Changes

4.  Suppose you plan to buy a brand new car for $25,000.  When you do to the car dealership to make your purchase, you notice that there is a car on the lot that looks brand new but not longer has the sticker price on it.  The dealer says it was returned by someone after driving it only 100 miles.  You like the color and ask if you can buy it.  The dealer, seeing that you’re so interested, says he’ll sell it to you for the same price as a brand new car that has never been sold.  You’re willing to buy it at full price, and do not mind one bit that someone else used it briefly and returned it.  But you notice that other people (the “market”) would not pay full price for a returned car.  Relying on the “market” rather than your personal preferences, what should you tell the dealer in order to maximize your benefits from your purchase?

4.  Suppose you plan to buy a brand new car for $25,000.  When you do to the car dealership to make your purchase, you notice that there is a car on the lot that looks brand new but not longer has the sticker price on it.  The dealer says it was returned by someone after driving it only 100 miles.  You like the color and ask if you can buy it.  The dealer, seeing that you’re so interested, says he’ll sell it to you for the same price as a brand new car that has never been sold.  You’re willing to buy it at full price, and do not mind one bit that someone else used it briefly and returned it.  But you notice that other people (the “market”) would not pay full price for a returned car.  Relying on the “market” rather than your personal preferences, what should you tell the dealer in order to maximize your benefits from your purchase?

:You tell the dealer that you are willing to pay $20,000 for the car that was used because the value of that used car drastically decreases when it was ridden. When the dealer realized that his chance to take advantage of your personal preferences has vanished he will sell you the car because it would benefit him too. The one thing about cars which helps the consumer but not the seller is that the first couple of miles decrease the value by a lot. It is cheaper to buy a car that was used slightly than pay for a new overly price car. Even though the dealer did not get as much as he could have if you had followed your personal preferences, he should consider himself very lucky because it is hard to sell a use car that was specially made for someone else. Your overall consumer surplus was increased by $5,000 because instead of following your personal preferences (in which you would gain now consumer’s surplus except the happiness of owning a new car) you followed the “market”. The free market is always there to help you out. (Veronika)

:You tell the dealer that you are willing to pay $20,000 for the car that was used because the value of that used car drastically decreases when it was ridden. When the dealer realized that his chance to take advantage of your personal preferences has vanished he will sell you the car because it would benefit him too. The one thing about cars which helps the consumer but not the seller is that the first couple of miles decrease the value by a lot. It is cheaper to buy a car that was used slightly than pay for a new overly price car. Even though the dealer did not get as much as he could have if you had followed your personal preferences, he should consider himself very lucky because it is hard to sell a use car that was specially made for someone else. Your overall consumer surplus was increased by $5,000 because instead of following your personal preferences (in which you would gain now consumer’s surplus except the happiness of owning a new car) you followed the “market”. The free market is always there to help you out. (Veronika)