Random Friday Fun Discussion: What is the worst purchase that you have ever made?

[albionmoonlight]

Big ticket, small ticket. Doesn't matter. We all have purchases that we regret. Sometimes because we spent too much money, sometimes because the thing was absolute crap. And sometimes because the whole thing just plain sucked.

So, what is the single worst purchase that you have ever made? The one that makes you wish you could invent a time machine just to go back and tell yourself not to make the purchase.

[Raiders Army]

Navman 635 iCN GPS. Cost about $600 (with accessories) and the routing logic on it is messed up. I can't download maps to the SD card either.

A close second place is the 1997 Eclipse I bought brand new. Nice car, but our 2nd kid necessitated a larger vehicle. We had the Eclipse for one year. Ouch.

[Bee]

The Philips CDI. I have no idea what I was thinking...

[FrogMan]

I see it as a purchase since it's money we decided not to spend at the time. Got to do with when we got our house built. We decided at the time not to spend the $500 to get the basement insulated, thinking we could do it later. We, in fact my dad, ended up doing it a year and a half later, it cost us about twice as much, if not more and we had to do it ourselves, drilling and screwing into concrete that was a year and a half old as opposed to a week old. If you don't know the difference, you can basically put nails through a week old concrete foundation. A year and a half later, it's a pretty big fight...

FM

[Joe]

Maximum Football




:)

[rafini]

Ex-wife

[FrogMan]

Ex-wife
as in mail-order bride?

:D

FM

[Poli]

The Survivor computer game.

[Raven Hawk]

1996 Mercury Mistake (I mean Mystique)

[rafini]

as in mail-order bride?

:D

FM

They just don't make high-quality blow-up dolls nowadays.

[Buccaneer]

Two comes to mind:

Big Ticket: A 1986 Jimmy for $5500, used on a ranch, from a friend of mine who works up in Wyoming. Totally out of place here in the city and out of character for me.

Small Ticket: Civ3 Limited Edition, $79.95.

[Kodos]

My Roth IRA. My grandparents gave me a couple thousand bucks towards the end of the 90s. I decided that rather than piss it away on stuff, I would open a Roth IRA. Also, in a extremely atypical move, I didn't procrastinate. So I get it set up, make my deposit. The first day, the value goes up slightly, just as one might expect after YEARS of the market going up. I get a nice feeling for having done something worthwhile with the money. The next day, the stock market begins it's historic plunge. After time, between the slumping economy and yearly fees, the IRA plummets to about 40% of what I initially deposited. I should have just bought myself some stuff...

My second worst purchase was the Dreamcast...

[condors]

Desent to Undermountain-worst pc game i ever paid for and expected to like very much (was made with d&d rules supposedly but was unplayable)

[JonInMiddleGA]

The house I'm currently in.

(not because of the house, but because the purchase landed me here in inbreeding hell)

[Warhammer]

MOO3

[Butter]

My 1999 Chevy Venture. I just paid it off 2 years early, but if I get 2 more years out of it, it will be a miracle. I've yet to find a friend who has owned a domestic car that wasn't a total piece of shit.

Meanwhile, my '97 Corolla just hummed past 150k miles with no sign of slowing down.

[JPhillips]

Season Ticket Football

[cthomer5000]

Great topic... off the top of my head I think I'll say my Rio MP3 player that had like a 40 meg capacity. This was like 1998 I guess when they were brand new. Total waste of money and time.

[Oilers9911]

My Roth IRA. My grandparents gave me a couple thousand bucks towards the end of the 90s. I decided that rather than piss it away on stuff, I would open a Roth IRA. Also, in a extremely atypical move, I didn't procrastinate. So I get it set up, make my deposit. The first day, the value goes up slightly, just as one might expect after YEARS of the market going up. I get a nice feeling for having done something worthwhile with the money. The next day, the stock market begins it's historic plunge. After time, between the slumping economy and yearly fees, the IRA plummets to about 40% of what I initially deposited. I should have just bought myself some stuff...

My second worst purchase was the Dreamcast...I'm STILL very happy with my Dreamcast purchase. I fire it up from time to time and play some Hydrothunder etc. Still loads of fun.

