query: Dealer Financing Fell Through on vehicle purchase: Scam?

positive: There's a good explanation of this type of scam at the following link; It's known as a Spot-Delivery scam. https://www.carbuyingtips.com/top-10-scams/scam1.htm Also, I read this one a while back, and immediately this post reminded me of it: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/when-the-dealership-steals-back-the-car-they-just-sold-1636730607 Essentially, they claim you'll get one level of financing, let you take the car home, and then attempt to extort a higher financing APR out of you or request more money / higher payments. Check your purchasing agreement, it may have a note with something along the lines of 'Subject to financing approval' or something similar. If it does, you might be 'out of luck', as it were. Contact an attorney; in some cases (Such as the 'oppositelock.kinja.com' article above) consumers have been able to sue dealers for this as theft.

negative: If you buy a car using a loan, the dealer gets benefited by the financing institution by the way of referring fee paid to the dealer by the institution, and that too if the dealer has helped in financing the purchase. Otherwise for the dealer it doesn't matter if one pays in full or through financing. The dealer is paid in full in either cases. Hence the dealer may slightly get disappointed that you are not taking a loan.

negative: "The question is about the dealer, right?  The dealer isn't providing this financing to you, Alfa is, and they're paying the dealer that same ""On the Road"" price when you finance the purchase.  So the dealer gets the same amount either way. The financing, through Alfa, means your payments go to Alfa.  And they're willing to give you 3,000 towards purchase of the car at the dealer in order to motivate those who can afford payments but not full cash for the car.  They end up selling more cars this way, keeping the factories busy and employees and stockholders happy along the way.  At least, that's how it's supposed to work out."

negative: There is no rule that says the dealer has to honor that deal, nor is there any that says he/she won't.  However, if you are thinking of financing through though the dealership they are likely to honor the deal. They PREFER you finance it. If you finance it through the dealer the salesman just got TWO sales (a car and a loan) and probably gets a commission on both. If you finance it through a third party it makes no difference to the dealer, it is still a cash deal to them because even though you pay off the car loan over years, the bank pays them immediately in full.

negative: Car dealers as well as boat dealers, RV dealers, maybe farm vehicle dealers and other asset types make deals with banks and finance companies to they can make loans to buyers. They may be paying the interest to the finance companies so they can offer a 0% loan to the retail customer for all or part of the loan term.  Neither the finance company nor the dealer wants to make such loans to people who are likely to default. Such customers will not be offered this kind of financing. But remember too that these loans are secured by the asset - the car - which is also insured. But the dealer or the finance company holds that asset as collateral that they can seize to repay the loan. So the finance company gets paid off and the dealer keeps the profit he made selling the car. So these loans are designed to ensure the dealer nor the finance company looses much. These are called asset finance loans because there is always an asset (the car) to use as collateral.

negative: I had a similar situation when I was in college. The difference was that the dealer agreed to finance and the bank they used wanted a higher interest rate from me because of my limited credit history. The dealer asked for a rate 5 percentage points higher than what they put on the paperwork. I told them that I would not pay that and I dropped the car off at the lot with a letter rescinding the sale. They weren't happy about that and eventually offered me financing at my original rate with a $1000 discount from the previously agreed-upon purchase price. What I learned through that experience is that I didn't do a good-enough job of negotiating the original price. I would suggest that your son stop answering phone calls from the dealership for at least 1 week and drive the car as much as possible in that time. If the dealer has cashed the check then that will be the end of it. He owes nothing further. If the dealer has not cashed the check, he should ask whether they prefer to keep the check or if they want the car with 1000 miles on the odometer. This only works if your son keeps his nerve and is willing to walk away from the car.

negative: The dealership is getting a kickback for having you use a particular bank to finance through. The bank assumes you will take the full term of the loan to pay back, and will hopefully be a repeat customer. This tactic isn't new, and although it maybe doesn't make sense to you, the consumer, in the long run it benefits the bank and the dealership. (They wouldn't do it otherwise. These guys have a lot of smart people running #s for them). Be sure to read the specifics of the loan contract. There may be a penalty for paying it off early. Most customers won't be able to pay that much in cash, so the bank makes a deal with the dealership to send clients their way. They will lose money on a small percentage of clients, but make more off of the rest of the clients. If there's no penalty for paying it off early, you may just want to take the financing offer and pay it off ASAP. If you truly can only finance $2500 for 6 mos, and get the full discount, then that might work as well. The bank had to set a minimum for the dealership in order to qualify as a loan that earns the discount. Sounds like that's it. Bonus Info: Here's a screenshot of Kelley Blue Book for that car. Car dealers get me riled up, always have, always will, so I like doing this kind of research for people to make sure they get the right price. Fair price range is $27,578 - $28,551. First time car buyers are a dealers dream come true. Don't let them beat you down!  And here's more specific data about the Florida area relating to recent purchases:

negative: "Yes, he can retract the offer - it was a cash-only offer, and if you're financing, it's no longer ""cash"". Unless, of course, you get the financing through your local bank / credit union, and they hand you a check (like on a personal loan). Then it's still cash. However, the salesman can still retract the offer unless it's in writing because you haven't signed anything yet. The price of financing will always be higher because the dealer doesn't get all their money today. Also, if you finance, you are not paying just the cost of the vehicle, you are paying interest, so your final cost will be higher (unless you were one of the lucky souls who got 0% financing atop employee pricing, and therefore are actually saving money by having a payment)."

negative: The advice given at this site is to get approved for a loan from your bank or credit union before visiting the dealer. That way you have one data point in hand.  You know that your bank will loan w dollars at x rate for y months with a monthly payment of Z. You know what level you have to negotiate to in order to get a better deal from the dealer. The dealership you have visited has said  Excludes tax, tag, registration and dealer fees. Must finance through   Southeast Toyota Finance with approved credit. The first part is true. Most ads you will see exclude tax, tag, registration. Those amounts are set by the state or local government, and will be added by all dealers after the final price has been negotiated. They will be exactly the same if you make a deal with the dealer across the street. The phrase Must finance through company x is done because they want to make sure the interest and fees for the deal stay in the family. My fear is that the loan will also not be a great deal. They may have a higher rate, or longer term, or hit you with many fee and penalties if you want to pay it off early. Many dealers want to nudge you into financing with them, but the unwillingness to negotiate on price may mean that there is a short term pressure on the dealership to do more deals through Toyota finance. Of course the risk for them is that potential buyers just take their business a few miles down the road to somebody else. If they won't budge from the cash price, you probably want to pick another dealer. If the spread between the two was smaller, it is possible that the loan from your bank at the cash price might still save more money compared to the dealer loan at their quoted price. We can't tell exactly because we don't know the interest rates of the two offers. A couple of notes regarding other dealers. If you are willing to drive a little farther when buying the vehicle, you can still go to the closer dealer for warranty work. If you don't need a new car, you can sometimes find a deal on a car that is only a year or two old at a dealership that sells other types of cars. They got the used car as a trade-in.

