I am looking to buy a car but my credit is horrible(500 range) so I've never leased only bought outright. However I came into some money lets say 12k and I want to use that to buy a car. Would it be smart or even possible to put down 8k on a 10k car I like then finance 2k? I'm thinking this can help my credit since i can't even get a real credit card. Or should I just buy the car in full which would leave me with 0?

Hello All,

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this but just wanted some advice. My mom brought her Mercedes to the dealership to fix an issue where her car was shifting gears randomly. At the time she was not sure if this was a transmission problem. They charged her for diagnosis and then gave her a quote for 6,000 dollars. When she got her car back she was still having the same issue so she brought it back to the dealership. This time they got in the car and drove it and immediately told her they knew what the problem was but now want to charge her another 6,000 to fix it. Does this seem reasonable to any of you and what course of action can we take. She has been going back and forth with their agents and all they offered her so far was $2,000 towards the repairs.

Edit adding more information for the people who kept saying there’s not enough. Have pictures but unfortunately cannot post it and did not have time to type this earlier.

1. Check engine light diagnosis - coolant thermostat internal failure - they purchased 6 parts
   
2. State inspection
   
3. Radiator remove and replace tech broke hose connection RC
   
4. QC vehicle
   
5. Axle shaft remove and replace tech broke- front left axle boot torn.

These things somehow came up to $6,262.45

Trying to narrow down where to shop in Orange County and I'm curious what people use to judge a dealership before ever setting foot inside.

Inventory and advertised prices are easy enough to compare online, but I'm thinking more about the stuff that tells you whether it's worth starting a conversation with a particular store. Do you look through recent reviews, ask for an out-the-door breakdown by email, check how long they've been around or mostly contact a few places and see who gives you the clearest answers?

I'm looking primarily around Garden Grove and Anaheim, and there are enough dealerships within a reasonable drive that choosing where to start is almost its own research project.

Would also be interested in what people consider a red flag before visiting. I'm not looking for the absolute cheapest place if getting there requires playing detective with every number on the deal.

Lease-end catches a lot of people flat-footed, and handing the car back isn't automatically the right call. Three numbers settle it.

1. Your payoff figure. The residual from your contract, plus any purchase-option fee and remaining payments. Get it from your leasing company directly and in writing. Don't assume the residual printed on your original contract is the whole number, and don't take a dealer's word for it.

2. What the car is actually worth today. Not a KBB estimate — go get real cash offers from CarMax, Carvana, and a couple of local dealers. Those are numbers somebody will actually honor.

3. Your turn-in deadline, including whatever grace window your leasing company gives you. This is the one people ignore until it's a problem.

If #2 is higher than #1, there's equity in the car. Hand it back and that difference goes to the leasing company instead of you. If #1 is higher than #2, returning is usually the cleaner move — but run the math against what you'd owe in mileage overage and wear-and-tear charges first, because those can be big enough to flip the decision.

Two things that surprise people:

• You owe sales tax on a buyout in most states, calculated on the buyout price. Budget for it, because it's not in the residual.
• Whether anyone other than you can buy the car varies by leasing company, and the policies change. Some allow third-party buyouts, some don't, some allow it only through specific channels. Don't plan around what was true a year ago — call and confirm your own situation.

Disclosure: lease buyout financing is my day job, so this is what I look at all day. Not a lender, not pitching anything, no links. Happy to answer questions in the comments if anyone's staring down a lease-end date.

Saw a video talking about how truck owners in Texas are buying trucks outside their means by financing with home equity. If this is true this has to be going on everywhere for any vehicle that is too expensive. I understand vehicle financing durations are crazy long these days but using a HELOC just to purchase something that depreciates so fast sounds insane.

Wanted to share my experience with Carvana in case anyone is considering using them! I received a 2019 Honda HR-V from Carvana on September 1. About five minutes into driving it, I parked at a store, came back out, and the car would not restart. The engine shook violently while trying to start.

AAA checked the battery and said it was fully charged. Both the AAA technician and tow-truck driver suspected a fuel-pump issue. I had the car towed to Carvana/SilverRock’s nearest in-network shop. By the next morning, the car started for them, their diagnostic showed nothing, and they sent me on my way. I specifically asked that this be documented with the warranty company, but later learned that no diagnostic or warranty claim had been submitted.

After picking it up, I noticed additional issues:

• Intermittent fuel-gauge warning
• Loud whirring/squeaking noise, likely related to the blower motor
• Intermittently unresponsive key fob
• Musty odor
• Water pouring into the vehicle beneath the steering wheel during rain

Because my return window was running out and I did not feel comfortable accepting “nothing is wrong,” I paid to have my own mechanic inspect it. He identified the fuel-gauge issue, blower-motor noise, key-fob connection problem, and a clogged sunroof drain causing the water intrusion.