[chinaski]

way back in the day when I didnt know a whole lot about PC's, monitors specifically, I bought a 22" .28dp monitor for $1,400. I havent even been able to sell it on craigslist for $10.

[chinaski]

I also paid off my wifes college debt and then divorced her a year later, that trumps the monitor by about 34k. :(

[BrianD]

I'm STILL very happy with my Dreamcast purchase. I fire it up from time to time and play some Hydrothunder etc. Still loads of fun.

I would say the Dreamcast is worthwhile just for Crazy Taxi alone.

[SplitPersonality1]

A 1979 Dodge Omni that I bought in 1990 for $300. The damn thing didn't even make it home before it broke down.

[bob]

About 6 months before getting married, my now ex convinced me to purchase half of a duplex in a not great, but not horrible yet neighborhood. Many problems with the house, but over time nothing that couldn't be fixed on our own.

5 months after getting married, she decides that she wasn't ready to be married yet. In the meantime, neighborhood has gone to shit (gov't switched apartment complex nearby to gov't assisted housing, and crime shot up), a few more problems on the home appeared, and now 7 other homes are on the market.

Place takes a year to sell, and I lose a ton of money (not including the improvements we had made to the place like new carpet). But at least I'm out of there.

[Joe]

They just don't make high-quality blow-up dolls nowadays.


Actually, they do.

[Brillig]

A toss-up between Battlecruiser 3000 and the Ultimate Ultima Final Super Duper End of Time Edition (whatever that last pile of crap was called...)

[moriarty]

Maximum Football




:)

That's what you get for pre-ordering it back in 2001.

[cthomer5000]

I would say the Dreamcast is worthwhile just for Crazy Taxi alone.Jet Grind Radio is a top-10 game of all-time for me. Outstanding freakin' game.

[Lorena]

I can't remember the cost, but we bought a cream colored leather sofa without thinking our 2 year old would eventually get a hold of a pen.

[FrogMan]

I can't remember the cost, but we bought a cream colored leather sofa without thinking our 2 year old would eventually get a hold of a pen.
you mean, your kid was 2 when you bought it?

If so, woah, what were you thinking??? :D

FM

[Lorena]

you mean, your kid was 2 when you bought it?

If so, woah, what were you thinking??? :D

FM

He was a little over a year old when we bought it, he'll turn 2 next month.

LOL, exactly, what were we thinking?

[bbor]

Nintendo 64..POS.

[st.cronin]

Football Mogul

[1stAnd10]

Gamecube

[FrogMan]

Gamecube
don't know what you were looking for with it but we got one for our son and it's been the best thing since sliced bread in our house. Sure, he's only 8 but I play with it too :D

FM

[AlexB]

Not a massive outlay, but after I bought myself a fucking cool jumper in Feb 2003 for about £90. This jumper was the dog's bollocks - looked cool.

But in March 2003 I went off on an 16 month sojurn into South East Asia and Australia - thought well it might get cold occasionally, so took my fuck off cool jumper in the ruck sack as my one cold weather item. After 1 night in Bangkok (great song btw!) I realised I had ridiculously overpacked, and one of the casualties was my jumper - as I was drunk as a vicar, instead of sending it back home for some reason I just chucked it out after having worn it twice, basically at a cost of £45 a night out. Muppet. :(

[AlexB]

Dola, next thing that springs to mind was the debut Hundred Reasons CD - I think of a hell of a lot more than that why I shouldn't have bothered

[SackAttack]

A $100 copy of Shining Force on the Genesis back during my PlanetPS2 days. Thought I could afford it, payroll had a hiccup, and suddenly I was broke for a month.

[FrogMan]

Not a massive outlay, but after I bought myself a fucking cool jumper in Feb 2003 for about £90. This jumper was the dog's bollocks - looked cool.