negative: Dealer financing should be ignored until AFTER you have agreed on the price of the car, since otherwise they tack the costs of it back onto the car's purchase price. They aren't offering you  a $2500 cash incentive, but adding a $2500 surcharge if you take their financing package -- which means you're actually paying significantly more than 0.9% for that loan! Remember that you can borrow from folks other than the dealer. If you do that, you still get the cash price, since the dealer is getting cash. Check your other options, and calculate the REAL cost of each, before making your decisions. And remember to watch out for introductory/variable rates on loans! Leasing is generally a bad deal unless you intend to sell the car within three years or so.

negative: "It's possible the $16,000 was for more than the car.  Perhaps extras were added on at purchase time; or perhaps they were folded into the retail price of the car.  Here's an example.  2014: I'm ready to buy. My 3-year-old trade-in originally cost $15,000, and I financed it for 6 years and still owe $6500.  It has lots of miles and excess wear, so fair blue-book is $4500. I'm ""upside down"" by $2000, meaning I'd have to pay $2000 cash just to walk away from the car.  I'll never have that, because I'm not a saver.  So how can we get you in a new car today?  Dealer says ""If you pay the full $15,000 retail price plus $1000 of worthless dealer add-ons like wax undercoat (instead of the common discounted $14,000 price), I'll eat your $2000 loss on the trade.""  All gets folded into my new car financing.  It's magic! (actually it's called rollover.)  2017: I'm getting itchy to trade up, and doggone it, I'm upside down on this car.  Why does this keep happening to me?  In this case, it's rollover and other add-ons, combined with too-long car loans (6 year), combined with excessive mileage and wear on the vehicle."

negative: "At this point there is not much you can do.  The documentation probably points to you being the sole owner and signer on the loan.  Then, any civil suit will degenerate into a ""he said, she said"" scenario.  Luckily, no one was truly harmed in the scenario.   Obtaining financing through a car dealer is almost always not advisable.  So from here, you can do what should have been done in the first place.  Go to banks and credit unions so your daughter can refinance the car.  You will probably get a lower rate, and there is seldom a fee.   I would start with the bank/CU where she does her checking or has some other kind of a relationship.  If that fails, anywhere you can actually sit and talk with a loan officer is preferable over the big corporate type banks.   Car dealers lying is nothing new, it happens to everyone.  Buying a car is like a battle."

negative: There are many reasons for buying new versus used vehicles. Price is not the only factor.  This is an individual decision. Although interesting to examine from a macro perspective, each vehicle purchase is made by an individual, weighing many factors that vary in importance by that individual, based upon their specific needs and values. I have purchased both new and used cars, and I have weighted each of these factors as part of each decision (and the relative weightings have varied based upon my individual situation). Read Freakonomics to gain a better understanding of the reasons why you cannot find a good used car. The summary is the imbalance of knowledge between the buyer and seller, and the lack of trust. Although much of economics assumes perfect market information, margin (profit) comes from uncertainty, or an imbalance of knowledge.  Buying a used car requires a certain amount of faith in people, and you cannot always trust the trading partner to be honest. Price - The price, or more precisely, the value proposition of the vehicle is a large concern for many of us (larger than we might prefer that it be). Selection - A buyer has the largest selection of vehicles when they shop for a new vehicle. Finding the color, features, and upgrades that you want on your vehicle can be much harder, even impossible, for the used buyer. And once you have found the exact vehicle you want, now you have to determine whether the vehicle has problems, and can be purchased at your price. Preference - A buyer may simply prefer to have a vehicle that looks new, smells new, is clean, and does not have all the imperfections that even a gently used vehicle would exhibit. This may include issues of pride, image, and status, where the buyer may have strong emotional or psychological needs to statisfy through ownership of a particular vehicle with particular features. Reviews - New vehicles have mountains of information available to buyers, who can read about safety and reliability ratings, learn about problems from the trade press, and even price shop and compare between brands and models. Contrasted with the minimal information available to used vehicle shoppers. Unbalanced Knowledge - The seller of a used car has much greater knowledge of the vehicle, and thus much greater power in the negotiation process. Buying a used car is going to cost you more money than the value of the car, unless the seller has poor knowledge of the market. And since many used cars are sold by dealers (who have often taken advantage of the less knowledgeable sellers in their transaction), you are unlikely to purchase the vehicle at a good price. Fear/Risk - Many people want transportation, and buying a used car comes with risk. And that risk includes both the direct cost of repairs, and the inconvenience of both the repair and the loss of work that accompanies problems. Knowing that the car has not been abused, that there are no hidden or lurking problems waiting to leave you stranded is valuable. Placing a price on the risk of a used car is hard, especially for those who only want a reliable vehicle to drive. Placing an estimate on the risk cost of a used car is one area where the seller has a distinct advantage. Warranties - New vehicles come with substantial warranties, and this is another aspect of the Fear/Risk point above. A new vehicle does not have unknown risk associated with the purchase, and also comes with peace of mind through a manufacturer warranty. You can purchase a used car warranty, but they are expensive, and often come with (different) problems. Finance Terms - A buyer can purchase a new vehicle with lower financing rate than a used vehicle. And you get nothing of value from the additional finance charges, so the difference between a new and used car also includes higher finance costs. Own versus Rent - You are assuming that people actually want to 'own' their cars. And I would suggest that people want to 'own' their car until it begins to present problems (repair and maintenance issues), and then they want a new vehicle to replace it. But renting or leasing a vehicle is an even more expensive, and less flexible means to obtain transportation. Expense Allocation - A vehicle is an expense. As the owner of a vehicle, you are willing to pay for that expense, to fill your need for transportation. Paying for the product as you use the product makes sense, and financing is one way to align the payment with the consumption of the product, and to pay for the expense of the vehicle as you enjoy the benefit of the vehicle. Capital Allocation - A buyer may need a vehicle (either to commute to work, school, doctor, or for work or business), but either lack the capital or be unwilling to commit the capital to the vehicle purchase. Vehicle financing is one area banks have been willing to lend, so buying a new vehicle may free capital to use to pay down other debts (credit cards, loans). The buyer may not have savings, but be able to obtain financing to solve that need. Remember, people need transportation. And they are willing to pay to fill their need. But they also have varying needs for all of the above factors, and each of those factors may offer value to different individuals.

