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I think there are two kinds of people in the world, those who buy mostly used cars, and those who buy new cars. My wife and I are in the latter group. We buy new and keep them for a long time and take good care of them.
Our cars are 11 & 15 years old. Our KIA van has been amazing. Until recently. Then not so much. I hate repairing cars. I mean HATE! Oh sure I don’t mind the little things like brakes, tires and other replacement and maintenance stuff – it is the big stuff that makes me nuts! When that begins to happen to one of my cars it is time to move on and I am thinking about the Honda you see above. But back on topic.
A few weeks back I talked about how neat the AMEX roadside towing perk is. I used my non-Delta AMEX Platinum card and they paid almost all of the cost. Nice. But I did not realize, at the time, that this perk is tied (per year) to the card not the person (me). That means, for now, I have 4 tows per year on my:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express <—LINK
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN <—LINK
- Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express <—LINK
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card <—LINK
Yep all four of these “premium” cards have the premium road side assistance so I can, as long as I hold these cards, get 16 tows a year. Clearly something I would rather not use that much or at all! But the repairs to my cars this month has been ongoing. On my car a clutch master cylinder died. The replacement died twice (under warranty, but had to get it to the shop). So, there went 3 tows. On my Van, ugg, I don’t even want to tell you all my troubles but let’s just say I have really put a dent in my 16 tows for the year!
How much has it saved me? AMEX gives you 10 miles free and pays for any “hook up” fee etc. You simply pay about $3/mile over the first 10 miles. So my card fee’s I paid this year are really adding up fast in savings.
I also commented about how it often takes a long time to get a truck to you even in a busy town. I think I have learned why. I was on hold for about 20 minutes the other day and then rode with the driver to the shop. He said he also was on hold for the same time with the road side rep and was really close to me the entire time. What happens, he told me, was the road side rep was busy calling around to get the lowest price to do the job. He charged AMEX about $60 for the 10 miles and then I got to pay the rest or the overage. So if you are waiting for a long time, this may be one of the reasons why while the rep is searching the area for the lowest price vendor.
Overall I have, sadly in many ways, saved a bunch of money this year with this perk I never really thought about. I hope I don’t have to continue to do so as I have just about used it up for this year and I am sick of visiting my local repair shop anyway! – René
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Maybe it is time to get a new car. There are other great things to enjoy in life than just airline and hotel status. 🙂
I’m also in the buy new and drive them forever camp. My car is a 2001 KIA sephia with 95 thousand miles on it. So she is still getting broken in. I plan to drive her until the repairs start getting expensive. Hopefully at least another 100 thousand miles.
I like to buy new for cash, and then drive them until they die or become too irritating with problems. I’m at 164K miles with my 2007 Mustang convertible. I’ll be deeply disappointed if I don’t hit 200K and then some. As long as a vehicle keeps going good I never get a new car urge.
I also have a 2011 4WD truck (which I need where I live in WV). A 2nd vehicle also takes the pressure off if one has problems.
@Rene – don’t get too excited, but the Delta Reserve(s) also come with premium roadside assistance. You have (at least) another eight potential tows in your back pocket!
@FLN – Yes, I have 16 of them as you can see from this post you commented on? 😉