8 Things You Need To Know About “Buy Here Pay Here” Dealers
Via Examiner.
Before you decide to visit a “buy here, pay here” used car dealership, it’s important to take time to do a little research.
If you aren’t familiar with the process that surrounds no credit or bad credit auto loans, you may end up with an auto loan that doesn’t work well for your financial situation. Getting an auto loan isn’t always a breeze, but conducting some research beforehand will make your vehicle buying experience a lot more pleasurable!
1. What’s The State Of Your Credit?
If you know what your credit rating is, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect when you go in. Even better, taking the time to review your credit rating will give you a chance to ensure that no mistakes have been made in any of the reports.
2. The “Yo-Yo” Trap
Dealers often play this trick in order to tempt buyers into taking a car home immediately without actually squaring away the financial situation. Once you’ve driven the car for a few days or weeks, the dealer will inform you that there has been a problem with your application or loan and you’ll have to pay a higher interest rate, they’ll demand more money down or even request that you return the vehicle. Although this is a rare occurrence, it’s important to make sure that everything is final before you drive off the dealership’s lot.
3. You Can’t Hide Everything
Don’t believe the illusion that you can hide past credit problems. As soon as you sit down to discuss a loan, the “buy here, pay here” dealer is going to find out everything they need to know about your financial past to ensure your can afford the payments on the car you want to buy.
Take the time to prepare yourself to talk about any issues that might arise including recently missed payments, past repossessions or bankruptcies.
4. How Much Car Can You Afford?
Carefully consider how much you actually want to spend on a car, even if you are able to get a sizable loan.
It’s important to think about the upfront price as well as the maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs that you’ll pay for years to come. Luckily, some “buy here, pay here” dealerships offer warranties or vehicle protection plans which can aid in reducing any out of pocket expenses for repairs with a simple and inexpensive deductible.
5. How Long Will It Take To Pay Off The Loan?
You don’t want to be paying off the car long after the warranty has expired, so most experts recommend carrying a car loan for a maximum of 4 or 5 years. You can often extend the term to 6 years if you really want a low monthly payment, although over time you will be paying more in interest.
6. Prepare For A Down Payment
Even if you are discussing a plan with a “buy here, pay here” dealership, it’s important to save enough money to make a significant down payment on your car.
Ideally, you should start out with a 20% down payment in order to greatly reduce the size of your loan. Although 20% is not set in stone at all dealerships, depending on your loan approval and vehicle you are wanting to purchase, a down payment of some amount is usually required.
7. No-Haggle Dealers = No Hidden Costs
At many auto dealerships, the prices listed don’t actually reflect the final price that you’ll have to pay. If you choose to work with a no-haggle dealer, you won’t have to worry about hidden costs that will inflate the price of your loan and monthly payment.
8. Know The Difference Between A “Warranty” & A “Vehicle Service Contract”
Often, the terms “warranty” and “vehicle service contract” (or agreement) are used interchangeably, but there are some major differences between them.
Warranties are only offered directly from the vehicle’s manufacturer and typically include bumper to bumper coverage of varying degrees, mileage and years. A standard manufacturer warranty covers the vehicle from defects within a defined period, sometimes up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. Warranties are always included in the price of the vehicle. If purchasing a new vehicle, the dealer might offer you an extended warranty at an additional cost.
While shopping at a used car dealer, you might hear the term “warranty,” but in reality what they are referring to is a vehicle service contract. A vehicle service contract is similar to a warranty in many ways, but the major difference being that they are available at an additional cost. Vehicle service contracts can cover many of the same components as a warranty and on occasion, offer additional coverage.
Before you visit a used car dealership, be sure to determine whether or not a warranty or vehicle service contract is worth it for your situation. Many used car buyers find significant value in a protection plan, especially ones that cover the main components of the powertrain and drivetrain so you can rest assured that the critical components of your vehicle are covered and you can live virtually worry-free for the term of your agreement, which can go up to 5 years or 50,000 miles.
With these 8 tips in mind, you’re ready to go car shopping! Need to know something else? Ask away in the questions below.
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I was wondering if Drivetime holds a car I like for 45 days, will they recheck my credit every 2 weeks and require a larger down payment?
I was wondering if I can extend my lease term to 6 years because my payments are way to high
Hi Felix, unfortunately, you can’t extend the lease terms more than 30 months. Depending on what class of vehicle you leased, you may be able to return your vehicle and lease a vehicle of another class to lower your payments. Of course, since our program allows you to cancel your lease and return your vehicle at any time, you can do that as well if the payments are too much of a burden. You can always re-lease when you’re ready.
I want to be sure to have the car’s history checked good before buying. Do buy here pay here cars have past accurate history that can be looked up? And my credit score is good, the history lacks sufficiency though so could I get a better loan through bhph?
I’ll ask another question separately
Hi William – We can not attest for every buy here, pay here dealership, but the vehicles at DriveTime have accurate histories that can be looked up. We recommend you contact your local dealership and they’ll be able to help you out with details regarding obtaining a loan.
How do you find the right dealers who will terminate everything if you return the car and not charge you beyond that point so your credit score gets affected? I have heard nightmare articles about how bhph’s charge high interest rates and make it where you can’t make the payments and when you return a car because you can get something better or the car’s just bad they can still count you as not paying the payments when you cancelled reducing your score.
From my understanding people have told me to come here to find a car . i was told if a car is 1,500 i will have to pay 750 to get the car in pay 150 every month for 5 months until the other 750 is paid off? Is that correct
Hi Kayla – We can definitely help you finance a vehicle! If you contact your local dealership, they can help you find a vehicle to purchase.
Hello-
I have been getting marketing calls from DriveTime, maybe through an auto loan site I applied through.
Thing is, I had a reposession from Drive Time after losing my job a while back. They said I was approved for a loan, but I can’t be approved can I?
Hi Mike – It is possible to be approved even with a prior repossession, however I highly recommend getting approved online or contacting your local dealership to talk to one of our Sales Advisors about scheduling an appointment! Thank you – Tiffany, DriveTime Community Manager
I’m in a active ch.13.can I get into a vechile
Hi, Lisa – Bankruptcy will not always keep you from getting approved for financing at DriveTime. Every situation is different, so please call (888) 418-1212 or schedule a visit with a sales advisor at your local dealership to discuss your financing options!
Hello.. I was wondering if it will be a problem getting a car from Drive Time since my employment is that I am an Uber driver. Will I still be denied because of that? Thank you for your time.
Hi, Lori – This shouldn’t have an effect on you getting approved with us, however, if you have more questions, you can contact your local dealership to discuss what you will need to bring as far as employment verification when you visit! You can find your local dealership here: https://www.drivetime.com/dealership/find
Hi, Lori – This shouldn’t have an effect on you getting approved with us, however, if you have more questions, you can contact your local dealership to discuss what you will need to bring as far as employment verification when you visit! You can find your local dealership here!
If I return my vehicle what will happen the payments r getting to high and I can not afford it…..
Hi Cheyanne – For additional information on the voluntary return process, it would be best for you to reach out to the Bridgecrest loan servicing team. They can be reached at (800) 967-8526.
Thank you,
Jacob – Customer Relations
Hello! I am having my chapter 13 dismissed. I am already pre-approved but a letter from the trustee was requested. Can I still finance the day I receive the dismissal papers?
Hello Kimberly,
Thank you for reaching out to us! In regards to your approval and financing, I encourage you to reach out to your local dealership in order to see what process would need to be followed as it varies by area. You can find your local dealership here. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to also reach out to our sales team at (888)418-1212.
Thank You,
Kaitlyn – Customer Relations
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