negative: Yes, of course it is. Car dealers are motivated to write loans even more than selling cars at times. When I bought a new car for the first time in my life, in my 40's, it took longer to get the finance guy out of my face than to negotiate and buy the car.  The car dealer selling you the used car would be happy to package the financing into the selling price. Similar to how 'points' are used to adjust the actual cost of a mortgage, the dealer can tinker with the price up front knowing that you want to stretch the payment out a bit.  To littleadv's point, 3 months isn't long, I think a used car dealer wold be happy to work with you.

negative: In the U.S., most car dealers provide lease financing through one company (usually a subsidiary of the auto manufacturer). Whereas they provide loan financing through a variety of companies, some of whom offer very high interest rate loans and sell the loans as collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Have you checked whether Chase or First Tech Credit Union offers a suitable car lease?

negative: Even if you avoid the issue of the auto dealer wanting to limit the abuse of their policy, you have to realize that the discount they give is 25% off of some stated price. It might be 25% off the sticker. They don't want to lose money, the 25% represents the haggling they avoid by selling to the employee. This means the discount might not be as large as you imagine, because you wouldn't have paid sticker if you had purchased the vehicle on your own. The other issue you will have to deal with is taxes and registration. When your friend drives the car off the lot, the car will have to be registered with the state. Then they will have to sell the car to you, and that transaction will have to be done though the state, for a price. Then you will sell it to somebody else. These transaction fees will cut into your profits.  It is likely that when the potential purchaser runs a VIN check through a service it will show multiple owners, which can cut the estimated resale value. The manufacturer will also have to be notified so that all the relevant warranty coverage is still intact.  The question is for that final sale: can you offer enough discount compared to the new car dealer? and still make enough profit to be worth the hassle?

negative: "Were you just offered a car loan for 1.4%, or did you sign for a car loan for 1.4%? If you signed, it's too late. If you didn't sign:  You should realise that your car loan isn't really 1.4%. Nobody will give you a car loan for less than a mortgage loan. What really happened is that you gave up your chance to get a rebate on the car purchase. A car worth $18,000 will have a price tag of $20,000. You can buy it for cash and haggle the dealer down to $18,000, or you can take that ""cheap"" 1.4% loan and pay $20,000 for the car.  So if at all possible, you would try to get a cheap loan from your bank, possibly through your mortgage, so you can buy the car without taking a loan from the car dealer."

negative: The buying service your credit union uses is similar to the one my credit union uses. I have used their service several times. There is no direct cost to use the service, though the credit union as a whole might have a fee to join the service. I have used it 4 times over the decades. If you know what make and model you want to purchase, or at least have it narrowed down to just a few choices, you can get an exact price for that make, model, and options. You do this before negotiating a price. You are then issued a certificate. You have to go to a specific salesman at a specific dealership, but near a large city there will be several dealers to pick from.  There is no negotiating at the dealership. You still have to deal with a trade in, and the financing option: dealer, credit union, or cash. But it is nice to not have to negotiate on the price. Of course there is nobody to stop you from using the price from the buying service as a goal when visiting a more conveniently located dealership, that is what I did last time. The first couple of times I used the standard credit union financing, and the last time I didn't need a loan. Even if you don't use the buying service, one way to pay for the car is to get the loan from the credit union, but get the rebate from the dealer. Many times if you get the low dealer financing you can't get the rebate. Doing it this way actually saves money. Speaking of rebates see how the buying service addresses them. The big national rebates  were still honored during at least one of my purchases. So it turned out to be the buying service price minus $1,000. If your service worked like my experience, the cost to you was a little time to get the price, and a little time in a different dealer to verify that the price was good.

negative: "Manufacturers sometimes give incentives to car dealers to ensure that the prior year models are sold out before the year is up.  However, dealers are usually pretty smart on only ordering the cars they know they can sell before this happens.  Also, manufacturers are usually pretty good about only producing enough vehicles to cover demand.   Honestly, you aren't likely to see these incentives materialize unless the manufacturer really screwed up.   If that happens then three things occur.  First is that manufacturers give a hidden incentive to the dealers.  Dealers won't publicize this, even internally.  If the cars are still not moving after a month, then the dealers will tell the salespeople that those cars have a specific ""bonus"" on them.  If those cars still don't sell, then the bonus inflates quite a bit and dealers begin advertising that car at a deep discount on the radio.  It's pretty much guaranteed to sell at that point. Barring those circumstances, the deal you get on a brand new car, late in the model year, is likely to be the same you could have gotten early in the model year.   Honestly, if you want the best deal possible, look at the date of the inspection sticker on the car.  If it is close to the 3 month mark then the dealer will bend over backwards to sell the car as the finance costs are racking up on it.  They'll often sell that one at heavy discounts."

negative: Cash is very effective at getting a discount when buying from individuals (craigslist, garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, etc.).   I'll make an offer, then thumb through the cash while they consider it.   There eyes will dart back and forth between my eyes and the cash as they decide whether to take my offer. Car dealers do seem to be very unique.   The dealer I bought at recently said that 70% of their deals were cash purchases, JoeTaxpayer's dealer said 1% were cash purchases.   I've had good luck negotiating with cash for well-loved cars (under $10K) from both individuals or used dealers. I'm also looking for carpet for my house and the first vendor I went to offered at 5% discount if I paid up front (no financing).

negative: It's extra work for you to purchase a vehicle that has an outstanding lien on it. It's not uncommon, but there are things to take care of and watch out for. Really, all it means is that the vehicle you're trying to purchase hasn't been paid for in full by the current owner. Where things can get dodgy is ensuring that all outstanding debts are paid against the vehicle at the time you take ownership of it, otherwise the owners of those debts could still reclaim the vehicle.  Here's a good article about making this kind of purchase.

