You have just started your first job and you want to have the basic appliances (fridge, washer, dryer, etc.) in your apartment. You face the following choices:

 (i) Purchase all appliances at the store using a bank loan. There is no down payment as the bank can take your appliances if you default on the loan. The loan is at the annual market rate of 6%, and the loan amount is $7,200 to be repaid monthly over 4 years. 

(ii) Rent-to-buy from the same store. The monthly rental is $150 for 48 months and then you pay $800 to own all the appliances. What is the net cost today of the cheapest option? (Enter just the number in dollars without the $ sign or a comma and round off decimals to the closest integer, i.e., rounding $30.49 down to $30 and rounding $30.50 up to $31.)

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Option 1 Purchase all appliances at the store using a bank lo... View the full answer