buddys snap on stuff

[klhitman]

when i worked in the shop we had to buy our own stuff. HF was my bes friend. now that i am out of the shop and in the office doing sales i took all my stuff home.

well thy guy that worked with me always kept his cheap stuff with my cheap stuff on my box.

now that my box is gone, he has bought a lot of thing off the snap on truck that he got to come to our work. everything he buys is on credit. i told him he was crazy for buying everything off the truck for credit, that he is over paying for stuff that he will never get a return on.

i like tools as much as the next person, but he bought a snap on 1/2 drive impact when we provide an IR titanium to everyone.


do you think he is crazy for doing this like i do??

 

[MD11]

when i worked in the shop we had to buy our own stuff. HF was my bes friend. now that i am out of the shop and in the office doing sales i took all my stuff home.

well thy guy that worked with me always kept his cheap stuff with my cheap stuff on my box.

now that my box is gone, he has bought a lot of thing off the snap on truck that he got to come to our work. everything he buys is on credit. i told him he was crazy for buying everything off the truck for credit, that he is over paying for stuff that he will never get a return on.

i like tools as much as the next person, but he bought a snap on 1/2 drive impact when we provide an IR titanium to everyone.


do you think he is crazy for doing this like i do??

a career as a professional mechanic might last 40+ years, and even as a complete DYI amateur, I like to buy and own the best quality I can afford. In my case, I can afford to pay cash, but the starting mechanic can't shell out $30-40K for a complete tool box and tools to last his entire career all at once... that's why we have a thing called "Credit" and credit used for investment into your career is credit well used... so long as you're not paying a ridiculous interest rate (which today should be nothing about 6 or 7%). People take out $100,000 student loans all the time as in investment into their career, just to get a BA degree.... so $30-40K in life time tools for a mechanic seems quite reasonable.

Time = money, and a tool that works every time is worth the premium.

You can't compare HF tools to snapon in quality (though some here will try), but in the end, it's a personal choice.

 

[Skin]

i like tools as much as the next person, but he bought a snap on 1/2 drive impact when we provide an IR titanium to everyone.


do you think he is crazy for doing this like i do??

Nothing wrong with treating yourself but if he cannot afford it outright and you even supply high quality items that he willingly replaces on credit then i dont think your friend has any economic sense.

If he's trully addicted and his credit isnt shot to hell [probably is] introduce him to the world of ebay and GJ if he insists on buying truck tools. At least he'll save some money.

 

[Danglerb]

You can't live a piece of somebody elses life. I can't see going into debt without a real good reason, but maybe he needs to buy those tools to feel good about himself and not flip out and join the occupy movement.

 

[DiscoBerry]

I buy all snap on and matco now that i work in a shop. I also have a rule that if i cant buy it upfront (no finnancing) I dont buy it. I do however buy stuff on a credit car occasionaly but i always pay it off before it accures intrest.

 

[wreckercologist]

It's his money (and credit) to do with as he pleases. Anyone that stuck their nose in my business when it comes to how I spend my money will get told in short order how, when, where, and at what altitude they should go fly their little kite at. JMO.

 

[fm2176]

I think that credit can be a very dangerous thing when it comes to tools. I never racked up an overly serious amount of tool truck debt, but for a while I did owe Snap-On, Matco, and Mac almost a month's salary combined (a whopping $1000 or so). If he bought a SO impact when he already had a decent one provided, he may be misguided when it comes to setting priorities. Walking onto that truck and making impulse buys can be very tempting.

Unfortunately, though, a mechanic or tech has to buy tools to make money. As an Apprentice Tech at the Cadillac dealer, I made little money 15 years ago but always had the philosophy that if I borrowed something more than once it was worth buying. Without truck credit, I wouldn't have been able to afford the truck brands, but my purchases were mainly either specialty tools or secondhand/clearance hand tools.

 

[cotjocky]

There is a difference between borrowing what you can pay back if you are going to get a return on your investment and building up a ridiculous amount of debt for no reason.

I worked at a independent shop that was also a tire shop. I did tire work when things were slow, but I wasn't one of the "tire guys". The shop provided some decent quality impacts (IR), but it seemed there was never enough to go around. If you went and rounded up an impact, before the day was over, someone else would come borrow it back. It's aggravating to constantly try to go round up a tool that you use over and over. Time = Money if you are on flat rate. Also, the impacts that were provided all had a 3" anvil which is great with a flip socket, but not always the best when you are doing mechanic work. There are a lot of times it just doesn't fit.