negative: "As others have said, if the dealer accepted payment and signed over ownership of the vehicle, that's a completed transaction. While there may or may not be a ""cooling-off period"" in your local laws, those protect the purchaser, not (as far as I know) the seller. The auto dealer could have avoided this by selling for a fixed price. Instead, they chose to negotiate every sale. Having done so, it's entirely their responsibility to check that they are happy with their final agreement. Failing to do so is going to cost someone their commission on the sale, but that's not the buyer's responsibility. They certainly wouldn't let you off the hook if the final price was higher than you had previously agreed to. He who lives by the fine print shall die by the fine print. This is one of the reasons there is huge turnover in auto sales staff; few of them are really good at the job. If you want to be kind to the guy you could give him the chance to sell you something else. Or perhaps even offer him a $100 tip. But assuming the description is correct, and assuming local law doesn't say otherwise (if in any doubt, ask a lawyer!!!), I don't think you have any remaining obligation toward them On the other hand, depending on how they react to this statement, you might want to avoid their service department, just in case someone is unreasonably stupid and tries to make up the difference that was."

negative: Any car manufacturer that undercuts their own dealer network would have that network fall apart quickly.  Tesla is using a dealer-free distribution model from the start, so they don't have that problem.  Toyota doesn't work that way, though. GM imposed a uniform no-haggling policy with their Saturn brand, but that policy was coupled with local monopolies for dealers to make it work.  Lexus has also experimented with no-haggling and online ordering (with delivery still taking place at a dealership).  The rest of Toyota doesn't work that way, though. Some car manufacturers, such as BMW and Audi, allow you to take delivery of your new car at the factory for a discount. But even then, the transaction still takes place through a dealer.  Toyota doesn't work that way, though.  For one thing, they work at a different scale.  If you buy a Camry in the US, it might be produced in Kentucky, Indiana, or Aichi, depending on business conditions. You say that you want to cut out the middleman, but the fact is that you do require someone to deliver a Toyota to you, like it or not. If you're interested in saving money, consider trying various well documented tips, such as negotiating by e-mail before showing up, pitting dealerships against each other.  If you don't want to negotiate, you might be able to take advantage of pre-negotiated dealer prices through Costco. You mentioned that the dealership offered you a 7.99% interest rate for your 710 FICO score.  That sounds insanely high — I'd expect deals more like 2% advertised by buyatoyota.com.  (Remember, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation exists to help Toyota Motor Corporation sell more cars cheaply.)  You can also seek alternate financing online (example) or through your own bank.

negative: "Unfortunately, it's not unusual enough.  If you're looking for a popular car and the dealer wants to make sure they aren't holding onto inventory without a guarantee for sale, then it's a not completely unreasonable request.  You'll want to make sure that the deposit is on credit card, not cash or check, so you can dispute if an issue arises.   Really though, most dealers don't do this, requiring a deposit, pre sale is usually one of those hardball negotiating tactics where the dealer wrangles you into a deal, even if they don't have a good deal to make.  Dealers may tell you that you can't get your deposit back, even if they don't have the car you agreed on or the deal they agreed to.  You do have a right for your deposit back if you haven't completed the transaction, but it can be difficult if they don't want to give you your money back.  The dealer doesn't ever ""not know if they have that specific vehicle in stock"".  The dealer keeps comprehensive searchable records for every vehicle, it's good for sales and it's required for tax records.  Even when they didn't use computers for all this, the entire inventory is a log book or phone call away. In my opinion, I would never exchange anything with the dealer without a car actually attached to the deal.  I'd put down a deposit on a car transfer if I were handed a VIN and verified that it had all the exact options that we agreed upon, and even then I'd be very cautious about the condition."

negative: "—they will pull your credit report and perform a ""hard inquiry"" on your file. This means the inquiry will be noted in your credit report and count against you, slightly. This is perfectly normal. Just don't apply too many times too soon or it can begin to add up. They will want proof of your income by asking for recent pay stubs. With this information, your income and your credit profile, they will determine the maximum amount of credit they will lend you and at what interest rate. The better your credit profile, the more money they can lend and the lower the rate.  —that you want financed (the price of the car minus your down payment) that is the amount you can apply for and in that case the only factors they will determine are 1) whether or not you will be approved and 2) at what interest rate you will be approved. While interest rates generally follow the direction of the prime rate as dictated by the federal reserve, there are market fluctuations and variances from one lending institution to the next. Further, different institutions will have different criteria in terms of the amount of credit they deem you worthy of.  —you know the price of the car. Now determine how much you want to put down and take the difference to a bank or credit union. Or, work directly with the dealer. Dealers often give special deals if you finance through them. A common scenario is: 1) A person goes to the car dealer 2) test drives 3) negotiates the purchase price 4) the salesman works the numbers to determine your monthly payment through their own bank. Pay attention during that last process. This is also where they can gain leverage in the deal and make money through the interest rate by offering longer loan terms to maximize their returns on your loan. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just how they have to make their money in the deal. It's good to know so you can form your own analysis of the deal and make sure they don't completely bankrupt you.  —is that you can comfortable afford your monthly payment. The car dealers don't really know how much you can afford. They will try to determine to the best they can but only you really know. Don't take more than you can afford. be conservative about it. For example: Think you can only afford $300 a month? Budget it even lower and make yourself only afford $225 a month."

negative: "You say  Also I have been the only one with an income in our household for last 15 years, so for most of our marriage any debts have been in my name. She has a credit card (opened in 1999) that she has not used for years and she is also a secondary card holder on an American Express card and a MasterCard that are both in my name (she has not used the cards as we try to keep them only for emergencies). This would seem to indicate that the dealer is correct.  Your wife has no credit history.   You say that you paid off her student loans some years back.  If ""some years"" was more than seven, then they have dropped off her credit report.  If that's the most recent credit activity, then she effectively has none.   Even if you get past that, note that she also doesn't have any income, which makes her a lousy co-signer.  There's no real circumstance where you couldn't pay for the car but she could based on the historical data.  She would have to get a job first.  Since they had no information on her whatsoever, they probably didn't even get to that."

