sasaki@harvard.UUCP (Marty Sasaki) (01/04/86)
I just ran into another scam. This involves leasing a car.
I couldn't afford a car that was at all "fun", just a basic econobox.
I had heard that leasing was a way to afford more auto. The folks at
Silver Lake Dodge (yeah, that Silver Lake Dodge...) came up with a
package where I could afford an Dodge Omni GLH, not as much fun as
most of you net.auto nuts drive, but good enough for me. Part of this
package included insurance at a really good rate.
Some of you may think that auto leasing is a scam, but I have a fun
car that I could not otherwise afford. It seemed like a good deal.
A few days ago I got a notice in the mail that my monthly insurance
bill was going to go up by more than 120%. Silver Lake Dodge
apologized for the increase, it was the best that they could do. They
suggested that I go elsewhere for insurance.
So what Silver Lake Dodge has done is enticed me into a lease by
presenting me a package. After I am totally commited, and they have
made their money on the lease, they withdraw part of the package. The
economics have changed completely and rather than having a good deal,
I am stuck with a marginal deal.
I still like the car, but will be a lot smarter in the future. I am
saving for a down payment on my next car now, so when my lease expires
I will do the right thing.
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Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
Havard University Science Center phone: 617-495-1270
One Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138