Also, your buddy could be building a tool collection because he plans to open his own business one day.

I have no idea what you friend's reasoning is, it could be a multitude of reasons.

Some of use collect comic books, some baseball cards, some antiques, etc... Maybe his thing is collecting tools. Dunno.

Regardless the reason, if he's a really good friend and you are worried about him getting in too deep, have a conversation with him in private about it and don't be judgmental. Just show him you are a friend that is concerned and see what his motive is. After that, it is ultimately his choice to spend his money as he sees fit whether it is to his benefit or his own ruin.

 

[bgott]

If you are going to buy tools on credit a truck account is the way to go. Sure, they are expensive. But, for the most part, you are getting top quality tools with a lifetime warranty, interest free.

 

[twincam00]

I thought the snap-on interest rate was ungodly high, like 19%

 

[ol'Red]

As long as the acount stays on the truck and doesnt get turned over to Snapon (1000.00-1500.00) no interest. Or that is how I understand it I have never paid interest on my account.

 

[MD11]

I thought the snap-on interest rate was ungodly high, like 19%

The driver actually carries the interest cost.

 

[Danglerb]

Invisible interest, you pay no interest, but get no cash discount.

 

[crewchief888]

It's his money (and credit) to do with as he pleases. Anyone that stuck their nose in my business when it comes to how I spend my money will get told in short order how, when, where, and at what altitude they should go fly their little kite at. JMO.

I think that credit can be a very dangerous thing when it comes to tools. Walking onto that truck and making impulse buys can be very tempting.

Unfortunately, though, a mechanic or tech has to buy tools to make money.
, I made little money 15 years ago but always had the philosophy that if I borrowed something more than once it was worth buying. Without truck credit, I wouldn't have been able to.

back in my tool buying days on the trucks, i'd usually finance new tool box purchases, everything else was handled on truck "credit". my SO guy was great with me, sometimes my truck balance would be over $4000
with all the buying i did back then, i rarely need to buy anything now, most of my purchases are to replace the tools i've lost.
i'm kinda an impulse buyer anyway, so i stay away from the truck most of the time, and unless i really need something, i dont even bother scouting flea mkts, swap meets and the pawn shops.

i agree with ya wreckerologist, what i spend my money on is my business,

like i told the old lady, i could be sitting in a **********.....
instead i bought a new impact

 

[twincam00]

no interest, thats really interesting. Whats the incentive to pay it off then?

 

[Syndicate]

no interest, thats really interesting. Whats the incentive to pay it off then?

Someone like myself and a regional rep will come to your shop and EMBARRASS you in front of a crowd by REPOSSESSING your tools.

I know I do it all the time to jerks who try to "**** the truck" and skip out!

 

[Rico.]

no interest, thats really interesting. Whats the incentive to pay it off then?

I don't know, maybe a small sense of social responsibility not wanting to screw
the Guy who is just trying to make a living to provide for his/her family..

Or perhaps maybe just not wanting to go through life being an **** Hole...!


For me it's probably a combination of the two.

 

[twincam00]

There is a min monthly payment tho right?

 

[JSBriggs]

There is a min monthly payment tho right?

There is a payment plan, usually weekly. The idea is that those weekly payments keep you and the dealer in contact. The more you are in contact, the more likely for future sales.

-Jeff

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Yes and No, If he wants to buy some nice tools, thats OK, but the Snap on Impact, there is not a damm thing wrong with the IR you provide for them.

 

[tbobbo]

no interest, thats really interesting. Whats the incentive to pay it off then?

To buy other tools you need. Also not to be a piece of ****.
But I dont like to ever pay it off, if no one owes him money he might not show for a couple weeks. I may break something that I need warrentied. I also dont have too much on the account that he gets nervous.

 

[tbobbo]

If I pay off my balance I buy something small I need to keep him coming around. I need tons of stuff still. Its never enough!

 

[twincam00]

There is a payment plan, usually weekly. The idea is that those weekly payments keep you and the dealer in contact. The more you are in contact, the more likely for future sales.