negative: "Given the state of the economy, and the potential of a rough near future for us recent grads (i.e. on/off work), I would recommend holding off on large purchases while your life is in flux.  This includes both a NEW car and purchasing a house. My short answer is: you need a reliable vehicle, so purchase a used car, from a major dealer (yes this will add a fairly high premium, but easier financing), that is 4-5 years old, or more.  Barring the major dealer purchase, be sure to get a mechanic to check out a vehicle, many will offer this service for a reasonable payment.  As people point out, cars these days will run for another 100k miles.  You will NOT have to pay anywhere near $27,000 for this vehicle.  You may need to leverage your 10k for a loan if you choose to finance, but it should not be a problem, especially as you seem to imply an established credit history. In addition to this, start saving your money for the house you would like to eventually get.  We have no idea where you live, but, picking rough numbers, assuming a 2 year buy period, 20% down, and a $250,000 home, the down payment alone will require you to save ~$2,000/month starting now. Barring either of these options, max out your money to tax sheltered accounts (your Roth IRA, work 401k, or a regular IRA) asap.  Obviously, do not deplete your emergency fund, if anything, increase it.  10k can be burned through in a heartbeat. Long Answer:  I purchased a brand new car, right out of school, at a reasonable interest rate.  Like you, I can afford this vehicle, however, if someone were to come to me today (3.5 years later) and offer me the opportunity to take it back and purchase a 4-5 year used vehicle, at a 4-5 year used car price, albeit at a much higher interest rate (since I financed), it would be about a 0.02 second decision. I like my car, but, I'd like the differential cash savings between it and a reliable used car more.  $27,000 is also fairly expensive for a new vehicle, there are many, very nice vehicles, for 21-23k.  I still would not consider these priced appropriate to spend your money on them, but they exist.  However, you do very much need a reliable vehicle, and I think you should get one. On the home front, your $400 all inclusive rent is insanely cheap.  Many people spend more than that on property tax and PMI each year, so anyone who throws the ""You're throwing money away!"" line at you is blowing smoke to justify their own home purchase.  Take the money you would have spent on a mortgage, and squirrel it away.  Do your own due diligence and research the home market in your area and decide for yourself if you think home prices have bottomed and will stay there, have further to go, or are going to begin to rise.  That is a decision only you can make for yourself. I'd add a section about getting expenses under control, but you said you could save 50% of your takehome pay.  This is an order of magnitude above the average.  Good job.  Try doing 50% for 4 months, then calculate your actual amount.  Then try to beat it."

negative: The buyer can get another cosigner or you can sell the car to pay off the loan. These are your only options if financing cannot be obtained independently.

negative: I've been an F&I Manager at a new car dealership for over ten years, and I can tell you this with absolute certainty, your deal is final. There is no legal obligation for you whatsoever. I see this post is a few weeks old so I am sure by now you already know this to be true, but for future reference in case someone in a similar situation comes across this thread, they too will know. This is a completely different situation to the ones referenced earlier in the comments on being called by the dealer to return the vehicle due to the bank not buying the loan. That only pertains to customers who finance, the dealer is protected there because on isolated occasions, which the dealer hates as much as the customer, trust me, you are approved on contingency that the financing bank will approve your loan. That is an educated guess the finance manager makes based on credit history and past experience with the bank, which he is usually correct on. However there are times, especially late afternoon on Fridays when banks are preparing to close for the weekend the loan officer may not be able to approve you before closing time, in which case the dealer allows you to take the vehicle home until business is back up and running the following Monday. He does this mostly to give you sense of ownership, so you don't go down the street to the next dealership and go home in one of their vehicles.  However, there are those few instances for whatever reason the bank decides your credit just isn't strong enough for the rate agreed upon, so the dealer will try everything he can to either change to a different lender, or sell the loan at a higher rate which he has to get you to agree upon. If neither of those two things work, he will request that you return the car. Between the time you sign and the moment a lender agrees to purchase your contract the dealer is the lien holder, and has legal rights to repossession, in all 50 states. Not to mention you will sign a contingency contract before leaving that states you are not yet the owner of the car, probably not in so many simple words though, but it will certainly be in there before they let you take a car before the finalizing contract is signed.  Now as far as the situation of the OP, you purchased your car for cash, all documents signed, the car is yours, plain and simple. It doesn't matter what state you are in, if he's cashed the check, whatever. The buyer and seller both signed all documents stating a free and clear transaction. Your business is done in the eyes of the law. Most likely the salesman or finance manager who signed paperwork with you, noticed the error and was hoping to recoup the losses from a young novice buyer.  Regardless of the situation, it is extremely unprofessional, and clearly shows that this person is very inexperienced and reflects poorly on management as well for not doing a better job of training their employees. When I started out, I found myself in somewhat similar situations, both times I offered to pay the difference of my mistake, or deduct it from my part of the sale. The General Manager didn't take me up on my offer. He just told me we all make mistakes and to just learn from it. Had I been so unprofessional to call the customer and try to renegotiate terms, I would have without a doubt been fired on the spot.

negative: I have in the last few years purchased several used cars from dealers. They have handled it two different ways. They accepted a small check ~$1,000 now, and then gave me three business days to bring the rest as a cashiers check. They also insisted that I submit a application for credit, in case I needed a loan.  They accepted a personal check on the spot. Ask them before you drive to the dealer. Of course they would love you to get a loan from them.

negative: "Paperwork prevails.  What you have is a dealer who get a kickback for sending financing to that institution. And the dealer pretty much said ""We only get paid our kickback at two levels of loan life, 6 and 12 months."" You just didn't quite read between the lines.  This is very similar to the Variable Annuity salespeople who tell their clients, ""The best feature about this product is that the huge commissions I get from the sale fund my kid's college tuition and my own retirement. You, on the other hand, don't really do so well.""  Car salesmen and VA sellers."

negative: On the off chance that you have thoughts to purchase an utilized car, the initial step includes endeavoring to locate the trustable second hand car dealer that fits your funds. You can sift through the chase in light of different parameters comprising Masai second hand car seller, kms driven, gas sort, body kind and ownership which also rearranges the way to buy second hand car. The utilized vehicle stage at Masai Auto City offers probability to each individuals and venders to list their used Cars available and bear in mind it's far completely fit for you.

