I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[havaneselover]

We have an (ahem) close financial relationship with Carmax... so Carvana is a four letter word in our household haha.



I am severely allergic to new cars haha. I just can't bring myself to buy a new car and know that my value is plummeting as I drive it off the lot.

Got it!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I also have a serious aversion to new cars, but when we last needed to replace my car (6 years ago?) a hurricane had decimated the used car inventory in our area, and the difference between new and used was practically nothing for the cars we were looking at. Like $2000 in price difference between new and 2+ years old with 30k miles on it. So I sucked it up and bought new. Also, may not matter if your're set on Carmax, but we've done better in negotiating price when we've financed - the dealership gets a cut of the financing. Then we just pay off the loan right away (also, could be a way to take care of an MSR...)

Yeah I'm already sad that Carmax doesn't accept CCs haha. I just priced the new CRVs on Honda's website and the online price for what we need would start at just under 26k. I can probably get what we need for around 18k or a little under at Carmax. If I can get the price within our budget, I don't plan to mention that I won't be financing until I'm sure that I will be purchasing the car. I might ride over to the Honda dealer near my house just to check it out, but I doubt they can get it to the budget range I want.

 

[Judique]

Has anyone joined Marriott's dining program? It's called 'Eat Around Town', and right now you get 8x points per dollar and there's also a 1K bonus for spending $30. I'm going to join as I see 222 restaurants within my reach, and some of them I actually LOVE, which is different from several of the other programs. Haven't double checked this but I am pretty sure I can add Rose Gold for 4x MR from Amex also. I'm also going to check the Hilton Head area and the Lake Buena Vista area and Tampa/Clearwater areas to see if any come up that I may use on my trip south in November.

 

[AmyAnne]

Thanks! That's what I figured but I didn't know if somebody was going to be like "why did you get three credit cards last month?" Really hoping I can get a good enough deal to avoid a loan, even though I will be brooooke until tax refunds/DH's bonuses hit next year.

We're planning to replace one of our cars by the end of the year. One of the things on my to-do list is to figure out when might be the best time to buy. I recall seeing some end of the year clearance advertisements but I'm wondering if that's just hype. Do car dealerships do black Friday sales?

 

[havaneselover]

We're planning to replace one of our cars by the end of the year. One of the things on my to-do list is to figure out when might be the best time to buy. I recall seeing some end of the year clearance advertisements but I'm wondering if that's just hype. Do car dealerships do black Friday sales?

Yes. And New Year's Eve is good too (end of year). End of month and end of quarter are also good times. I used TrueCar to understand what a good price for a new car was. I got about 15% off MSRP for my daughter's Civic which I was happy with. I'm sure I could have gotten a better deal, but I'm willing to pay more to retain my sanity sometimes

 

[AmyAnne]

Sadly we didn’t make it to the Churchill War Rooms because my +*^%#}! husband didn’t listen (as usual), got directions to the main Imperial War Museum and when he found that out the only pertinent information he obtained was “it’s 20 min away” vice actually receiving directions. Since our tickets would expire by the time I strangled him and gotten accurate directions sadly no visit. I guess next time I’m in London...sigh...

ETa- no husbands were harmed in the making of this post, promise.

Oh no! My husband has a pretty good sense of direction but I really need someone to tell me three times and draw me a map . . . which has actually been a good thing as I am something of a control freak so even though most times he can get us where we are going, I almost always also know in case something goes wrong.

I had one really unpleasant experience of getting lost when it was just me and my two youngest kids in Florence and since then I have been super anxious about knowing where I am going.

 

[wanderlust7]

Thinking about applying for the Delta Gold Biz. No plans to fly Delta, so just in the interest of diversification and if the Delta Vacations deal comes back. Is the new offer good (70k miles, $4000 spend, $50 credit)? I see there was a targeted offer with only $2000 spend, but I wasn't targeted.

It doesn't pull up via support, hopefully it will eventually.

 

[AmyAnne]

Yes. And New Year's Eve is good too (end of year). End of month and end of quarter are also good times. I used TrueCar to understand what a good price for a new car was. I got about 15% off MSRP for my daughter's Civic which I was happy with. I'm sure I could have gotten a better deal, but I'm willing to pay more to retain my sanity sometimes

Very true about getting the very best price vs. saving your sanity with car dealers. I think we are deciding between a Toyota RAV4 and a Mazda 5. We need to go do some test drives to figure out which, so I can start figuring out what would be a good price.

 

[Lain]

Has anyone joined Marriott's dining program? It's called 'Eat Around Town', and right now you get 8x points per dollar and there's also a 1K bonus for spending $30. I'm going to join as I see 222 restaurants within my reach, and some of them I actually LOVE, which is different from several of the other programs. Haven't double checked this but I am pretty sure I can add Rose Gold for 4 MR from Amex also. I'm also going to check the Hilton Head area and the Lake Buena Vista area and Tampa/Clearwater areas to see if any come up that I may use on my trip south in November.

Ebates also launched their own dining program, now open to the public on its iOS app (I believe it's coming soon to Android).
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/ebates-rakuten-launching-restaurant-rewards-program/
It seems a lot of the restaurants that participate in United MileagePlus's dining program are also on Ebates. Most of them earn 5% cash back, but I'm signed up to earn Membership Rewards points, so that's 5x MR + 4x MR on my linked Amex Gold. Sadly the selection around me isn't that great.

I'll give the Marriott dining program a whirl. I wouldn't mind spending $30 on a meal if I'll get 1k Bonbons for dessert.

Sadly these various dining programs do not appear to be stackable.