But in March 2003 I went off on an 16 month sojurn into South East Asia and Australia - thought well it might get cold occasionally, so took my fuck off cool jumper in the ruck sack as my one cold weather item. After 1 night in Bangkok (great song btw!) I realised I had ridiculously overpacked, and one of the casualties was my jumper - as I was drunk as a vicar, instead of sending it back home for some reason I just chucked it out after having worn it twice, basically at a cost of £45 a night out. Muppet. :(
am I the only in need of a flere diagram here? :D

FM

[rkmsuf]

what exactly does a male jumper look like?

[IwasHere]

BBCF anyone.

Hey, how is that FOFC BBCF League doing now days? Any openings? :)

[st.cronin]

BBCF anyone.

Hey, how is that FOFC BBCF League doing now days? Any openings? :)

sucker

Foot Mog taught me to wait for good news before throwing my bread away.

[JonInMiddleGA]

what exactly does a male jumper look like?

Jiminy Christmas, that's the best straight line (pun not intended) I've seen in months.

[BrianD]

Not a massive outlay, but after I bought myself a fucking cool jumper in Feb 2003 for about £90. This jumper was the dog's bollocks - looked cool.

But in March 2003 I went off on an 16 month sojurn into South East Asia and Australia - thought well it might get cold occasionally, so took my fuck off cool jumper in the ruck sack as my one cold weather item. After 1 night in Bangkok (great song btw!) I realised I had ridiculously overpacked, and one of the casualties was my jumper - as I was drunk as a vicar, instead of sending it back home for some reason I just chucked it out after having worn it twice, basically at a cost of £45 a night out. Muppet. :(

I may need to ask for an English to English translation for this one. :)

[AlexB]

Jiminy Christmas, that's the best straight line (pun not intended) I've seen in months.

I was going to post a :confused: to rkmsuf, but I get the query from this :)

I guess jumper doesn't work over the pond then for blokes... Sweater? :redface:

[rkmsuf]

So a sweater is a jumper over there?

This is all very confusing. And I'm a bloke now.

[AlexB]

I may need to ask for an English to English translation for this one. :)

I guess it's the "dog's bollocks" bit? Just means that it's the business - based on the idea that the balls of a dog must taste good as they lick them all the time. I'm guessing it's also the basis for the 'nuts' in poker.

[stevew]

I want a Fuck off cool jumper to match my fuck off cool visor at work.

[rkmsuf]

I guess it's the "dog's bollocks" bit? Just means that it's the business - based on the idea that the balls of a dog must taste good as they lick them all the time. I'm guessing it's also the basis for the 'nuts' in poker.


I guess if people licked their nuts that might make sense.

[KWhit]

XBox.

[Castlerock]

I was going to post a :confused: to rkmsuf, but I get the query from this :)

I guess jumper doesn't work over the pond then for blokes... Sweater? :redface:
This is a jumper on this side of the pond...
http://img483.imageshack.us/img483/1264/girlsjumper0il.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[tanglewood]

Not a massive outlay, but after I bought myself a fucking cool jumper in Feb 2003 for about £90. This jumper was the dog's bollocks - looked cool.

But in March 2003 I went off on an 16 month sojurn into South East Asia and Australia - thought well it might get cold occasionally, so took my fuck off cool jumper in the ruck sack as my one cold weather item. After 1 night in Bangkok (great song btw!) I realised I had ridiculously overpacked, and one of the casualties was my jumper - as I was drunk as a vicar, instead of sending it back home for some reason I just chucked it out after having worn it twice, basically at a cost of £45 a night out. Muppet. :(

Confirmation from fellow Britisher. Yes, we do indeed speak like this. :D

[rkmsuf]

I guess it's the "dog's bollocks" bit? Just means that it's the business - based on the idea that the balls of a dog must taste good as they lick them all the time. I'm guessing it's also the basis for the 'nuts' in poker.

My staff is telling me this is the origin:

"Back in the old west you have heard about Gamblers betting the ranch by putting the deed in the pot. They also bet their wagon and team of horses. They couldn't physically put their ranch on the poker table (hence the deed)and they couldn't put their horses and wagon in the pot. So if they had a huge hand, but were out of money, they could bet their horse and wagon by putting the nuts from the wagon wheels in the pot, in lieu of cash. This assured that if they had the second best hand and lost, they couldn't take off, as their wheels would fall off. So, more often than not, they only bet the "nuts" with the best hand!"