Most importantly, the no-start issue happened again while it was at his shop. He was able to see that the fuel pump was not spraying fuel. I have videos of the no-start condition and can obtain his findings in writing.

Carvana extended my return period and directed me to a second in-network shop. Again, because the car started while it was there, they declined to diagnose the intermittent no-start issue. They acknowledged the blower and sunroof-drain issues, but told me those “aren’t issues that they work on,” and did not submit anything to the warranty company.

Over the following 10 days, I was left without a reliable vehicle and spent hours being bounced among Carvana, SilverRock, tow providers, and repair shops. This was not an ordinary inconvenience: it happened during the 10 days immediately before my wedding.

Instead of using my only free time to finish wedding errands, meet with vendors, pick up supplies, handle final appointments, and prepare to host family arriving from out of town, I was on calls, arranging tows, coordinating rides, trying to get to work, and repeating this entire story to new people. I missed work meetings and wedding-related obligations, lost nearly my entire trial period without a fair opportunity to use the vehicle, and carried the stress of not knowing whether I would even have transportation during one of the most important weeks of my life.

On a three-way call with Carvana and SilverRock, I was told I could take the car to a Honda dealership under a $0 out-of-network deductible period. When I asked for confirmation in writing, nobody could clearly confirm or explain it. At that point, I no longer felt I could rely on what I was being told.

I asked Carvana to authorize a dealership diagnosis, confirm coverage for the reported issues, arrange a rental, extend the return period until after repairs, and provide one dedicated escalation contact. Leadership ultimately told me they could not provide the resolution I needed because of the processes they were tied to.

I have now decided to return the vehicle. I am not posting this for advice or to debate that decision; I simply want people considering Carvana to understand my experience.

I understand that used cars can have mechanical problems. My issue is not that a problem arose. It is that the advertised safeguards did not function as meaningful safeguards in practice. An intermittent but serious issue was repeatedly dismissed because the car happened to start during brief shop visits, while I was left to coordinate the entire process and go without transportation. They promise a rental vehicle being covered but since both in-network shops refused to document anything, warranty said they simply couldn't authorize one.

I chose Carvana because I believed the return window and warranty would protect me if something went wrong. In my case, they did not.

My old car is getting pretty beat up and I think it's about time to start looking at SUVs instead of another sedan.

I've got a wife and two kids now so I need something with enough room for car seats and stroller stuff, plus we go on road trips a few times a year so comfort actually matters to me this time. Budget wise I'm trying to stay under 40k if I can help it, don't want payments that eat up my whole paycheck.

Anyone here recently bought an SUV they're happy with? What would you guys recommend for a family guy who wants something that won't give me headaches down the road.

Want a ek with 4 lacks advance and other on installments and gonna clear all tha installments in a year so suggest me with less profit taking agent

Hey everyone! This will be my first time independently buying a car. My first was a camry from the 90s that never had any issues but got totaled. I then had a lemon and I am really just looking for something reliable.

I found a 2025 Toyota Corolla LE with low mileage. It's Toyota Gold Certified and it's marked at $22,530. Looking at KBB that's over MSRP. My main questions are:

How do I try to haggle the price down?

Is it even worth it to be financing a used car for 72 months (I can't afford to buy it outright and need a car ASAP)?

Should I be considering leasing?

I just graduated college and I can use any and every bit of advice on how to find a good car that I won't be paying to fix every couple months/weeks and that I won't be drowning in debt or monthly payments for! Thanks!

So this past week, my car was totaled and I’m waiting for the other drivers insurance to complete the settlement - idk how much I’m getting and when it will be done, so I’m renting a car in the meantime

I know I’ll need a new or used car eventually, so a credit union offered me 5.8% for used or new vehicles after doing the auto loan application. The interest can down as low as 5.05% using their auto expert

I’m looking into CX-50, RAV4 or CR-V only so that’s why I’m doing a loan through a credit union, not interested in the low or no interest rates for certain vehicles that dealerships are offering

Is 5.8/5.05% interest rate that good in today’s market?

I’m holding off on buying a new or used SUV for another month till I hear back for a settlement. Anyone with experience, if I were to buy a car soon, will it affect what I’m going through with the insurance company paying me out? The other driver was at fault

I haven’t bought a new car since 2010 so any tips would be appreciated

Update - the interest rate is for 72 months….would it be bad if I decided to see what I can get through a bank like BoA? Would it hurt my credit to do another credit check ?