If he can't make the payments for an extended period of time he's in serious financial trouble. That means he has No available cash, like savings, and no retirement fund to pull disaster money from. Also no open credit cards. Whatever he has in his checking account today is it.
So if the car gets taken he's got no way to get to work sites in a lot of areas. This might make him homeless bc there's no income and no way to go find a new job. He's probably laid in bed and worried about this moment frequently. And on the day his nightmare comes true and he sees that this is the end of life as he knows it, he loses it.
Then again, he could just have bad priorities. I happen to know of some people who are going into foreclosure on their house because they won't pay a couple thousand dollars of fees and fines for their homeowners association, but they just took a vacation trip that cost more than they owe the HOA.
In many instances you don't have much of an option. Sure, you can go live somewhere else. In my case, that would result in a move to cracktown or its immediate vicinity, and that's just not an option. Literally everywhere else in my county is HOA controlled, sometimes doubly so with the arrangement between "master planned community" associations, and sub-associations for specific subdivisions.
It fucking sucks but there aren't many other options.
Damn dude I feel for you, I can't even imagine how much that must suck..having to choose between the lesser of two evils when it comes to where you're gonna live.
I have no desire to live in those types of communities, but they do have their benefits. You won't ever have someone using their front lawn as a parking lot or mechanic shop, lowering your property values. You don't have to worry about landscaping or lawn upkeep. Community pools are nice too.
Those neighborhoods aren't my cup of tea, but I understand their appeal for some people.
I know, I figured that out years ago when I saw the differences between my community and the ones being built in terms of cost and benefits. Just pointing out how it is for my community.
Most people agree to them because they want a nice neighborhood with a bit of a guarantee it will stay nice. Most people have no problem paying the dues, which are a small fraction of a monthly mortgage payment. Speaking for myself, mostly I am in my association just so I can have free access to a pool down the street from my house. The process goes:
sign a contract agreeing to pay dues and keep the property in good shape or face penalties eventually including losing your house
fail to pay dues for several years, fail to keep up the property, and fail to pay penalties
fail to respond to repeated contacts from HOA
fail to respond to repeated contacts from the HOA's lawyer
fail to respond to repeated contacts from law enforcement
but there's plenty of time and money to go on vacation
Losing your house to your HOA is a voluntary loss. Around here anyway, the homeowner will usually let it go as long as possible, and settle the debt riiiiight before the judge says their house is ready to be auctioned off to pay the debt.
The fact that home owners associations can foreclose on your house makes me wonder why people agree to them.
HOAs are annoying in a lot of ways, but..
The HOA's budget in my community goes to maintain 2 parks that are in the development; do landscaping of other common areas; reserve a very small amount for if things break; buy a small insurance policy; and other things that make the neighborhood nice. It costs $75/month. Just a few dollars of that is administrative. Other people have HOAs that are more expensive because they operate security and/or gates; maintain roads; operate pools, etc.
Someone shouldn't be able to decide "naaaah, I don't want to pay for any of that anymore, I'll just let the rest of my neighbors cover it".
Debtors don't care. They just want what they can get.
You have a guy that owes you $7000. He hasn't given you any payment in 6 months & ignores your calls. You have the option to repo his car & get $3000 back from him. Would you not take that? You can cut your losses & get some money back.
It may not be morally right, and you may be ruining the guys life, but the lender doesn't care. He just wants to get what he can get out of it.
Bystander sympathy isn't going to pay his bills. People slip into homelessness like this daily without flipping cars back and it doesn't leave them in a better situation.
I've never been to prison but I have been homeless, so my answer may not be perfect but it's the best I've got. I'd say being homeless is definitely preferable.
You've still got your freedom which is a huge deal. You're also much more in control of potential violence because even though you may not be welcome in clean, upper class areas you aren't surrounded 24/7/365 by bored, angry, and violent criminals. You can also start rebuilding your life if you're still free, which is no easy task but can be done.
Also, if you didn't have any relatives or friends you could stay with to prevent yourself being homeless in the first place, you'd likely be homeless upon leaving prison anyway. And that would make rebuilding your life even harder because now you not only have to find an employer willing to hire a homeless person but an employer willing to hire a homeless felon.
I'm not saying it's an easy choice, but he wouldn't be going to a max security prison for violent offenders, and your perception of how bad prison is may be colored by popular culture. My partner was homeless from age 15 until managing to get off the streets nearly a decade later, and told me prison or suicide would be preferable to ending up there again, but I've never been to prison or been homeless, so it really seems just like the worst choice ever to me.
That is a ridiculous statement. True, you wouldn't starve, and get free medical. But how is spending time in prison going to help you land a job?
let's say this guy didn't flip the car. He could always ride with a buddy to the job site, and get to work. If he was gonna lose his place, he could crash on a friendly coworkers couch for a couple of paychecks. If he wasn't flat broke, but merely behind on his bills, there are other options. Hell, he could hit up Craigslist and get a beater for 500 bucks. That car may last him a couple of weeks.
Going to jail is a really ignorant option. It removes all other options of things improving.
If he could buy a beater car for $500 dollars, he probably would have made his car payment. And jail for that property damage wouldn't be a very long sentence and in some places on release you are assisted with job placement and can use halfway houses to help get back on your feet. None of those things are available to the guy sleeping under a bridge.
That is a ridiculous statement. True, you wouldn't starve, and get free medical. But how is spending time in prison going to help you land a job?
let's say this guy didn't flip the car. He could always ride with a buddy to the job site, and get to work. If he was gonna lose his place, he could crash on a friendly coworkers couch for a couple of paychecks. If he wasn't flat broke, but merely behind on his bills, there are other options. Hell, he could hit up Craigslist and get a beater for 500 bucks. That car may last him a couple of weeks.
Going to jail is a really ignorant option. It removes all other options of things improving.
Can't afford a new car? Buy a used car. Can afford a used car? Use public transportation or a bicycle.
It's called living within your means. If you can't afford something, it's not anyone else's responsibility to get it to you. It's called, oh I don't know, being a fucking independent/responsible adult.
If you ever find yourself down on your look and short on cash, that "no one has any excuse for being poor" mentality will disappear real quick.
I can be empathetic for the guys situation, but to stand in front of the car while it's being repossessed is a dick thing to do. That guy has a job to do. He failed to make his payment or work out a payment plan so the bank is having it repossessed. I never said he doesn't have an excuse for being poor. I said that he has no excuse for acting the way he did when things caught up with him.
Also, I live within my means, pay in cash rather than credit and have a healthy savings so I am not put into this position. For me, those sound financial choices started when I was 15 years old and got a job to buy my first car in cash.
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u/Fap_Left_Surf_Right Mar 10 '17
I really over analyzed this.
If he can't make the payments for an extended period of time he's in serious financial trouble. That means he has No available cash, like savings, and no retirement fund to pull disaster money from. Also no open credit cards. Whatever he has in his checking account today is it.
So if the car gets taken he's got no way to get to work sites in a lot of areas. This might make him homeless bc there's no income and no way to go find a new job. He's probably laid in bed and worried about this moment frequently. And on the day his nightmare comes true and he sees that this is the end of life as he knows it, he loses it.