Yes, just another potential horror story, but mine nonetheless. Ashamedly after we moved to Arizona, we fell behind in car payments on a used car we got from a rental car agency in CA. It was one of those situations where my husband's new job suddenly cut back his hours and I couldn't find a job for 2 months. Anyway, we had to eat and pay rent, so the car was low on priority even though we depended on it, etc.
We had financed through Americredit (yet another rip-off!) and even though I made some partials, they still repo'd the car. So here we were, desperate. I was so ashamed I even lied to my work and told them my car had been stolen! So we went to a dealership for another used car in AZ. Well the guy said we didn't qualify (that's how fast the repo got put on the credit report), but recommended JD Byrider and DriveTime. Now guess which one we went to? He told us to mention his name to them and we did. Well, it was close to closing time and we settled on a nice-looking '99 Ford Escort with 89K on it (the only nice-looking car on the lot, I might add). It was a race to return the rental and they let us drive the car so we could do so. On the way back (the Dealership was in Glendale and we lived in Apache Junction, so you can imagine the distance), the engine light came on. We reported this and they said they would fix it.
And they did fix it and replaced the window, after we had to keep the rental 2 more days. Then the light came on again and we had to drive it all the way back in for them to look at it (took a whole day, even though we brought it in early). They said they couldn't fix it, but had us drive it to a transmission place in Phoenix instead of in Mesa, which was closer (and yes, we had to rent ANOTHER car). The transmission was replaced by a rebuilt one and for a while things were fine. BUTthe car would have issues, the engine light would come on and it was right back to their repair shop.
It totally sucked paying 24%, but it was my faultI own up to itfor not keeping our '97 Saturn SL2 (totally paid-off) and buying that stupid rental and ending up at JD Byrider.
Here's the best part: even though I was making my payments on time (via phone, because NO WAY was I driving all the way to Glendale every 2 weeks), they would make courtesy calls to remind us; sometimes 2 calls (day before and day due). And then one day about 6 months ago, the car died on my husband on his way home from a late-night shift. He parked it and WALKED the 4 miles to get home.
They towed that thing and the mechanic told us how much it would cost. Apparently, the sparks were so old, Moses used them. And the timing belt had not been changed over the life of the car. There were a couple of other things, but I don't remember, I was SO depressed. Bottom line: minimal repair would cost $600; total and inevitable repair would be about $1800. Why, I thought, does God hate me so?
But Somebody was listening, because I walked out to the mailbox the very next day and there it was: an offer of pre-approved financing for a car. I called and set everything up, called the mechanic and had the $600 problem fixed, and limped the damn thing over to the dealer (it gasped as we pulled it into the back lot after the deal was made. The one thing JD Byrider did RIGHT was to report our timely payments and we were able to score a NEW car with a BETTER rate (17%).in another year, we will refinance through a credit union for an even better rate, so
The moral of the story is not to let desperation drive you to settle for anything. We held on by the skin of our teeth and now, things are better. But if I had to do it all over again, I would NOT buy from JD Byridertheir selections and prices are ridiculous. We were lucky our payments were only $310 a month because my husband had a really good job (once they fired the boss who cut everyone's hours), so it didn't hurt too much. And now I don't have to cringe with that stupid logo WELDED to the back of my car for everyone to see (Anyone remember the Scarlet Letter?).
And best of all, unlike that piece of trash I drove, I am actually in love with my car again. One thing more: the people at the Toyota dealership treated us with respect and dignityeven the finance manager got steamed at JD Byrider and went to bat for us when they pulled one last trick: to claim we owed them another payment, even though I had receipts proving I was current. Thank the Gods, I got THAT monkey off my back! If I eat a little less and wear out my clothes, so be it, but I'm KEEPING my payments currentJD Byrider, NEVER AGAIN!
Karlah Royce
Apache Junction, Arizona
U.S.A.
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