Mattresses
The most dangerous place in the universe is on top of a mattress. Most people in the United States die in bed. That means they died on a mattress.
Do you suppose EVERY mattress that somebody was on when they parted the veil and stepped to the other side was immediately destroyed?
People vomit on mattresses and lose control of their bowels (literally "shit the bed"). Various other unsavory body fluids can penetrate and soak into the mattress.
Even if a used mattress is FREE...it is a NO-GO in my book.
Toys that can be driven hard
Quads, Jeeps, dirt-bikes, 4WD trucks that were driven by teenaged boys...
Anything "modified" with lift-kits and over-sized tires.
There are boys who try to prove their manhood by "breaking" parts on their vehicles. It gives them bragging rights. Unfortunately, every hard landing puts wear-and-tear on ALL of the parts in the vehicle.
Shoes
New-in-box is fine.
Shoes that have any measurable wear can be crippling.
Radiators
Once upon a time it may have made sense to buy used radiators but new ones are not that expensive any more.
Radiators are fragile and now that they are press-fit aluminum and plastic and they are not easily repaired.
Radiators are in the front of the vehicle and frequently damaged in accidents and flying debris.
Bargains
I like a bargain better than the next man but there are some bargains that are likely to be false economies.
Good list - no go for sure. I am as frugal as the next person, but the above listed items are not to be purchased used. EVER.
ReplyDeleteMattresses- The same argument applies to motel beds......
ReplyDeleteHandy tip on buying used- look around the yard, look at the garage, see if it is tidy or a mess. Extrapolate to the item being purchased as to potential condition.
Add a used car from a rental company. The cars are driven hard by the renters and even harder by the shuttle drivers that move them between locations.
ReplyDeleteI bought 2 from Enterprise in 2017. A Chevy Colorado and a Nissan Versa. Put over 100,000 miles on both with the only issue being transmission replacement in the Nissan. According to the owner of the transmission shop that was more of a Nissan Versa issue than an Enterprise issue.
DeleteDEFINITELY not mattresses, and NOT because someone might have died on it! BEDBUGS!!! You think GHOSTS are hard to get rid of, try getting rid of BEDBUGS!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you DO buy a "toy" used, go for that's BONE STOCK. I bought a '97 Jeep Wrangler used. It was owned by a lady who only used it to drive from her house to her job at the school district; a distance of about four miles each way. No mods at all, except the radio. I ended up swapping that out for an OEM to keep the Jeep totally stock.
Shoes: No one's stance is identical. YOUR shoes wear in to YOUR stance. NEVER buy shoes with wear on them!
Add MOST ELECTRONICS. If it's a popular electronic and it's at a yard sale, there's a reason, and that reason is that it probably doesn't work right! The same goes for "like new" yard equipment.