Single retiree is selling a big paid-off house and asked me and huzzeh for help deciding whether or not it makes sense to rent an apartment or buy a condo. What questions should we consider to help make this decision?
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posted by elizeh
on Apr 18, 2013 -
17 answers
We busted a D-string on my kid's violin and now I need to buy a new one online. Which one to buy? And a complete set or just a single replacement?
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posted by sively
on Mar 28, 2013 -
12 answers
I'm moving house next weekend and new place does not have WiFi. It's a six month lease and I'll probably be moving out of the country after that. I use a lot of internet (streaming music, downloading podcasts, films, sending large files, using cloud services, etc.) and so I need something unlimited or pretty near it. Everything I'm seeing online so far is either too much £ for too little internet (£20 for 2GB per month, seriously??) or too much commitment (12-18 month contracts for phone, broadband and TV). I only need internet. What are my options, if any? Thanks!
posted by iamkimiam
on Mar 9, 2013 -
11 answers
For a decade I've had a 4-letter English word domain at .be and a law firm contacted me about buying it.
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posted by skywhite
on Feb 28, 2013 -
28 answers
I am a Rhode Island resident. I'm in San Francisco, CA for several months, working. I've decided to buy a car from a friend here, and today I'm going over to give him the money (I've been driving it for a week or two, since he already bought a new car and we trust each other).
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posted by betsbillabong
on Feb 26, 2013 -
6 answers
Time for a new (to me) laptop! I know this isn't that complicated, but I hate computer shopping. Please give me your wise advice on what to get and where to get it.
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posted by aka burlap
on Feb 11, 2013 -
16 answers
One of my oldest friends is selling his 2002 VW Passat Station Wagon (GLX V6). He bought it new and has taken good care of it (I've known him for 30 years; he takes care of things). He has all of the car's records.
As it turns out, I'm in the market for a used car. The car drives beautifully. He is listing it at $6K. But a thorough pre-purchase inspection uncovered several problems, for which he is willing to take the price down. How can we find a fair value for the car? And should I buy this Volkswagen at all?
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posted by betsbillabong
on Jan 30, 2013 -
28 answers
It's time for me to get a new car. I'm leaning towards a smaller car. What should I get?
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posted by reenum
on Jan 21, 2013 -
55 answers
Inspired by all these threads (
1,
2,
3) I was wondering which products are much cheaper than other products in the same class, but offer comparable, or exceptional performance. Generally, I would suppose these would mainly come from
Chinese companies that aren't very well-established internationally.
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posted by titantoppler
on Jan 20, 2013 -
17 answers
I haven't seen a post for this in the last year. Help me buy a nice 32-42in TV by answering a few questions about my price range, TV options, etc :)
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posted by bbqturtle
on Aug 6, 2012 -
10 answers
Married, and have some savings. Does it make sense buying a condo just for giving it out as rental? Caveat - I may have to sell it off in about 3-4 years though so I'm wondering whether it'll all be worth it.
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posted by bbyboi
on Jul 31, 2012 -
12 answers
I am about to receive a one-time windfall of about $6500 after taxes. I would like to hear suggestions for spending it that will result in happy memories, a sense of accomplishment, or acquiring something that we enjoy owning.
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posted by The Elusive Architeuthis
on Jun 1, 2012 -
34 answers
I don't know enough about cars. Should we trade in the Subaru for a pick-up truck? If so, how do we pick a truck?
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posted by blue_bicycle
on Apr 26, 2012 -
20 answers
Teach-Me-About-Renting-Vs-Buying Filter: I'm in my mid-20s and have been in my "grown up job" for about a year now, and it's about time to get my own place. What do I need to know, beyond just comparing rent and mortgage payments?
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posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
on Feb 12, 2012 -
39 answers
Hey!
So i am about to buy my very first vehicle and am pretty excited about the whole deal. My budget is no more than 5k and I am looking to get me a used small pickup truck. It seems like my best options are either a T100, Tacoma, frontier or a b2500. Are those considered reliable used pick ups? What kind of year/mileage y'all think 5k could bring? I am thinking a 2000 with about 120000 miles. Does that seems reasonable?
The truck should be very reliable and could take some abuse, I don't really care about towing much because it will be used mainly for tools.
I know VERY little about cars and mechanics and wouldn't even know the first thing to look out for when looking at a potential truck... I've been told to insist on a clean title, see that the engine and transmission are in good order, and pass it by a reliable mechanic. Anything else?