 

[WVMomof3]

I am severely allergic to new cars haha. I just can't bring myself to buy a new car and know that my value is plummeting as I drive it off the lot.

I also have a serious aversion to new cars, but when we last needed to replace my car (6 years ago?) a hurricane had decimated the used car inventory in our area, and the difference between new and used was practically nothing for the cars we were looking at. Like $2000 in price difference between new and 2+ years old with 30k miles on it. So I sucked it up and bought new. Also, may not matter if your're set on Carmax, but we've done better in negotiating price when we've financed - the dealership gets a cut of the financing. Then we just pay off the loan right away (also, could be a way to take care of an MSR...)

This is what I found when I was looking a few months ago. There was only about a $2k difference in new and 2-3 years old Hondas. I would rather spend $2k more for a new car. It just didn’t make sense to go for a used. And I searched everywhere expanding my area to a 500 mile radius. Of course, I’m still driving my 10 year old van. Just couldn’t pull the trigger on any option. But we need a 4th car now. So likely need to start looking again.

 

[KPK02090]

@SouthFayetteFan thanks for the heads up on the discounts! I had booked through a magical agency (in the hopes that they would have an exclusive, but that's not looking likely) so I have contacted my agent and she's working on applying the discount. This is when I hate using an agent. I'm not very patiently wating. ANYWAY... I see the $30 gift cards only come with a package with tickets. My math tells me it's still a better deal to buy tickets through Undercover Tourist. Just wondering if I'm missing something, since you are getting tickets with your package. Is there any reason you're doing it that way?

 

[havaneselover]

Very true about getting the very best price vs. saving your sanity with car dealers. I think we are deciding between a Toyota RAV4 and a Mazda 5. We need to go do some test drives to figure out which, so I can start figuring out what would be a good price.

For some reason I really like the Mazda 5s. I think both of those have great safety features. For some reason Honda's been lagging with adding Honda Sensing to the CRV.

 

[havaneselover]

This is what I found when I was looking a few months ago. There was only about a $2k difference in new and 2-3 years old Hondas. I would rather spend $2k more for a new car. It just didn’t make sense to go for a used. And I searched everywhere expanding my area to a 500 mile radius. Of course, I’m still driving my 10 year old van. Just couldn’t pull the trigger on any option. But we need a 4th car now. So likely need to start looking again.

This was why I went new. $4000 more to have no miles, new tires, full warranty vs. a 2016.

 

[WVMomof3]

Yeah I'm already sad that Carmax doesn't accept CCs haha. I just priced the new CRVs on Honda's website and the online price for what we need would start at just under 26k. I can probably get what we need for around 18k or a little under at Carmax. If I can get the price within our budget, I don't plan to mention that I won't be financing until I'm sure that I will be purchasing the car. I might ride over to the Honda dealer near my house just to check it out, but I doubt they can get it to the budget range I want.

I was only seeing that price for the LX models. If you are finding Ex-l at that price, let me know. Lol. Though I took one home for a overnight test drive and decided I did not like it. Which is why I’m still in my van. And the newer ones have Appleplay, so decided I didn’t want to get older and miss out on that.

 

[havaneselover]

I was only seeing that price for the LX models. If you are finding Ex-l at that price, let me know. Lol. Though I took one home for a overnight test drive and decided I did not like it. Which is why I’m still in my van. And the newer ones have Appleplay, so decided I didn’t want to get older and miss out on that.

Car Play is so cool. I splurged and upgraded DD's civic to sport to get her Apple Car Play along with a few other nice features. Meanwhile I'm driving an Odyssey with 140,000 miles on it!

 

[WVMomof3]

Car Play is so cool. I splurged and upgraded DD's civic to sport to get her Apple Car Play along with a few other nice features. Meanwhile I'm driving an Odyssey with 140,000 miles on it!

167,000 mile Odyssey here. I’m supposed to get next car. But I just told my DH maybe he should get new car and give DD his car and I’d keep my Odyssey. Lol. I am just having a hard time letting it go for some reason. Though I do wish I had Bluetooth and Apple car play.

 

[Judique]

Pohanka is very aggressive.

I tried to get one of the local Pohanka dealers that I had a good relationship to pull the car into his lot, but he said they wouldn't let it go in Fredericksburg. Eventually they met our bottom line price. I was also being coached by one of my employees who was also selling cars, but not the kind we wanted. I probably would have paid $1500 more if not for him.

 

[LB002]

Any recommendations for a "best" no-fee bank account to park our emergency fund? Online is fine. Ours has been switched multiple times due to buyouts and I am not loving our current situation. I want to read up on bank bonuses too, but I am thinking more of a long-term relationship bank. We have our checking at a local bank (I need to look into their savings options too).

 

[Judique]

This is what I found when I was looking a few months ago. There was only about a $2k difference in new and 2-3 years old Hondas. I would rather spend $2k more for a new car. It just didn’t make sense to go for a used. And I searched everywhere expanding my area to a 500 mile radius. Of course, I’m still driving my 10 year old van. Just couldn’t pull the trigger on any option. But we need a 4th car now. So likely need to start looking again.

The small difference in price is what drove us to get a new one for youngest DD awhile back. But then, I saw the same pricing when we were buying son's car and got aggressive in our strategy with the help of a friend and got the 'used' price way down.

 

[havaneselover]

Any recommendations for a "best" no-fee bank account to park our emergency fund? Online is fine. Ours has been switched multiple times due to buyouts and I am not loving our current situation. I want to read up on bank bonuses too, but I am thinking more of a long-term relationship bank. We have our checking at a local bank (I need to look into their savings options too).

Capital One is where I park my emergency fund.