[Samdari]

While Mrs Sam was pregnant with the Tank, we bought a VW Jetta, because her existing car was a two door, and we felt we needed a four door. Now, with Tankette on the way, we realize that two car seats will not fit in the back seat of said Jetta. Has anyone ever tried to trade in a car 2 years into a 5 year loan (including borrowing for the ridiculous extended warranty)? The numbers are not pretty.

[BrianD]

I guess it's the "dog's bollocks" bit? Just means that it's the business - based on the idea that the balls of a dog must taste good as they lick them all the time. I'm guessing it's also the basis for the 'nuts' in poker.

I actually got most of your post, but I figured the "dog's bollocks" as something bad, not good. With "jumper", "dog's bollocks", "drunk as a vicar", and "muppet", this was one of the more English posts I've seen around here in a while. You may have to explain the "muppet" part as well. That is a new one for me.

[AlexB]

I actually got most of your post, but I figured the "dog's bollocks" as something bad, not good. With "jumper", "dog's bollocks", "drunk as a vicar", and "muppet", this was one of the more English posts I've seen around here in a while. You may have to explain the "muppet" part as well. That is a new one for me.

Muppet = dozy idiot

[EagleFan]

Too many to list so here's an abbreviated:

Big ticket:

Electric Guitar, then findnig that I have no musical ability what-so-ever, in hind-sight that would have been a better step one (find out if I could actually learn to play it).


Small Ticket: (a bunch to choose from)

Football Pro 99
Football Mogul
Ground Control 2 - I can't stand RTS games so I have no clue why I got it

Handheld GPS - used it a handful of times for whatI thought was going to be a hobby, well for more than a week I had thought

Bought one of those vacations that the telemarketers were selling back when I was younger. Sounded great until you actually try to go on it and find the pure crap that it is and the extra costs that they try to charge you to upgrade to accomodations that are a little closer to 19th century standards.

[gkb]

My worst purchase was a wedding planner last year for my wife. I thought she'd be a big help, but she was basically worthless up until the day of the wedding. She was quite useful during the wedding so I should have just payed for her to be there on the day of...cost of the planner $4,000. Cost of having the planner for just the day of the wedding, $300 (I think).

[GreenMonster]

Anyone that picks up Maximum Football may be high on the list..

[Captain2711]

Purchased a portable DVD player in 1999 for my first job in athletics. I was on the road a lot traveling on buses and felt it was a must.

Purchase price: $1150.

[flere-imsaho]

am I the only in need of a flere diagram here? :D

I'm spent for the day (see "Moderation Announcement" thread). :)

[flere-imsaho]

My worst purchase was a wedding planner last year for my wife. I thought she'd be a big help, but she was basically worthless up until the day of the wedding. She was quite useful during the wedding so I should have just payed for her to be there on the day of...cost of the planner $4,000. Cost of having the planner for just the day of the wedding, $300 (I think).

Yeah, we hired a "wedding coordinator" just for the day of the wedding, basically just to have someone who made sure that things happened when they were supposed to and people kept in line. I think we paid her a few hundred dollars, but it was money well spent.

[flere-imsaho]

I bought a first-generation MP3-CD player back in 2000 for several hundred dollars that turned out to be massive pile of junk.

[gkb]

Yeah, we hired a "wedding coordinator" just for the day of the wedding, basically just to have someone who made sure that things happened when they were supposed to and people kept in line. I think we paid her a few hundred dollars, but it was money well spent.


I should've posted something on the forum before I hired her... :(

[Buccaneer]

don't know what you were looking for with it but we got one for our son and it's been the best thing since sliced bread in our house. Sure, he's only 8 but I play with it too :D

FM
Same here (and my son's the same age). The hours that he has played MVP Baseball and all of the Mario games makes it one of the best purchases ever.

