Chris Blattman

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Links I liked

niger-delta-militants-2-1
  1. “Who are the Niger Delta Avengers?” Hint: it is not a comic book.
  2. Political betting markets have become heads eating their own tails
  3. Your country’s income class does not mean what you think it means
  4. A critique of Justin Wolfers’ conclusion that family leave policies benefit male professors more than female ones
  5. I am buying a new car, and I have become a big fan of a little business called Fighting Chance, that gives you all the information you need a simple script for getting somewhat imperfect markets to work more perfectly (Update: yes, as a friend points out, the site reads like a bad infomercial, but here I explain why for $40 I still love the info they sent me)

4 Responses

  1. It reads like the worst infomercial, but I’ve used it before! In fact when I went to buy a Honda Fit years ago, the owner of the company emailed and gave me my money back because he didn’t think he had any advice to share on a car that was basically a commodity. And he’s a Yalie, as are you if I recall. So he’s your people!

    This year I ordered materials for the Honda CR-V, and the package basically includes:
    – A useful description of how the dealers and dealerships are incentivized, and what if any manufacturer incentives are available at the current time
    – Some helpful tips and do’s and don’ts in the buying process
    – A fairly straightforward system for negotiating with several dealers at the same time. Most of it is commonsensical (at least to me) but there are enough details and little flourishes that it was worth the $40.
    – People’s recent experiences using the system on your particular model

    I suspect the package is worthwhile if you aren’t used to negotiating, or if you are but you like to think you are getting the best possible deal and think you know all of the information, even if in reality most things are out of your control.

    Also, I suspect the info on dealer incentives matters more with higher end vehicles or brands that use a lot of gimmicks. So the Honda guide isn’t essential but I feel better about a big purchase having read the voluminous materials that were sent. $40 well spent.

  2. Chris, if you get a deal of a lifetime from that car sight I’d be very curious to hear why. That website looks like every website for “miracle wrinkle cream” I’ve ever seen!