Nissan Repossessed while I was on Disability, 3 payments left, wouldn't help...
I leased a 1997 Sentra from Brown & Brown Nissan in January 1997 for a 24 month term. After 21 perfect on-time payments, I became disabled at work, went on workmen's compensation, and lost two-thirds of my income due to working in a production oriented job. I did the 'doctors' thing for 5 months while on light-duty work, then eventually found another position.
In November 1998, while still current, I contacted NMAC and the dealership both, speaking to anyone and everyone I could, asking for any kind of assistance they could offer due to my situation. Their only response was a totally unemotional "Just make your payments."
Nothing was available to defer payments or reduce payments temporarily. I also could not trade on another vehicle, my income would not qualify me for anything by that time. No solutions were offered, other than to turn in my car or make the payments. I tried to scrape up the money, but I was a single, divorced mother with a mortgage, and on severely reduced income.
By February 1999, I decided that there was no alternative other than to give them back the car, so I cleaned up the car and called to make arrangements to bring it back to them. Well, the night before I was to take it down, they ripped it out of my driveway. Now it was an involuntary repossession, instead of voluntary.
To make matters worse, after they sold it at auction (like EVERY turned in lease vehicle), they sent me a bill for the difference of the auction sale price and the total vehicle price per contract. After that, I never heard from anyone til October when a collection agency called me regarding the $6834.00 'deficiency' balance. All that for 3 remaining payments!
My payments were also way too high for a stripped Sentra. I was paying $360.00 a month due to being upside-down in my trade, which I had bought from the SAME dealership 10 months prior! In 10 months, a 1993 Ford station wagon (with bad brakes and a noisy transmission; they saw me coming on that one) went from $8500 'value' to $3500.00. This added a lot to my total lease amount.
I am OUTRAGED at the lack of sympathy and assistance I encountered and the way they undermined my efforts to return the car. My credit now sucks, they say I owe almost $7000.00, and I can't seem to do a damn thing about it. I'm trying to get another house to replace the one I had to give back to my x-husband, also due to the disability. This is the only mark on my credit, but no one seems to care. Now I'm scum to them.
Repossessed cars are treated NO differently than regular end of term leased cars, there is no reason to demand the total price.
Nmac and brown & brown you suck big time. You ruined my life and caused me tremendous distress.
I hate you. You have absolutely no heart and you don't care what happens to people after they sign on the dotted line. We mean nothing to you.
Thanks for letting me post this, I feel a little better now.
Linda
Phoenix, Arizona
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