I drive a 1992 Toyota Camry with just over 203,000 miles on it. As far as I know, the car is in good mechanical condition except that the rear struts are in fairly desperate need of replacement. How do you calculate the payback period for repairing an old but paid-off car, and how might you use this information to help decide whether to repair the car or buy a newer used car? [more inside]
posted on Jul 18, 2008 - 20 answers

What's the value of blood donations? Is some blood worth more than other blood? [more inside]
posted on Jan 7, 2008 - 14 answers

(Possibly Advanced) Economics Filter: How does new value created by industry and economy become money? [more inside]
posted on Dec 28, 2007 - 32 answers

I understand that trading between currencies is what sets their exchange value, but is there a standard way of determining how each currency feels to people living in each currency's native country/ies? [more inside]
posted on Sep 16, 2007 - 4 answers

Should I sell my signed copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"? I'm proud of it, but not attatched...yet. [more inside]
posted on Sep 11, 2007 - 42 answers

I have an old violin that I can't find the value for anywhere. Can someone help? The label says: Williams Artist/ No. 701 1890. Thanks
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 13 answers

Lady Li posted a question (2 below this one) searching for this quote... "Most people can't think, most of the remainder won't think, the small fraction who do think mostly can't do it very well. The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion – in the long run, these are the only people who count." How do I become one of those people who count?
posted on Jun 15, 2007 - 35 answers

How do I assess the fair value of a used motorcycle? [more inside]
posted on May 3, 2007 - 11 answers

How does Half Price Books determine the trade in value of books/cds/dvds? [more inside]
posted on Apr 25, 2007 - 16 answers

Should I 'sell' my online identity? Or maybe just rent it out? [more inside]
posted on Mar 31, 2007 - 33 answers

What objects gain value through use and time? [more inside]
posted on Feb 12, 2007 - 55 answers

I just watched the film Blood Diamond and am currently wondering just how much would that very sought after diamond actually be sold for? [more inside]
posted on Jan 26, 2007 - 5 answers

For which products or services is it worth it to buy name brand instead of generic brand? When will brand X do just as well, or even better?
posted on Jan 3, 2007 - 69 answers

Any advice on getting diminished payment value for vehicle after collision? Their insurance company said that there was no diminished value after our car was rear ended by a semi-truck. [more inside]
posted on Nov 15, 2006 - 5 answers

Antique watch values -- I want to sell a 1914 Waltham men's wristwatch on Ebay, but it has engraving on the back of the case. Does this reduce its value? [more inside]
posted on Nov 3, 2006 - 8 answers

Ok, burning my question for the week with something really stupid yet I don't have the time to sit on the phone on hold or make the trip, so here goes: in the US, will the post office buy back your stamps at face value (and with no questions asked)?
posted on Oct 8, 2006 - 10 answers

How do I put a monetary value on my website if someone's offered to buy it? Is there a formula?
posted on Sep 20, 2006 - 12 answers

Without knowing any drivetrain/mechanical details other than what you could see from the exterior (details within) and that it last passed inspection in April 2006, would you buy a bright red 1985 Porsche 944 for $6500? [more inside]
posted on Sep 16, 2006 - 13 answers

I've got some birthday cash burning a hole in my pocket, and I have to ask. Is the XBOX 360 worth it? [more inside]
posted on Aug 15, 2006 - 38 answers

I am looking for a website where I can look up the value of old books. [more inside]
posted on May 5, 2006 - 15 answers

What is the most valuable material by weight, such that the material can be resold without too much difficulty. [more inside]
posted on Mar 6, 2006 - 50 answers

Buying a specific used car, how can I determine its value? [more inside]
posted on Feb 2, 2006 - 6 answers

Why all the excitement over Google? I read in Wired Magazine that there has been a "breathtaking ascent of Google" in recent months, but I don't know what it's all about. [more inside]
posted on Jan 20, 2006 - 22 answers

Bourgeois furniture value question(s). [more inside]
posted on Dec 22, 2005 - 6 answers

Some years back, I recall hearing an interview with someone regarding the relative value of the awards given out to survivors in wrongful death suits. Might have been on "This American Life." Help me find it... [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2005 - 7 answers

Advice on selling an expensive shearling coat? [more inside]
posted on Dec 5, 2005 - 2 answers

Price-my-non-radioactive-rocket-Filter: I have a family heirloom whose value I would love to learn (not that I am planning on parting with it, but out of curiosity). It is a piece of the Vanguard1A, the first attempt by the US to reach space, which exploded rather famously in December, 1956. [More, including my brush with radioactive death, inside] [more inside]
posted on Nov 4, 2005 - 10 answers

My two daughters (ages 10 and 8) take piano lessons. The old Baldwin spinet they've been practicing on has a few bad keys (they don't spring back up when pressed) already, and I was wondering whether it would be worth getting the thing repaired. If not, what would be the best value in new or used pianos for this purpose?
posted on Jul 31, 2005 - 10 answers

I'm looking at some Corsair value RAM (2x512M for $93). But Corsair also has RAM of the same specs for more than twice the price (1x512 for $106): As far as I can tell, the specs are identical, except for CAS latency (and they're both some variation on CL3), and the voltage is slightly different. What's the real difference between different "grades" of RAM from the same manufacturer with the same specs? Under what circumstances will any differences manifest?
posted on Apr 8, 2005 - 11 answers

With the recent decision by kottke.org to be solely reader-supported, I'm curious to see how you value your reads. Would you be willing to pay $30 a year for Metafilter? More? Less? How about for some up-and-coming web magazines that operate on a daily basis, say The Morning News, The Black Table, etc.? And how much for up-to-the-second pro blogs in the Gawker empire where advertising is used? Gawker? Gizmodo? Wonkette, etc? How much for Boing Boing were it to be ad free? How much for Fark? How much for the individuals' blogs you frequent? And for some Kottke.org fans who don't see $30 as a micropayment, how much would you be willing to pay for a year of his content? Curious to see what range of dollar-value folks assign to their daily reads that are currently free to access. Please name and value other sites of your choosing.
posted on Feb 22, 2005 - 49 answers

According to numerous reports I've read in the last few days worth of the Business Section of the newspaper, Microsoft's "stock price can be expected to fall by the amount of the dividend." That's the one-time $3 dividend that is coming sometime soon for those of you who don't follow this sort of thing. Anyway... I don't get it? Why is the stock price expceted to drop about $3 the day after this dividend? I like to think of myself as knowledgeble about the markets, and I understand that this dividend will remove $3 per share out of the bank for M$, but aren't stock prices valued more in terms of the value of the company and its holdings rather than simply the value of the money in the bank?
posted on Nov 10, 2004 - 12 answers

I own a house near College Park, MD and am renting it out to tenants now. The problem is the yard, which is in a real state of disrepair. Because I'm thinking about selling it next year, perhaps, I'd like some advice on taking a troublesome yard to a selling feature for as little money as possible. I assume I'll need to have the yard re-seeded, but I don't know what else is required or might help the situation. Keep in mind that I won't be there to do any of the work myself-- I'll be relying on 3rd parties to do it... Any words of wisdom from people who know something about this stuff?
posted on Jul 21, 2004 - 6 answers

ExcelFilter: I want to determine if a given value is in a range of cells. A simple true/false evaluation would be sufficient, though returning a reference to the cell might be nice.
posted on Jun 3, 2004 - 4 answers

Why aren't there any gases with nutritional value?
posted on Jun 2, 2004 - 27 answers

I have spent the last day looking for information in a particular set of records I own. They are in perfect condition, 1968 Bach's Messe in H-Moll. It is first run, original. More inside.
posted on Apr 19, 2004 - 8 answers