I've heard nothing but horror stories and am already planning to refinance when my credit gets better, but I'm about to take it up the tailpipe and sign on the dotted line for a 2006 Hyundai Sonata.

I'm taking it to an outside mechanic and testing everything before I sign for it, and I'm going to take it on the highway and around for a short trip before I return with it to make my decision.

I'm going to refinance the car after a year or two. I am skeptical, but have ways of paying it off and I am going to refi after 6 months to year, if possible.

It's all I've got and I'm sure that all of the places like this are just the same. I'm going in looking for low payments (under 300 if possible.

Right, right, Knyte. This will be my third visit to the place, the first being all the paperwork and interviews, the second (today) being test drives, and I drove a 2001 Chevy Prizm (too base models, and the fan was ticking on something (like tick tick tick tick every revolution) and the muffler didn't sound the greatest (had 103,350 or so miles) and a 2002 Saturn S-series with no discernible problems besides the right mirror motor not working and had 60K miles. I tried to get into the mechanic at the last second to look at it, but it was like 5:15 when they closed at 5:30.

So, tomorrow right after work, I'm going to pick it up, bring it to the mechanics. If it passes their inspection (which I assume it will since I took it on a 30 minute test ride through 55 mph roads, 25 mph roads and the highway and it was just fine), I will take it to the insurance company to get a new POI on it and then go discuss finances (I want to pay less than 300 a month, preferably 250. I don't care if I pay more in the long run, I just want more discretionary income) and sign on the dotted line. I'm just so frazzled. I've never bought my own car (I drove, or I guess still drive, a 96 ford contour which i purchased from my mom in 2005 for all of my baby bank bonds (the 50 dollar notes you get when you're born - I had like 2K worth somehow)).

It's a joke about how bad it is, I'll take a picture of the car before I give it away and make a post about it, It's hilarious how bad my car is, haha.

Yup. Took it (not a Sonata, but a 2002 Saturn S-Series) to Robin Hood (a brake specialty shop, but also a regular mechanic), and found out that it had a small oil leak in the front. Potential $800-1200 repair on down the line.

Okay, so at that point I was not fuming, not upset, just about 75% agitated that I thought I had a deal with them. So I go back in there, give them the keys back and tell them exactly whats up. NEVER MIND the fact that the "sales manager" used multiple curse words while trying to get me to get into the program (before this point only one "fuck" after I told him what was wrong, and having multiple tattoos (listen, I understand having tattoos. It's fine, but if you're laced with them, you should cover them up with a long sleeve shirt because it's still officially unprofessional in the business books).

When I got in there, I talked to the guy about the financial side of things since something like that can be fixed before I purchase the vehicle. Okay, so I was never given a sale price of the vehicle. I was given WEEKLY payments of $100 dollars for 8 weeks because I did not have a sufficient down payment today (or ever, really. They wanted $2000 down for a 2001 chevy blazer! That's half the price, or more!). Then, it dropped town to $85 a week for three years. Can you take that all in? Take a second, and think about that. For a 2002 Saturn S-Series (actually in pretty to really good shape for the mileage and year), I was going to pay $400 a month for two months, then $340 a month for three years. THREE YEARS. WEEKLY.

For the $740 for three months, I can have a decent beater that will make it on the highway like I need. I can save up prudently and not drink my ass off like I have been doing almost every weekend. I don't need the trance of an 100 point improvement in my credit, when the only bill I've ever been behind on was a bill for my cap and gown, diploma frame and Splinter Cell: Conviction for college graduation. ANYWAYS, I told them to get it fixed and call me back. Went home, had a meeting and decided to tell them:

1) I'm not going to do business with you because the price you ask for a car like that is beyond anyone's sensible reason - even if their credit is shot and they have no money. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that their business, in writing their business makes sense, but in practice it's effectively impossible to keep up with it.

2) Essentially, you're a loan company that gives cars (and I say gives cars, because the places will not give you much of a choice....


I wrote most of this and now i'm going to bed. I'll pick it up where I left off tomorrow.

Basically, yes they fuck you over, but it's not officially a scam like "get rick quicks" or pyramid schemes like cutco or mancave.

Mancave is basically avon for men. I can't find a wikipedia article on them but what it is is you go to this company and you have to buy sausages and beer to host parties to sell sausages and more man stuff like beer koozies and stuff. It's propagated by the pyramid type "these two guys find these two guys" but on a bigger scale with parties than just the 1 on 1 like Cutco. I fell for Cutco when I was out of high school, but this is ridiculous.

