Due Diligence

[Anonymous]

This is an analogy using “buying a car” in regards to “picking a mate”. LOL! I had to pick something, might as well be this. So often we think about what happened, why did they change, what did we do, etc.? But in the beginning when buying a car, getting into business with someone, making financial investments, etc., doing due diligence is the way to go, right? Doing it Before……..you make the deal. So here we go –

When buying a car, you are going to like that color, love the way the salesman is tending to you, it’s a car that is very pleasing to the eye, etc.

You want to see what the car history is all about, so you pull that report. Kinda like pulling a check on a prospective mate.

You need to check out the mileage and see what that indicates along with the car’s history side by side. Prospective problems in the future? Any recalls? How many previous owners as in how many previous marriages or bad relationships in your prospective guy’s past?

Have your own mechanic look at it, someone you trust, who will give you the facts and not what you want to hear, like having a good friend or trusted group of friends who will tell you their impression of your guy as well.

Check out how expensive the parts are for this car and how expensive it is to get it fixed when it breaks down? In other words, how many ups and downs has your guy had where other people had to bail him out, and how expensive was it for “them” to do that? Has it been recurrent?

Is it safe, economical and road worthy? Meaning is it just appealing to you because it is flashy and for the moment the engine has a growl to it?

Any car is going to depreciate some the minute you drive it off the lot, especially new ones. A few, in time however, will actually appreciate and become collector cars or they are just such good cars people drive them until the wheels fall off. Which do you think yours is going to be? Based on what? Hype from the salesman?

The price? Well, if you can’t buy it outright then you are looking at a loan and an interest rate. Sometimes certain cars go straight downhill if you don’t do your due diligence but then you are still stuck with the payments. Being clear about the car’s history, where it is now in it’s life cycle, what kinds of problems it’s had in the past, what kind of maintenance it has had, what damage any wrecks did to it, how do other people rate this car, how dependable is it, and could it become a car you never want to get rid of or one that could appreciate in value and become a collector car?

Are the wheels turning in your head? Something as profoundly important as allowing someone in close to you, marrying them, having children with them, mixing your finances with them, etc. – deserves to be looked at alot like you’re buying a car or making any other big decision in your life.

Yup, I bought a car I shouldn’t have a couple of times. Paid for it royally. Same with some men in my life. Didn’t buy them…LOL! but big mistakes because I didn’t do my due diligence and let time be my friend, not going from 1-100 and right off to the bedroom either. Salesmen love that one! And it makes your mind oh so cloudy when trying to think rationally. Like nitro to the car engine. Could drive you straight into a wall though…

Let time be your friend. Allow yourself to see “what happened” being in a relationship that isn’t working right now and learn from it. Most importantly know what you want and what you don’t want. Nothing worse than going to a car lot and letting the salesman decide that for you or going grocery shopping when you are starving! Hope this gets some gears turning!

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