Recently I have just bought a new "old" car. The old blue beast was just about dead (88 Topaz, 310,000km) and needed to be buried. Typical of me, I started out with trying to figure out what was the practical solution for me and how much I could afford. The second piece that I had to try and sort out was what was the best value I could achieve through a newer car purchase. So, as a result, I started to do research on the better vehicles available, compared fuel consumption, compared insurance rates, safety ratings and general "performance". Admittedly, I like econo box vehicles, and I love driving standards. I like simple to use, simple to fix vehicles that are decent transportation because I drive a lot (and when you do that the value of the vehicle depreciates rapidly). For business reasons I tend to park in public areas that are somewhat higher in car crime. So, why would I want a nicer, sportier, more attractive car to steal? So, I narrowed the types of vehicles down to a few models within a certain range of price and age. Then I looked, for almost 2 months for a car that fit the bill. Found one, got it inspected, haggled, for a lower price, for some repairs, and drove off with a used car (Geo Metro). Not a car to be envied for, but it turned out to be a good overall value. Right now, I pull up to the pump across from a person with a SUV, fill up, go and pay for my gas and come back, drive off still watching the guy with the SUV filling up. At moments like that I feel like a genius.

Shopping for overall value, including considering the cost over time, makes sense for many purchases. My savings on gas over my previous vehicle will pay for my car insurance this year, and probably every year after. You can't do this type of selection for everything you buy, but when you can, it can set you up to keep more of you hard earned dollars, which is the whole point - isn't it!