-Jeff

gotcha. I swear im normally not this dumb lol

 

[klhitman]

i understand wanting good tools and good stuff and that its his money and could do anything he wants with it but the reason i brought this up was that, we dont work in an auto shop. we work on AC units. but that is beside the point.

i worked with him for 3 years and never once did he want to buy any tools or a toolbox of his own. he always had the story about how he had no money and a wife with 5 kids at home. he always talked about how when we worked OT that it screwed up his food stamps. last time i checked the Snap on guy didn't take stamps.

well anyways it kinda bothered me that when i moved up in the company and took my tools and toolbox home and left the company tools with him. he didn't have a problem going out and buying 2 snap on tool box's and filling them with snap on tools. when i asked him how he can afford it he said he just pays the guy like 20 bucks a week. OK that's fine. couldn't you have done that when you were using my stuff everyday!!!

rant over

 

[MD11]

i understand wanting good tools and good stuff and that its his money and could do anything he wants with it but the reason i brought this up was that, we dont work in an auto shop. we work on AC units. but that is beside the point.

i worked with him for 3 years and never once did he want to buy any tools or a toolbox of his own. he always had the story about how he had no money and a wife with 5 kids at home. he always talked about how when we worked OT that it screwed up his food stamps. last time i checked the Snap on guy didn't take stamps.

well anyways it kinda bothered me that when i moved up in the company and took my tools and toolbox home and left the company tools with him. he didn't have a problem going out and buying 2 snap on tool box's and filling them with snap on tools. when i asked him how he can afford it he said he just pays the guy like 20 bucks a week. OK that's fine. couldn't you have done that when you were using my stuff everyday!!!

rant over

well now you're painting a totally different picture.

a) he's not a ASE mechanic or something similar

b) he's on food stamps???

c) he's only paying $20/week for TWO SO boxes filled with tools???


I don't even know where to begin so I'll just let others go ahead.

 

[Skin]

There is a min monthly payment tho right?

entirely dependant on the dealer and how much of that debt they're willing to float. Generally though substantial amounts on truck credit is offered to existing customers after a relationship is formed. You probably wont find a dealer where you can walk in off the street and buy an 8k box at $100/mo or something.

 

[Hiball]

It's his money (and credit) to do with as he pleases. Anyone that stuck their nose in my business when it comes to how I spend my money will get told in short order how, when, where, and at what altitude they should go fly their little kite at. JMO.

+100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Although.. IM sure your well aware of the financial geniuses here at GJ, So watch your tone.

 

[klhitman]

entirely dependent on the dealer and how much of that debt they're willing to float. Generally though substantial amounts on truck credit is offered to existing customers after a relationship is formed. You probably wont find a dealer where you can walk in off the street and buy an 8k box at $100/mo or something.

i guess i should have been more specific. he got a 3 drawer cart and a green (i dont remember the amount of drawer) 5 drawer cart.

 

[klhitman]

well now you're painting a totally different picture.

a) he's not a ASE mechanic or something similar nope

b) he's on food stamps??? yes

c) he's only paying $20/week for TWO SO boxes filled with tools??? i am not sure what he is paying but he buys the tools separately


I don't even know where to begin so I'll just let others go ahead.

it just makes me a little mad but hey you make the bed you lay in the bed

 

[Tom_20m]

Sounds like he's doing the same thing what most americans did with the housing market, bought on credit at a rate that they could "afford" and look where that went. I know it's tools but when you have tools already provided to you and 5 hungry mouths to feed, my choice would be to feed the family. Then again, I've seen folks on food stamp and welfare with $200.00 sneakers and no money to buy food. To each his own.

 

[GoBlue]

Truck accounts are interest free. For techs that have been around a while, have a reputation of making their payments and are not all around low life's, i have seen drivers extend up to 5+ grand on truck accounts. For new guys that may or may not make it, and low life's, the drivers usually push them into a credit account so when they default the driver is not on the hook.

None of my trucks offer cash discounts. I almost always put things on the truck account and pay it off over three weeks or so. Why come out of pocket if the interest is free? Keep in mind i only have a balance with the Snap on truck and its NEVER over $500. I have been told numerous times that he doesn't like it when i pay him off to zero as they like collecting cash every week. As a result i make sure to ALWAYS have a balance with Snappy so he stays happy and profitable and most importantly keeps coming around! I only buy stuff i need so im not wasting money, but i do tend to spread it out a bit. For example im into him now for just over $300. I really want and need a MG325 3/8 impact. When i pay him off, im walking on the truck and buying one. He stays happy, i get my impact, my ballance stays low, he keeps coming back!

