Consumer issues: August 2009 Archives

Talk to most area new car dealers and you'll likely learn that the government's Cash for Clunkers program has been a success.

Thanks to the program, demand for new cars is on the rise while dealer inventories are shrinking.

However, there seems to be a dark side of the program that many customers will likely experience soon.

And that dark side is debt. Lot's of debt.

The program has attracted the wallets of people not in the right financial position to buy a car. Advertisements seem to scream that you can save up to $4,500 on a new car.

Who could resist that kind of offer. Even I was thinking of buying a new car.

But I knew that, even if bought an $18,000 car and saved $4,500 by trading in my current set of wheels, I would still be stuck with a loan of $13,500. That's not a very wise decision to make during a recession.

I know the government needs people to spend money to get the economy back on track, but it shouldn't be at the expense of throwing more people into debt just to sell a few more sedans.

If you've ever taken the Route 30 exit off of I-83 and wonder why the immediate area doesn't sport a gas station, you're not alone.

Pending approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Sheetz plans to open a location at Toronita Street and Route 30 in Manchester Township.

The store will have seven gas pumps and employ 30 to 50 workers.

This past weekend, my wife and I were cruising around our neighborhood and we noticed several yard sales that were in full swing.

What was odd were the signs that advertised the sales. It seems that, at least in York County, many yard sales are held on Friday and Saturday, but not on Sunday.

Why?

I mean, many people work on Friday and can't leave work to shop a yard sale. It seems that Sunday, when more people are off from work, would be a better day to host a yard sale.