people spend five dollars to save a dollar. On vehicles, I've bought both new and used. Used isn't necessarily a better deal. My last pickup was a Chevy. By going to a lower based trim, getting a 2K Chevy loyalty discount, 2.5K end of year discount, and a 2.5K GM Card reward and getting the dealer to knock 2K off of the retail price, I drove off the lot in a new extended cab with a full warranty for less than I could buy a used one with around 40,000 miles on it, and I know my truck hasn't been hot rodded or wrecked.

On tools, I don't buy a tool unless I need it. If I need it, I know that Lowe's is going to have it. I don't know if the Goodwill, or the garage sale or the local consignment store will have it. So, I can shoot a couple of hours and a couple of gallons of gas wandering around consignment shops hoping I can save five dollars on a $15 hammer or I can go to one store, buy the hammer, and get back to work. The other option is to buy a used tool you THINK you might need later when you happen upon it. Course, you might not ever need it, which means you saved five bucks off retail, but spent fifteen dollars you didn't need to spend.

[steveab]

I got a demo set of Wilson Ultra 45. list price $599.00 my cost $200.00 with bag.

[Marie]

May I ask where you got the computer? I’m looking for one for my daughter for college.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I bought in 2000 a 1997 Infiniti I30 with 30000 miles on it for 17k. I still have the car with 194k miles.

Think I got my monies worth.

[Kickass Conservative]

>Anything that flies, floats or f——.<

Let me guess, Farts?

[Dust in the Wind]

You could try here...I've done well by them.

http://m.techforless.com/

[DustyMoment]

Actually, I don’t watch CNN at all (too liberal for me, is that the attraction for you?). Actually, I watch the recall lists.

[TalonDJ]

Ah, so you read ACTUAL lists of recalls. You don’t just get it from new articles that only mention Toyota and ignore others. Well if you check the actual recalls from all companies and have determined that Toyota has a higher rate of that then perhaps you can give the rest of us here the numbers. How many more recalls has Toyota had than GM in the last 6 months? If, on the other hand, you are just smarting off based on some random news articles you noticed then you should do us a favor stop spreading disinformation. All companies have recalls.

[Marie]

Thank you! I’ll look into it.

[DustyMoment]

How many more recalls has Toyota had than GM in the last 6 months?

About 80 bazillion. Toyota has recalled everything but their management staff. The shortcuts they took years ago have come back to bite them on the butt and it has affected virtually every car they have manufactured in the past 2 - 4 years, INCLUDING their luxury Lexus brand. In addition, Toyota concealed problems with their cars in Europe for over a year before the same problems started appearing here. They knew about those problems and did nothing to correct them. That's certainly enough to earn MY trust!!

I never said that Toyota was worse than Government Motors but, by the same token, I also never said they were better. Nonetheless, I will never buy a Toyota.

(I know that when you report that disappointing news to the Toyota management team, there will be mass "awws" breaking out all over.)

[GOPJ]

I just paid $290 for a factory refurbished notebook computer that would have cost me $700 otherwise. The vendor offered a 3-year warranty and provided some great support as well.

> If you still like that notebook, do you have a site link? Thanks.

[The Duke]

I sure do ... can’t say enough good about my experience with them: https://www.eritech.com/

The refurb laptop I got from them was the Gateway LT3103u,
which has an 11.6” display (just a little larger than a
netbook), but it has very good disk capacity and performance
characteristics. I just love that little thing! :)

[GOPJ]

I went to the link and got this - are you getting this warning?

This Connection is Untrusted

You have asked Firefox to connect
securely to www.eritech.com, but we can’t confirm that your connection is secure.

Normally, when you try to connect securely,
sites will present trusted identification to prove that you are
going to the right place. However, this site’s identity can’t be verified.

What Should I Do?

If you usually connect to
this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is
trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn’t continue.

Technical Details

www.eritech.com uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

(Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)

[Future Snake Eater]

I’d put “Video Games” into the “it depends” category. Not totally sure about Amazon, but at places like Gamestop usually the latest games only have $5 knocked off for the used price, and it stays at that level for a LOOONG time. Also, I believe Electronic Arts, the 800-lb gorilla of console gaming, is trying desperately to kill used game sales.