negative: Absolutely do not pay off the car if you aren't planning to keep it.  The amount of equity that you have from a trade in vehicle will always be a variable when negotiating a new car purchase.  By applying cash (a hard asset) to increase your equity, you are trading a fixed amount for an unknown, variable amount.  You are also moving from a position of more certainty for a position of less certainty.  You gain nothing by paying off the car, whereas the dealer can negotiate away a larger piece of the equity in the vehicle.


query: Frustrated Landlord

positive: You are not a landlord.  You have choices: The current situation is charity. And that's ok, so long as you acknowledge it. In the big picture, anything less than market rent is a gift that you are giving the person living in your house. A good tenant might keep the place in better shape, and deserve a lower rent, but that's a quid pro quo. In the end, landlording is a business. If you had 10-20 apartments, they would be proving an income to you and you would have a large chunk of your wealth tied up in it. You would keep the apartments in good shape both to be legal and not a slumlord, but you'd also collect market rent. $100/apt would be $1000-$2000/mo income to you and your family.  You wife is right. As always. You have a decision to make to stop the bleeding.

positive: You're worried about your tenant. That just means you're a nice guy, and it's ok to be nice. At the same time, you can't be expected to lose money on the property or charge well below market on the rent. My suggestions: You know what? She'll totally understand. You've been super nice in keeping the rent low for so many years, and she's been a great tenant, too. At a certain point, inflation kicks in and you have to raise the rent. She'll get that. If she can find a cheaper place, that's a win for both of you. Help her move if you want to be extra nice. Then decide if you want to sell the place or raise the rent. Either option is fine. Listen to your wife. That's just general advice.

positive: "If you're losing money or breaking even, you own a bad investment.  The problem you have is that you are emotionally invested in your tenant. That isn't a bad thing in general but it's costing you money and, unless interest rates fall enough to justify a refi or property taxes go down in your area, that's kind of unlikely to change.  Option #1 - Tell your wife that you are willing to accept a loss up to a certain level because of your long term relationship with your tenant. In a perfect world, the two of you would then discuss what the ""magic number"" would be where you got out and come to a compromise. For example, if you are comfortable losing up to $3,000 per year and she is unhappy with any loss, you may agree on selling the house when your losses climb to $1,500. In a less perfect world, it would cause an argument as she has already told you what she wants you to do.  Option #2 - Raise the rent to the break even point. From what you've said, this will likely result in the loss of your tenant but you could then rent to someone else for significantly more.  Option #3 - Sell the house. It's an investment property which means it's supposed to make money for you. It can do that very quickly by way of a sale and then it's no longer your problem. Option #4 - Sell the house to your tenant. You bought it for $50,000 and it's currently worth $150,000 (roughly). The problem you face is that property taxes have gone up and caused your mortgage to increase past your tenants ability to pay. My guess is, after 15 years, your payoff is somewhere in the high $20's to mid 30's assuming you got a 30 year loan and haven't refinanced. If you sell to her for say $75,000 (or even up to $90,000) you will still make a profit (wife is happy), she will get a mortgage she can afford and be able to stay in the house (you and the tenant are happy). Added bonus is that her property taxes would be lower (assuming a different rate for investment property in your area). I would discuss this at length with your wife as well before making such an offer.  Option #5 - Get a property management company. As mentioned above, they will keep a percentage but will remove your emotions from the equation altogether and turn the situation into a winner.  I don't know if your wife is right in saying you don't have the stomach for this, but I do think your heart is getting in the way in this particular situation. I get the feeling that if your tenant was 25 years old and had only been renting from you since last October, you would have no problem raising the rent to market levels at every renewal."

positive: Renting your property out at less than market rates is a form of charity. Your heart says that this is the right thing to do, your bank account says no. And so does your wife. This isn't a question for the Money stack exchange, I think ... But since you are asking here:

positive: If you're sinking 1k/year into it, and the value is rising by $100k in 15 years, or $6k/year, you have a fine investment. Ignore the wife, she just wants something even better.

negative: Triggered?  Did i attack you personally insult you or saying anything that was a charged statement?  I'm pretty certain i simply talked about the subject and what it means for consumers.  If i insulted you or showed any degree of frustration I'm sorry.  I'm not frustrated.  Even though I believe you may be trolling, I'm not upset.  I'm simply putting out correct information.  I hope you understand the principle behind the business move.  Take care.

negative: lol? Yes, it can hurt European corporations but it'll affect the Russian people at least as much. Was this really the best area of business they could think of? It's kind of a big deal.  Edit: I think [this theory](http://www.reddit.com/r/business/comments/2d5iq2/russia_imposed_a_complete_embargo_on_food_imports/cjmafl7) is good. Frustration can help Putin point out scapegoats, because frustrated or angry people is, as history tells with  too much clarity, very easy to manipulate. Like scarily easy.

negative: "This article on the landlord website Property118.com shows a simple example, demonstrating that a private landlord with a mortgage could see a huge jump in their effective tax rate (in this case, from 18% to 67% by 2020), while a corporate landlord will see no change at all. There's also a link in that article to a detailed report which is highly critical of the tax changes. The government obviously take a different view! (See here for more worked examples of how the tax changes will be applied). More information can be found on this on various landlord sites. A key phrase to look for is ""section 24"", referring to the section of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 which implements the change. Note that this change only applies to private landlords (i.e. those who own a property personally, rather than through a company), and who have a mortgage on the property, and who (after the new calculations) are higher or additional rate taxpayers."

negative: These 'issues' don't exclusively relate to the 'sharing economy', the challenge of uncertainty would exist for any small business / independent contractor. It's not as if people didn't work as independent contractors in these industries before, it's just now the industries are being enhanced and overhead lowered, from technology.  For example:  Uber driver vs Medallion [Leasing] Taxi Driver  AirBNB landlord vs Apartment landlord, vacation rental landlord, or traditional bed & breakfast owner.  PostMates messenger vs traditional bike messenger

negative: Slightly abbreviated version of the guidance from NOLO.com California state law limits credit check or application screening fees landlords  can charge prospective tenants and specifies what landlords must do when accepting these types of fees. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.6.)  Here are key provisions: I am not a lawyer, but it would seem you have two options if you catch a landlord violating these rules. An idea to avoid the whole problem in the first place: Get a copy of your credit report yourself and take a copy with you to meet the landlord. If they want an application fee, ask why they need it making it clear you know the above law. If they say for a credit report offer to give them a copy in lieu of the fee.