Sorry for the double post, but I posted a review of JD on a review site and thought I should put it here:

Reason for Visit: Sales (Used)

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of J D Byrider:
Essentially, JD Byrider is a loan dealership that gives cars rather than a car dealership that gives loans. If you walk into that, you'll find nothing but a thicket of thorny promises about credit improvement. Here's how the experience works:

1) You get a phone call when you apply online saying "you're application sounds great", setting up an appointment at their office. - RED FLAG 1! The online application is basically a 3-5 minute deal where you just tell them about yourself and your job.

2) You get to the appointment, and they basically have a flip chart, a printed out Powerpoint that tells you about the company and how the process works. - Okay.

3) After the flip chart, they basically have you fill out a more in depth by asking you questions and making sure you have proper paperwork like a proof of insurance and a registration on your current car. (At this point, I was getting nervous because little or nothing about finances was talked about other than my job.)

4) After doing that, they make you fill out a sheet filing 12 (!) references, which I think they use for little more than finding out where your car is if you are behind on your payments (more on that later) than anything about your credit. You can't use more than one person per household, so they know more places to look for your car when you're late.

(at this point, I had to go get my POI since my insurance company never mailed a new one and the current one was expired.)

5) When I came back, I talked with a very beautiful woman from the bank who was wearing a very low cut shirt for a car dealership. She basically asked me the same questions that Tom did, though Tom said "he'd have to fight with the bank" about my loan. (At this point, I should have asked "What loan? We haven't even looked at a car, let alone a loan!" Hey, that rhymes!)

6) After talking with the well endowed credit representative, there were 3 cars waiting for me right behind the front door of the "dealership". Here, again, I should have said "Wait, can't we walk around the lot? Don't shovel off a car on me because you're trying to get something off the lot."

I should mention at this point, there was STILL no mention of financial information, a price (which cannot be found on the car's warranty sheet either) or potential payments. I was told to go drive the three cars around (a 2001 tan Chevy Prizm, a real "winner" (and by winner, I mean a no-frills car with 129,000 miles on it), a 2005 Ford Taurus station wagon (I didn't drive it because I'm a 23 year old guy and don't drive station wagons) and a 2002 Saturn S-Series which was the most pressured on me, and I see why. It drove great.)

7) So, I went test driving. I took the Prizm and then the Saturn down a 55 mph road downtown, driving through a 25, 30, and 35 MPH road, and then on to a highway for five miles. Each car drove good for the year, but there were some basic things wrong with each car such as the fan started to click on something when it was on, and the mirror control not working, lighter not working, et cetera. Nothing out of the ordinary for the years and models. But the place I was going to have an inspection done was closed for the evening.

The next day (yesterday), I took the Saturn (not the prizm) to the place, and they said everything checked out except one thing: there was a small oil leak in the bottom of the front of the engine. So, buying it was out of the question.

I'm going to cut to the chase: What they do is take all your information, give you a list of cars and then pile you with an unreasonable loan. The payments for the Saturn were started at $100 a WEEK for 8 WEEKS BEFORE my ACTUAL payments started. That's $400 a month, then they dropped to $85 a WEEK for THREE BLEEPING YEARS! That's $340 a month, $4080 a year for three years. For a 2002 Saturn S-Series. For a 100 point increase in my credit score per year. Clearly not an option in the least bit. In fact, I was kind of offended that I had to sit through the whole thing just to get it.

Now, I'd be paying $12,320 dollars for a 2002 Saturn S-Series with 63625 miles. Or, I guess I'd be renting a Saturn S-series for as long as I felt like paying it, because you cannot be one day late with payments. If you're late with payment, they repossess. Then, it's $350 to get it back. So assuming one or two repo's (which I assume murder your credit score) on top of that, I'd be buying a car that wouldn't even last me the time it takes to pay it off.

If you think JD Byrider is a good idea for you, it's simply not in the least bit UNLESS you need a car like no other. Even then, if you can afford it, you should probably go to another BHPH dealership. But, they're not "a scam" or anything like that, it's just very shady. Everything they do, in writing, is clear and legit. But, they will not let you know what you're going into until you're about ready to sign on a dotted line, which is a shame. They veil their exorbitant payments for cars of questionable quality until they feel like they have you over a barrel. The three guys I worked with and the """hot""" woman were all very nice and helpful, just doing their job to the best of their trained ability.