Sooooo glad I didn't finance another car...

[Brendon]

That's fine, but coming to a board where people are at one of the most stressful points of their life, where they are losing their home, may have lost their long time job, are in the middle of a divorce or losing their kids to be smug about your grand ability to choose another option is morally reprehensible. If you think it's a good thing to show distain to people who are having severe financial hardship, I truly feel sorry for the people in your life.

If someone where to come here and boast about their ability to regain control over their debt without using bk and lord it over you and your good friend teacher, I would be equally incensed at their smugness.

This is a place to share info and be helpful to one another in a very bad time, not post tripe like:

"Please don't give me the "oh we need reliable transp...", everyone does! My vehicle is very reliable."

or

"I'm glad I made the right choice."

Everyone here has been through some very tough times. I get it. I've been there as well. HOWEVER, nothing is more motivating than watching people make decisions to better their futures. I wish you the best in your struggles Faust, but please keep an open mind. People on this forum are all in different legs of the this journey. You will come out of this and prosper but you need not be so judgemental. We are here for advice and postive stories are part of it. In no way was anybody beating the self righteous drum.

[tigergem]

lol... sorry, I don't mean to make light of anybody's circumstances or choices. I had to file bk on mostly medical debt and one secured loan. No credit cards. No car loan. Because I didn't qualify for any because my credit was already crap from the medical debt. So here I am thinking... gee... I'm in the BK Class of 2015, right? How soon can I start writing the plot for BK 2017, the sequel (based on consumer debt nightmares). Yeah. That's the ticket. lol. (not.)

[AMISLANDER]

And the morally superior raise their heads again.....

Being that you haven't even had your 341, you should certainly not even broach being bankrupt or self righteous. Play nice.

[tigergem]

I don't recall saying that someone financing a vehicle at very poor terms is morally reprehensible. I believe you're giving me a little too much credit.

Nah he either just learned a new word or is practicing his copy/paste skills.

[nc73]

I've been preaching it all along. People will never learn their lesson though and that's why they always end up here again and again. It's always cheaper to repair a 1200 dollar car than it is to pay hundreds a month on a more expensive new or used car. Although at some point you just have to trash that beater and get the next beater in better condition. I've been driving a crappy car that was given to me and all I've had to replace was the fuel tank and fuel filter. My SIL was about to take it to the junk yard 2 years ago. I use to buy a new or used car every other year or trade one in. Learned my lesson.

[LSUTiger32]

Is this Faust dude serious? So because people went through a tough time we should congratulate them on getting a $18,000 car loan at 22.9% interest? Alrighty then.

My $2,500 Taurus is reliable as can be and it's not dragging a $600 car note behind it everyday. This is about making good decisions post-bankrutpcy not questioning people who are in it or did it. We've all been there!

[DebtHater]

I'll admit the last time I drove a brand new car off a dealers lot in the 20+ years I've been driving was .... NEVER! Why? because I don't want to by a car for $20,000 and have it worth $16,000 the second I drive it off the lot.

I agree with the OP, you don't need a brand new car to have a reliable car. I've only purchased used cars (with cash) and have had plenty of reliable cars. After I buy the car I pay myself the car payment (and have it accrue interest payable to me) and use that to upgrade to another pre-owned car with what I save up.

Besides, a paid for car can never by repo'd.

[stacyppl]

Okay, I feel that I do not need a car payment for a while. I just got a letter from CitiAuto requesting the court to terminate the automatic stay. So, I do not know if I'll have this car much longer (was hoping to at least have it through May). Anyway, if they repo next month, the most I will have toward a car is 1k to $1500. I do not know what kind of a car I can get for that price and I am afraid about buying a used car. I do not know how to make sure I do not get a lemon. I'm on the "no note boat", but I need some help.

[DebtHater]

I do not know how to make sure I do not get a lemon.

A good starting point would be obtaining a CARFAX report. This will give you an idea of how many owners a vehicle has had, if it's passed all of it's inspections and if it's been in any accidents.

Just keep in mind that the report isn't 100% accurate.

[meateater]

I've never had a new "new car," I always bought a "new to me" car from a private party. I always "paid cash," but in hindsight, "paying cash" meant that I had less available cash and my credit card balances went up, so some of my discharged debt may very well have been related to my vehicle purchses.

Years post bankruptcy, I finally have some control and understanding of my finances. My current vehicle is over 10 years old, looks fairly respectable, and is reliable. I spend about $500 a year on repairs. I will drive it into the ground. Because it's older, the annual tax and insurance is less than for a newer car.

I've never bought from a dealer, but instead always tell everyone I know when I want to get another vehicle. I describe the general parameters (car, SUV, truck, etc.), necessary attributes (seats at least 5 people, has room for storage), and desired features (heated seats, stereo, sunroof, roof racks). Something has always materialized. Sometimes I end up with an older luxury vehicle with nicer features than a friends "new from the dealership" vehicle.

There's nothing superior or inferior about how you get and pay for a vehicle post-bankruptcy, I'm sharing this for folks who might not be aware of how to get a private party vehicle and go to a dealership because that's all they know. (I don't know how to buy at a dealership, and would be asking for advise if I needed to get a vehicle there).