To Buy Or NOT To Buy ..THAT Is The Question

rickbbb

I want to buy the Sony XBR960.It will cost me $2,199 before taxes.Will buy it through Circuit City.There is no delivery fee.Which is good I'll use my credit card for the purchase.
I was hopeing that the price would come down for this set,but for over a year now it's stayed at the same price..through most Sony retailers.Also when Circuit City has a sale every week..the XBR960 price does not change.
My questions to all of you is...I make over 25,000 dollars a year and I have some major expenses-my monthly health insurance-$341,
utilities$250,food$500(I pay for my familys food),medicine for my cholesterol and type 2 diabetes and blood preassure meds$300 ,plus another med that is $383 a month etc..

Also right now I'm helping my mom with a $1,500 debt to be paid off within 3 months......Thing is..when I'm not at work I'm either at the gym or the super market and am home most of the time.I am on my computer alot and I watch tv at the same time on my current HDTV. I really want this XBR960. Should I wait to buy it or just use
use my credt card and pay the minimum payment every month to pay off the tv?
What would any of YOu do..given my situation?

Blue Goose

You already have the HS420 right?...Given your current situation I'd stick with that. As we have talked about before, I have the XS955 which is the same tube as the one you are looking at. While the PQ is great I still think the 600 dollar 32" JVC that I replaced with the 955 had/has a more vibrant and stunning picture....at least to my eyes.

That is a big investment and I can tell you that making monthly minimum payments with interest(unless you have some interest free deal)will take for-e-v-er to pay off and cost you well more than 2199.

Given the numbers you have provided I would venture that you take home about a bit over 2K a month. ....you have listed almost 1800 a month in expenses and that doesn't include the debt with you mom. That doesn't leave much cash flow for the month especially with gas being over 2 dollars a gallon And sure as you know what something will come up that costs you a bit of cash unexpectedly(water heater, etc)

Personally that would be cutting it to close for me and if I am correct in thinking that you have the HS420 already, I don't think tha the XBR is going to make you forget the HS420 anytime soon for the extra cash.

Good luck...just my 2 cents

RSawdey

That is a fine TV, best CRT out probably... but DUDE! Your finances are STRESSED! And you've already GOT an HDTV... you should save your money until you've got the cash. Paying the minimum on a credit card is the recipe for eternal slavery...

rickbbb

I seem to be going through withdrawls over wanting this tv.But your're both right.My finances are too tight and I already have a pretty good HDTV Sony's HS420.
Last year I breifly had the Sony 34XS955.I should of kept it but decided to return it after only a week.Due to tight finances.

With my current tv-34 HS420..Circuit city gave me a $150.00 gift card..plus an instant $100 off the price.I already paid off that set.

I just remember that the 34 XS955 picture was so much sharper..that tv..just like my current HDTV were connected to my 811 receiver which i own through Dish Network.
The XBR960 sounds like it's probably the cream of the crop-the best HDTV tube tv around.
My credit card rate is 12.90.Still,you're right,it would take me forever to pay off the XBR960.
I have looked at the pcmall.com website where the prices are much lower than Circuit City or Best Buy...but..either pcmall.com is out of stock of most brands or they no longer carry them.pcmall.com has free delivery too,just like CircuitCity.com.And pcmall.com sister website macmall.com has great prices too..plus they both have in home delivery now.
So........I guess I'll wait.
It's just that the picture quality on my HS420 does'nt look as sharp as when I first got the tv set 2 months ago.So I'm very frustrated.

ja2935

If you really are desperate to get a 34" widescreen why not look at the refurb lists - you can probably get a very good Toshiba for under a grand, perhaps even a Sony (opinions vary but the Toshibas are very comparable to the Sonys).

Jman03

One word. STUPID. Every hear the saying its more expensive to be poor than rich. Well your situation fits that saing perfect. WIth all those expenses you should not be making purchases for anything you cant buy with cash. Do you realize the interest you have to pay back making the minimum payments. Its just stupid. Im a finance/acconting major. FOr instance Lets say you need to borrow $2000 at 10% interest over 3 years. You end up paying $2662 for it. But with credit cards its even more. Plus by the time you pay it off it will be worth1/4 what you paid for it becaus of how fast the technoogy is progressing.

ja2935

With reference to my earlier post - I did not realize the set you already have is a 34" (I thought you had the 32" 4:3). Given what you have and your dire financial situation you should be thankfull for what you've got! Perhaps you are a candidate for Dr Phil!!!!

rickbbb

I'm a perfectionist.I'm sure "Dr.Phil" would understand THAT.I am grateful and happy for what I have.The 34 HS420 is a pretty good Sony HDTV.But it's not the Best.The XBR960 is the best.Plus, if and when I buy the XBR960 ..I will give my sister the 34 HS420.Might as well keep it in the family,right?