Thank you for your time!
posted by Sentus
on Jan 3, 2012 -
17 answers
I'm a member of a few different groups that periodically put together a bulk orders from wholesalers as a way to get a discount and also to bring products to our small island community that are hard to get otherwise. I'm managing one of these groups, and am finding that as it grows the amount of time spent keeping track of everybody's orders, calculating how much everyone owes, and dividing up the order after it's been received, has been increasing with each larger order. I've incorporated spreadsheets and a mailing list into my process but it still involved a great deal of manual processing. I've started writing some scripts to help out as well, but it occurs to me that others doing this must have faced these problems as well. I've tried some googling but haven't found much information out there, so I'm wondering how the rest of you do this.
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posted by Emanuel
on Nov 29, 2011 -
9 answers
Where can I buy poster-style world maps with unusual projections? Or, is there somewhere I can get very high resolution printable images suitable for creating posters from?
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posted by dickasso
on Nov 14, 2011 -
3 answers
I am looking to buy a new helmet for the one I currently use with my scooter is falling apart....any suggestions for where I can try on before I buy in Los Angeles and surrounding cities?
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posted by matthelm
on Sep 29, 2011 -
3 answers
Help me find shoes that are stylish, comfortable, don't look sporty at all and are suitable for everyday use.
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posted by GlassHeart
on Sep 5, 2011 -
18 answers
Do you think that buying a house right now is a good move or is it extremely risky?
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posted by ljs30
on Aug 26, 2011 -
24 answers
How can I get the best deal on a car? Based on my
previous question, I haven't decided if I am going to buy or lease. For either path, what techniques and tactics should I employ to get the best deal. Where can I find reliable information on prices? Do I play dealers off of one another? This question is not about buying vs. leasing. Let's just assume I am going to buy one car and lease another. How do I get the best deal on both?
posted by jasondigitized
on Aug 19, 2011 -
12 answers
Buy offers being made directly to (former-ish) owner during lapsed domain's "recovery period". Scam, or windfall?
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posted by nakedcodemonkey
on Aug 15, 2011 -
3 answers
Help me decide how to finance my vehicle purchases. I need to get two cars for my family. Could be new, could be used. I want both of these cars to have very high safety ratings. Everything else doesn't really matter. I could pay cash for two new cars, but that just seems stupid to do on a depreciating asset. Is the best course of action to find two used, yet reasonably new cars and pay cash? What if we like having new cars? Should we just lease two new vehicles? I have read that the best course of action is to buy a used car and drive it into the ground. That's great, but what if I leave the country again in 5 years. And do I really want to be driving around in a
Hooptie in ten years. How do I approach the whole buy new / used, lease issue.
posted by jasondigitized
on Aug 10, 2011 -
16 answers
Where can I buy an undercut saw (jamb saw) in Canberra (or online to arrive within a few days)?
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posted by lollusc
on Aug 9, 2011 -
11 answers
Very long post regarding a first-time home buying quandary, and yes, I've read the other recent threads. My immediate questions (meaning I know I'll have more as this process progresses) are quite specific and as a result haven't yet been addressed here. Mainly, if the
Birmingham/
Bloomfield area of metro Detroit is supposedly synonymous, why are houses in West Bloomfield so much cheaper than those in Birmingham? What am I missing? And in my particular situation (age, childlessness, etc) is there truly an advantage to buying versus renting?
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posted by Oriole Adams
on Aug 1, 2011 -
16 answers
I am slowly accepting that a motorcycle is not reliable year-round transportation in wintry rainy Ohio. What kind of cheap, light, dependable pickup truck should I buy?
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posted by aaronbeekay
on Jun 11, 2011 -
16 answers
I'm a 23 year old EU citizen who will be starting 5 years of medical studies at King's College London in September. My parents are interested in buying a flat for me instead of renting. I have no idea where to start!
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posted by snoogles
on May 1, 2011 -
16 answers
Where can I get a pack of four or five 256/512 mb usb flash drives to be used as give-aways?
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posted by robobrent
on Apr 13, 2011 -
19 answers
I am in Ontario, Canada. Where can I buy reasonably priced - nay,
cheap - craft supplies online?
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posted by torisaur
on Mar 21, 2011 -
3 answers
I'm selling my car. I'm pretty sure that this offer to buy is a scam, but how does it work?
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posted by Sutekh
on Mar 15, 2011 -
14 answers
Does a service exist that will allow me to purchase things overseas that aren't available in the US and have them shipped to the US? Some kind of forwarding service?
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posted by tylerkaraszewski
on Mar 11, 2011 -
5 answers