negative: i would recommend that you establish a landlord/tenant relationship instead of joint ownership (ie 100% ownership stake for one of you vs 0% for the other). it is much cleaner and simpler.  basically, one of you can propose a monthly rent amount and the other one can chose to be either renter or landlord. alternatively, you can both write down a secret rental price offer assuming you are the landlord, then pick the landlord who wrote down the smaller rental price.  if neither of you can afford the down payment, then you can consider the renter's contribution an unsecured loan (at an agreed interest rate and payment schedule). if you must have both names on the financing, then i would recommend you sell the property (or refinance under a single name) as quickly as possible when the relationship ends (if not before), pay the renter back any remaining balance on the loan and leave the landlord with the resulting equity (or debt).  in any case, if you expect the unsecured loan to outlive your relationship, then you are either buying a house you can't afford, or partnering on it with someone you shouldn't.

negative: "Risk is the capital you have staked in pursuit of profit. The danger is that you lose what you have risked.  For some bets (risks), you can get insurance to cover for losses.  Now the ""game"" of Landlord and Tenant requires you to play fully by the rules set forth by your legislators. In your case, that is the legislators of the State of Texas. Without knowing those rules, you could be liable (open to civil prosecution) for violating those rules. Tenants could be savvy to those rules or savvy enough to hire someone, a lawyer, who knows those rules. As well, in the game of Landlord and Tenant, you must ascertain the creditworthiness of your would-be tenant. If the tenant fails to pay rent, that tenant can detain the residence. You will incur additional outlays to gain possession of your property (ownership in your rental). Now the game of Landlord vs Landlord is different. You can't pick up houses easily enough and even if you could, likely the expense of doing so could wipe out any would profits from having the house as a rental. So, in Landlord vs Landlord, you get constrained by where your rental sits. Thus you must forecast what will the neighborhood look like in five, ten, fifteen years."

negative: As has been mentioned, it's largely up to the landlord. I'm in Texas, USA, and my landlord's payment service permits it, but they charge an exorbitant fee of 22%  plus 0.50 in order to do so. My rent is $895/month. If I chose to use a credit card, I pay $1092.40. The miles aren't worth that kind of money.

negative: "The bank provides a service that the customer voluntarily agreed to - the bank will provide funds to the customer now and the customer will pay back those funds plus interest in the future.  The arragement wasn't forced onto the customer. The government, on the other hand, takes money (the exchange is not volutary) from people to provide a ""service"".  This frustrates a lot of people - myself included - since people do not have a choice.  They must pay the taxes or go to jail (or have their house confisicated, wages garnished, etc.).  It gets even more frustrating when the government takes money from the people and gives it to the banks, auto companies, insurance companies, etc.."

negative: "...instead of all of us draining our money into a landlord... Instead, you are suggesting that still everyone (except you) will drain their money into a landlord, just that now the landlord is you.  I guess what that really means is that you will need to have landlord tenant agreements between you and your roommates. When things break or need replacing you'll have to foot the bill and as your tenants, your ""roomies"" might not be too forgiving when things need fixing. When the fridge breaks down, you'll have to buy a new one immediately. Yard work is your sole responsibility, unless you offer discounted rent or other perks. What about service bills: energy, water, sewage, internet, television, etc?"

negative: Not only is this article just referencing another longer article, but that article does nothing to explain WHY there is this difference.  It's frustrating because I'd like to know why.  They say it's because of a different configuration of culture, the law, and unions.  Uh, okay.  That explains nothing.

negative: "I would not classify utilities (including electric) as additional fees.  In many cases you interact directly with the utility (not the landlord) and pay for what you use.  There are exceptions like when renting a room. The renter's insurance also is not part of the landlord's profit, it is simply there to protect you.  In the case of loss, the landlord cannot insure your property. You have to provide your own insurance.  Its pretty low costs, typically less than 20 per month. The application fee is typical.   The move in fee is something that could be negotiated away and sounds pretty sketchy.   You can always ""let your fingers do the walking"" and find out the fees before you look at the place."

negative: Are you currently writing screenplays in Microsoft Word, frustrated with constantly hitting the {return} and {tab} keys to format your dialogue, constantly going back to capitalize scene lines or character names, or figuring out how to keep dialogue from splitting across pages...

negative: My post has, as of this very moment, 58 votes, with 88% up votes.  Vocal frustrated and disappointed anti-Trumpers can't change that.  Anyway, why are you so upset that Trump reduced the debt?  Maybe you should be happy for this and upset on other things Trump did that are not good? Any of those?

negative: Fining fitting plus size clothes for men can be quite a frustrating process. Most stores will only stock regular sizes for clothes. However, there are options that a plus size wearer can pursue. For years XXLLENT have pride in producing well made large men's plus size clothing for big and curvy men.

negative: I had to do the reverse. I've had a few bad experiences at home depot, so I decided to drive out further to the Lowe's where I get stellar customer service. As an IT worker though, this news really frustrates me. I guess I can't win either way.

negative: Your parents would file their taxes as they normally do. It would be as if your parents were landlords renting a room to your girlfriend. She would not be claimed on their taxes. If your girlfriend pays rent to your parents (through her parents or otherwise) it would be claimed as rental income. The household size wouldn't change because even though your girlfriend is living with your parents they are not financially responsible for her. Example: A landlord would not claim renters as dependents or in household size on their taxes.

negative: No no, I didn't forget. 3 times 12 is 36 minus 20 is $16 more.  Thank you, I just needed someone to acknowledge that's they were incorrect. How's that get top comment though?! So frustrating.  Edit: okay, not top comment anymore but still up there.

negative: Giving out your bank account number is not generally a security problem.  The first time you write your landlord a security deposit or rent check, he'll have your account number.  (It's printed on the check.) That having been said, in my experience, banks do not generally give out balance information to just anyone who calls them up and gives them an account number.  Have you asked the landlord what he needs?  Perhaps showing him a printout of a recent bank statement is enough.