Financially,
I am in a bind right now.But come to think of it..I was still able to pay off the Sony 34 HS420 in 2 months time..and I bought that on my credit card.Also,come to think of it..I will always have bills....as for giving my mom the $1,500 she needs...the first payment of that..which is $500 I'm giving her this Friday-on pay day.After that I'll give her $500 more on my next pay check and 2 weeks after that the last of the $500..totalling $1,500. Maybe then,I'll consider buying the 34 Sony XBR960..and maybe by then the price will come down on it.Probably some time in June 2005 or July 2005 I'll buy it..but I WANT IT NOW ! I love SONY products and I love HDTV's..I love technology ! I definitely will not buy a refurbished HDTV. I want something brand new-just out of the factory and box !

I bought a refurbished video recorder once and it worked for one day..then it stopped working.I'm not into refurbished.

If I could afford it I'd buy one of the newest and largest high Definition Sony LCD HDTV's.
I'm not foolish with my spending...I put alot of thought and time into making decisions..especially about the XBR960 which is pretty expensive. I don't travel and I don't go out to the hot spots in town..I'm a homebody and I love watching tv. Life is short,why not give yourself something that makes you happy and gives you pleasure. I only have one credit card...I rarely buy anything extravagant... I agree with all of you about everything you wrote...but either way..eventually I'll buy this tv and eventually it will take me some time to pay it off. I appreciate all of your support.There are alot of good people on these boards and extremely intelligent people.Thankyou for your kindness.

myers830

This is most ridiculous posts ever. Write to Ann Landers or Dr. Joyce Brothers as your problem surely is not a technical one at all.

rickbbb

You're all heart

HDohioTV

Right now Best Buy is doing a 2 yrs no interest promo on HDTV's that are $699 and up. That covers your price point. Buy that shit now and enjoy your life.

__________________
HDohioTV's HDTVs are 37" Olevia LCD, 27" Samsung CRT, 19" Westinghouse, 17" Gateway LCD and 15" Polaroid.

RKZX2

i got the 30'' version of the XBR. the 30XS955. it has the same picture tube, inputs, etc. just a smaller screen. which is perfect for me being only 6' from the screen sitting back on my couch. got 24 months no interest, no payments on it. i would've loved to get the XBR, but 50 lbs & $800 more was an issue.

gwhoughton

Hey Rick~

Don't sweat the "little people" who want to bag on you for wanting something nice.

My finances are tight too. I decided to go ahead and buy the XBR960 because my old set completely stopped working, and Circuit City had a special no interest deal going with their credit. I just need to make sure I pay it off within the allotted time frame.

The TV is awesome. There are a couple of people out there who insist that their Toshiba is as good or better, but all of my research that I did pointed to the SONY KD34XBR960 as being the best quality CRT available today. I am VERY happy with it!!

Good luck to you!! Keep checking the CC site and/or the SONY Style site for interest free deals!

__________________
Switched to HD 2-2005
SONY KD-34XBR960

ja2935

There is always the view that the more you pay for something the better it must be but lets face it how many of us offering 'knowledgeable' comments are in a position to directly compare one product with another? I'm sure very few have two different makes in their homes, properly adjusted, and are able to make side by side comparisons. We all tend to promote the one we ended up buying - almost in self defence - to show that we did all the right research etc. Comparisons in bulk retail outlets do not count as they are never set up properly and the viewing conditions are very different to how you would view them at home. Still, as long as people pay the price, manufacturers will keep charging as much as they think they can get away with - especially for a brand name like Sony! perhaps that is why they are also in dire financial straights.

gwhoughton

When I did my research, it was pretty obvious that the vast majority of information available on the internet pointed to the SONY KD34XBR960 as the best CRT on the market. As a matter of fact, the ONLY opinions i was able to find that ANY other CRT could compare to the XBR960 were from a handfull of users on this forum who own either a Toshiba, or a Lowes (sp?).

While I do agree with Ja2935's comment that "We all tend to promote the one we ended up buying - almost in self defence - to show that we did all the right research etc. ", I must point out that I most DEFINATELY did NOT buy the SONY because it was more expensive than the Toshiba. I truly have no problem with saving money! I bought it because I read over and over from many different sites that it was the best... the reference standard. My old non-HD XBR lasted over ten years, and survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake intact...

If money were no object, I would have the 45" SHARP LCD panel in my living room instead of the SONY!! (but it's about 8 grand I think!! )

To each his/her own... But please don't infer that those of us who own the XBR960 are brainless sheep who blindly buy something because we think it MUST be the best just because it is the most expensive. I don't refer to Toshiba owners as penny pinchers who mearly bought their set because it was cheaper than the SONY. I am sure they are great sets too, and perhaps I would be just as happy with one. But personally, I have no regrets at all about buying the set I did. If it developes problems, I will certainly post an update to this forum to let every one know!!

__________________
Switched to HD 2-2005
SONY KD-34XBR960