 

[klhitman]

just an update.

i found out that they are foreclosing on his house today. i fell bad for the guy. but i would by my bill before i run out and buy some snap on stuff. he said its a mix up. but for the time that i have known him, he has always been in trouble on his house.

 

[twofifty]

It sounds like this guy does not have his priorities set straight. It is a shame but some people just get carried away.

I buy things off the truck and sometimes put them on credit and pay them off month to month however i rarely go over 300$ so i don't get too carried away. It is easy to walk on there and spend 1000$ in a matter of minutes, there is no doubt about that. If you are careful and can keep a low balance and can afford to pay a little each month, and you can actually keep to your payments then why not.

Not everyone can afford great quality tools outright. I got told when i started my auto tech apprentice that if i borrowed something more then 3 times it was worth buying for my own, i started out cheap but now i've accumulated more and more tools and started doing more and more work, i have started to notice a difference in the quality of my tools. I want to be able to start a job and finish it knowing my tools will take whatever abuse i give them. In my opinion having the right tool helps you get the job done quicker and allows you to make more money, i can always justify spending money on quality tools. But like i said i try to keep a low balance on the truck if i do have to use it.

 

[mayhemman]

i can't speak for your friend, seems to me he is a bit of a mix up for what he needs to get straight.

me i own the snap on man round $160 for my stuff, dad owed $140 but all goes on my account and i just get money from dad for his share.


havn't broken the $300 mark and not really planning to either. i work as a mechanic in a small engine shop, tools are provided so i don't have to bring in my own. i do buy new tools or upgrade what i do own already. i have bought a few items that i used at work and decided i needed to have them for myself, some i have bought cuz i wanted it.

everyone has to fend for yourself and do what they feel is best.

 

[The Dutchman]

Shame about the guy & his house but it seems he may have brought it on himself.

My current Snap On guy is a pretty good egg. True, the Snap On "revolving account", as it's called is just an informal agreement between you & the dealer. You'd also be surprised how often tools are on promo & I don't mean 5 or 10% off. There are times I've had close to 50% off. A while back I bought several hundred bucks worth of stuff, raising my balance to around a grand. When he asked me how much I wanted to give per week I said 100. They like to see 1/10th of the original balance every week, but if, for example, you steadily give them 1/20th, they don't get too mad. It's when you haven't made a payment in 3 weeks they get antsy & I don't blame them.

Recently I asked on a whim if there was still a trade-in promo on KRL toolboxes. He swung 50% off on a 7 grand KRL box, but I had to obtain "Snap On credit", as opposed to the revolving account. There will be interest if I haven't paid it off in 3 months. Just a little FYI here.

 

[Danglerb]

Some people, maybe all at some level, have a "will to fail" or a "fear of success" and when things go well they do something to point themselves back to the toilet. Maybe some of the bipolar stuff too, very hard on the families.

 

[moronmountain]

I'm not sure why you care. I like having my own stuff even if someone else provides something. "Shared" tools are usually not kept in good shape, and they are not always available.

 

[vintagefan]

It's his money (and credit) to do with as he pleases. Anyone that stuck their nose in my business when it comes to how I spend my money will get told in short order how, when, where, and at what altitude they should go fly their little kite at. JMO.

No offense intended, but if a lot more people had exactly the opposite attitude, this country would be in much better shape.

I live 100% debt free. I don't use credit cards besides to build credit and pay for certain items that require them. I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life, and I'm also very well off now.

When I was younger, and everyone warned me about extending too much credit, I had the exact same attitude that you do, and well, let's just say pride comes before a fall.

I was living WELL within my means, with a secure job at a company that valued me. Then, out of nowhere, the industry my company was in had a major meltdown. I went from six figures to about 40k overnight, and I never could have seen it coming.




I'm not implying you're in the same position that I was in, nor am I implying that you're in a bad position at all, I'm just trying to make a point really. This country is dying death by a thousand cuts because of people defaulting on "I'm gonna buy stuff with credit and no matter how many people tell me it's stupid, they can get screwed because it's my money and I'll do what I want".


The sad thing is, it ISN'T "your" money to do with as you want... it's the banks, until you pay it off at least. Once you default on your loans and then pass it to the banks which then get bailed out, then it's MY money... and I don't want it.

 

[abbeylives]

Where do you work that they provide tools?