Purdue Best Bets
May 30, 1997
JOURNALISTS: Here's a story idea featuring a Purdue source and some newsworthy Purdue
events during the next two weeks.
Buyers can negotiate auto leases
Most consumers wouldn't hesitate to negotiate the price of a car they were purchasing,
yet many fail to do so when leasing a vehicle, notes a Purdue University Cooperative
Extension Service specialist in consumer sciences and retailing. Janet Bechman says
you can negotiate many lease terms, including the price of the vehicle. Nearly one-third
of all cars in dealer showrooms were leased in 1995, and complaints about auto leases
to state and local consumer protection agencies doubled from 1994 to 1995. Bechman says the most frequent complaint is that consumers don't understand the lease, particularly
the additional fees due upon completion of the lease. She says terms used in leasing
are different than those in normal financing. Bechman says consumers need to understand terms such as closed-end lease, lease inception fees and capitalized cost
reduction. She advises consumers to ask questions and review the contract at home
away from dealer pressure before they sign anything. CONTACT: Bechman, (765) 494-8309.
Events
June 11-13: Home and Family Conference.
This on-campus conference combines motivational programs with educational seminars
on a variety of topics designed for women interested in child development, family
finances, food and nutrition, and community improvement. Sessions will deal with
kitchen advances of the last 50 years, the Internet, laundering pesticide-exposed clothing,
medicinal plants and health care, family stories, and more. The conference, sponsored
by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, runs from 8 a.m. June 11
to 11:30 a.m. June 13. CONTACT: Kathy Delaney, (765) 474-5384.
June 11-13: 4-H workshops.
These workshops for 4-H members cover eight topics: Aerospace
(model rocket and airplane building and a plane ride); Ambassador
(teaches public relations skills); Animal Science
(sessions on beef, sheep, swine, dairy, horses, poultry, aquaculture, dairy goats
and rabbits): Computer Science
(conducted in two tracks -- Internet and Programmable Logic Controllers): Environmental Conservation
(teaches about natural resources and careers involving natural resources): Food Science
(sessions on bacteria growth, physical fitness, food pigments, food safety, fat and
sugar substitutes in ice cream, and career opportunities); Mechanical Sciences
(sessions include "Operating a Garden Tractor in Close Quarters" and "How Hard Does
a Basketball Floor Need to Be?"); and Plant Science
(sessions on horticulture, plant propagation, landscape architecture, floral designing
and more). Registration begins at noon Wednesday, June 11, at Earhart Hall. CONTACT:
Department of 4-H Youth, (765) 494-8422.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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