Rental Versus Owning

I have become tired renting cars when Momoko and I visit her dad's house. This became especially tiring once the last company charged me for damage to the vehicle. I am pretty sure the damage did not happen during my rental. I just did not check the car before renting it.

So I thought I might buy a lightly used car instead. Had my eye on a 2016 Nissan Versa Note. It only had 2k miles on it. Price was a reasonable $12k. It was a repo. Unfortunately it was being sold 2.5 hours away.

Then I thought I might buy a fun car. Saw a 2007 Mercedes Benz S550. It had 100k miles on it. But it was going for $11k. I read an article that said, "For the love of God, do not buy a 2007 Mercedes S550". I heeded the warning.

Next I decided I might buy a cheap car. I fit well in the Kia Rio, even in the back seat. Found one for sale just under $13k. I called the dealership to make sure there were not tricks with the price. They said there were not. Once I went to the dealership and was test driving the car, the saleswoman started mentioned all the good things the dealership does to customize the car.

When we got back to the show room, I wanted to confirm the bottom line for the car was as expected. Nope. Turns out the customizations were an extra $1800 they tried to sneak in there. Nope. I told them I might come back and make an offer on the car. The engine was weak. The mirror manual adjusters were broke down. And the dealership seemed like a bunch of crooks. Skipped.