[FrogMan]

I'm spent for the day (see "Moderation Announcement" thread). :)
I saw that one, good work :)

But I think BrianD expressed it better than I did. It was an English to English translation that we needed :)

FM

[FrogMan]

Same here (and my son's the same age). The hours that he has played MVP Baseball and all of the Mario games makes it one of the best purchases ever.
yeah, as with many bad purchases, it's often in what you were looking for that the fault comes. Some others are plain and simple bad purchases though :)

FM

[Fonzie]

1999 VW Passat - Mrs. Fonzie and I were a bit too eager to get this car, as this was the first year of its redesign and it was getting glowing reviews. However, the big unknown was its reliability - and that wound up being terrible. It was one of the most unreliable hunks of junk I've ever owned, and please keep in mind that I owned a 1982 Chevrolet Chevette. Example: one day the driver's side window up and fell into the door! It slipped completely off of its brackets - something I might expect from a 20- or 30-year old car, but not from a 7-year old car. Example 2: the gears that run the timing belt/chain spontaneously broke several teeth. Again, there's no reason for that to just "happen" in the absence of an accident. We traded the Steaming Pile in two months ago and I'm thrilled to have that albatross lifted.

Now we know why VW only offered a 2-year, 24k warranty on that car.

[moriarty]

When I was a poor freshman in college, I lived off campus and spent what little money I had to buy a bike to ride to class. I took a bus to like Sears or JC Pennys and thought I would just ride the bike home. After paying for the bike, I was told they didn't have it in stock and I'd have to go back and pick it up. When it finally came in, I went to the store and to my dismay it was disassembled and stored in a giant box. I had no way of getting it home, and needless to say I didn't bring my toolbox to assemble it.

Being a clueless freshman away from home for the first time, I didn't even think of asking for a refund (or seeing if they could ship it). So I just left the bike there and never went back. $150 in beer money down the drain.

[Antmeister]

The house I'm currently in.

(not because of the house, but because the purchase landed me here in inbreeding hell)

LOL! Sorry....don't know why this made me laugh so much.

[cartman]

LOL! Sorry....don't know why this made me laugh so much.

Me too. His statement would infer that there is such a place as an inbreeding heaven...

:D

[SackAttack]

Me too. His statement would infer that there is such a place as an inbreeding heaven...

:D

I thought that's what Georgia was. :D

[cartman]

Dola,

As for the talk about "jumper" and the other British English words, it always threw me off when I was in Europe. People who learn English as a second language almost always learn British English. But usually just the words and terms, not the accent. They pick up their accent more from watching American TV shows and movies. It is a strange combination. :D

Also, they didn't like it much when I lived in London and told them "Just because the language is named after your country doesn't mean you speak it correctly!"

Maybe that is why I was only able to stay there for 6 months... :D

[lighthousekeeper]

200 shares of Lucent in 2000.

I still have them. :(

[clintl]

A 1967 Triumph Spitfire

[Philliesfan980]

200 shares of Lucent in 2000.

I still have them. :(


Thats funny... I was just watching the Seinfeld episode about the "stock tip" tonight.

George: "I'm keeping them.... I'm going down with the ship".

[Karlifornia]

I can think of two off the top of my head:

Sega CD.....just a rancid console. Sewer Shark? I couldn't figure out what the hell to do. All of the games were basically interactive movies, and crappy ones at that. INXS: The Game anybody?

Also, my first major credit purchase was a surround sound system for my living room. It cost me about $500, and then I lost my job and I now owe $1000. :(

[Izulde]

Too many to think of right now, mostly games. I've gotten smarter and tighter with my money the last five years, though.

Also, thinking about wasted money would depress me on a night that's already been depressing enough.

[EagleFan]

Addendum to earlier post: Maximum Football

I'll take my dunce hat and go sit in the corner now. I have no idea what came over me to pull out the credit card for that one.

[Craptacular]

A 1979 Dodge Omni that I bought in 1990 for $300. The damn thing didn't even make it home before it broke down.
So you were that sucker.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm SO embarassed to admit this one..

Last year, when I was playing Forza Motorsports every day, I bought a very nice driving wheel controller with gas and break pedal for 100 dollars.. I played it for several weeks and have rarely used the thing since.

[SplitPersonality1]

So you were that sucker.
Bite me Crappie!

:)