negative: This is my biggest frustration with MS. They are constantly changing the interfaces for windows and office - possibly passing the test for being a simple experience for common activities. But they always seem to disregard the existing user actions people are used to, and making more complex tasks extremely cumbersome vs before.  They just don't get it when it comes to UI.

negative: For being a real estate billionaire and businessman, it's ironic he's kept unusually quiet about this monumental issue. My understanding is he's had (and has) the opportunity to stop the quarterly sweep/theft with one call to his Treasury Secretary, but so far chose not to.   And for someone that seems committed to reversing most anything implemented by his predecessor, it's frustrating he's not all over this.

negative: One of the more frustrating things about plumbers is that they never seem to post rates up on their website and instead make you call them to get a quote.  I HATE that.  If I found a plumber website that gave me a ballpark figure of what I can expect, I would go with this person.

negative: While I do legitimately appreciate your sentiment, I think that in consideration of the larger context of evidently widespread corruption, it is fair to be frustrated at certain kinds of madness. There is sometimes a reason for it, and most executives are in fact highly intelligent people. But we can't help but wonder how much ill could be avoided if it weren't for some greedy or careless individuals, as the case may be.

negative: Then we are on the same page. However realistically we cannot change some of the stupid tax laws fast enough. The fact is, how I see it, is we must do something two years ago to fix this. This means cuts. I can be as idealistic as I want, but that will not fix anything.  (yes I'm fucking frustrated)

negative: Per Md. REAL PROPERTY Code Ann. § 8-203: (d)      (1)      (i)      The landlord shall maintain all security   deposits in federally insured financial institutions, as defined in §   1-101 of the Financial Institutions Article, which do business in the   State. (ii)      Security deposit accounts shall be maintained in branches of the financial institutions which are located   within the State and the accounts shall be devoted exclusively to   security deposits and bear interest. (iii)      A security deposit shall be deposited in an account within 30 days after the landlord receives it. (iv)      The aggregate amount of the accounts shall be sufficient in amount to equal all security deposits for which the   landlord is liable. (2)      (i)      In lieu of the accounts described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the landlord may hold the security   deposits in insured certificates of deposit at branches of federally   insured financial institutions, as defined in § 1-101 of the Financial   Institutions Article, located in the State or in securities issued by   the federal government or the State of Maryland. (ii)      In the aggregate certificates of deposit or securities shall be sufficient in amount to equal all security   deposits for which the landlord is liable. As such, one or more accounts at your preference; it's up to the bank how to treat the account, so it may be a personal account or it may be a 'commercial' account depending on how they treat it (but it must be separate from your personal funds).  A CD is perhaps the easiest way to go, as it's not a separate account exactly but it's easily separable from your own funds (and has better interest).  You should also note (further down on that page) that you must pay 3% interest, once per six months; so try to get an account that pays as close as possible to that.  You likely won't get 3% right now even in a CD, so consider this as an expense (and you'll probably find many people won't take security deposits in many situations as a result).

negative: You must be rich. My condo was $98K. I paid about $2200 in mortgage interest last year. I opted to take the standard deduction instead. I make $80K a year and I cant even benefit from this deduction. It is really frustrating. I'm 30 with no kids and unmarried because I can't afford anything. Maybe when I'm 40 I can think about starting a family. If I'm lucky.

negative: That's really kind of the frustrating and problematic part of it. Their service is impeccable, but it should also cost a lot more than it does, so they have to do Monopoly type tactics to keep it sustainable in the short term. I love Amazon but it's really interesting how everyone (myself included) is just kinda nonchalant about them becoming a monopoly.

negative: Many small businesses are still cash and check.  For example my landlord does not take credit card or online transfer.   My choices are cash and check, and I prefer checks for the paper trail.

negative: This is part of the reason that job hunting can get so frustrating for me. I often do get the feeling my resume sat in the database, was scanned for keywords, and when none were found over the hiring period I received the standard rejection email after 60 or 90 days. I wouldn't even mind a rejection email as long as it looked like an actual person wrote it and wasn't a template.

negative: "I had  both closing price and adjusted price of Apple showing the same amount after ""download data"" csv file was opened in excel. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL/history?period1=1463599361&period2=1495135361&interval=div%7Csplit&filter=split&frequency=1d Its frustrating. My last option was to get the dividends history of the stock and add back to the adjusted price to compute the total return for a select stock for the period."

negative: "A person can finance housing expenses in one of two ways. You can pay rent to a landlord. Or you can buy a house with a mortgage. In essence, you become your own landlord. That is, insta the ""renter"" pays an amount equal to the mortgage to insta the ""landlord,"" who pays it to the bank to reduce the mortgage. Ideally, your monthly debt servicing payments (minus tax saving on interest) should approximate the rent on the house. If they are a ""lot"" more, you may have overpaid for the house and mortgage. The advantage is that your ""rent"" is applied to building up equity (by reducing the mortgage) in your house. (And mortgage payments are tax deductible to the extent of interest expense.) At the end of 30 years, or whatever the mortgage term, you have ""portable equity"" in the form a fully paid house, that you can sell to move another house in Florida, or wherever you want to retire. Sometimes, you will ""get lucky"" if the value of the house skyrockets in a short time. Then you can borrow against your appreciation. But be careful, because ""sky rockets"" (in housing and elsewhere) often fall to earth. But this does represent another way to build up equity by owning a house."

negative: "There has been almost no inflation during 2014-2015. do you mean rental price inflation or overall inflation? Housing price and by extension rental price inflation is usually much higher than the ""basket of goods"" CPI or RPI numbers. The low levels of these two indicators are mostly caused by technology, oil and food price deflation (at least in the US, UK, and Europe) outweighing other inflation. My slightly biased (I've just moved to a new rental property) and entirely London-centric empirical evidence suggests that 5% is quite a low figure for house price inflation and therefore also rental inflation. Your landlord will also try to get as much for the property as he can so look around for similar properties and work out what a market rate might be (within tolerances of course) and negotiate based on that. For the new asked price I could get a similar apartment in similar condos with gym and pool (this one doesn't have anything) or in a way better area (closer to supermarkets, restaurants, etc). suggests that you have already started on this and that the landlord is trying to artificially inflate rents. If you can afford the extra 5% and these similar but better appointed places are at that price why not move? It sounds like the reason that you are looking to stay on in this apartment is either familiarity or loyalty to the landlord so it may be time to benefit from a move."