05-12-2004, 07:50 PM
Here's the deal, I have been friendly with people at this dealership for over 10 years. My family and I have bought several cars from them over that time and I used to do them a lot of favors when I was installing alarms and radios. So, when I leased my Escape in 2001, they got me approved with shit credit and a ton of outstanding debts. It was funny to hear the sales manager say, "he doesn't have the credit to meet that payment on a lease", only to be over-ruled by the dealership manager who said, "it's Brandt, just make it happen". So I left in my new Escape.
When I went to get the Durango, I orginally was going to get an Explorer, but wasn't really set on it. Then, the Dodge dealer heard I was getting a car and said he could work me a better deal on a better truck. So, I got an SLT 4x4 for the same price that I could've gotten a minimally outfitted Explorer (cloth, p/w, p/l, no frills, 6 cyl). In the end, I thought the Durango was a better looking truck and that the V8, 3rd row, and better 4wd diff really sealed the deal. So, they worked the numbers and probably applied a rebate or two and got me where I needed to be payment wise.
As for the Escape, there were no deals running on the Escape when she bought it. She could've gotten a much lower payment on a lease, but she doesn't think leasing is beneficial and she also puts a lot of mileage on her cars. Now that I look back at it, she may have gotten a 48 month loan. I'm really not sure. I do know that the payments and the amount down is correct, though.
To Tricia's assertion, if you can't afford to buy furniture, you can rent to own from rent-a-center. And sure, you'll be paying only $30/week for a fully outfitted living room with electronics et. al. Unfortunately, you'll also pay about an 800% mark-up by the time your done.
It's the proverbial rock and a hard place. You can put down as much as you can on a loan, which for most people is about $5K or so, and then finance the rest for as long as it takes to get your payments where they need to be. But again, you end up paying so much interest it'll drive ya mad. My advice? Lease or save as long as you can before buying. If all else fails, buy a car that is within your means.
When I went to get the Durango, I orginally was going to get an Explorer, but wasn't really set on it. Then, the Dodge dealer heard I was getting a car and said he could work me a better deal on a better truck. So, I got an SLT 4x4 for the same price that I could've gotten a minimally outfitted Explorer (cloth, p/w, p/l, no frills, 6 cyl). In the end, I thought the Durango was a better looking truck and that the V8, 3rd row, and better 4wd diff really sealed the deal. So, they worked the numbers and probably applied a rebate or two and got me where I needed to be payment wise.
As for the Escape, there were no deals running on the Escape when she bought it. She could've gotten a much lower payment on a lease, but she doesn't think leasing is beneficial and she also puts a lot of mileage on her cars. Now that I look back at it, she may have gotten a 48 month loan. I'm really not sure. I do know that the payments and the amount down is correct, though.
To Tricia's assertion, if you can't afford to buy furniture, you can rent to own from rent-a-center. And sure, you'll be paying only $30/week for a fully outfitted living room with electronics et. al. Unfortunately, you'll also pay about an 800% mark-up by the time your done.
It's the proverbial rock and a hard place. You can put down as much as you can on a loan, which for most people is about $5K or so, and then finance the rest for as long as it takes to get your payments where they need to be. But again, you end up paying so much interest it'll drive ya mad. My advice? Lease or save as long as you can before buying. If all else fails, buy a car that is within your means.