Originally Posted by Molly Malone (Post 4509599)

As far as I know Michigan doesn't require inspections either. But I don't know if you guys mean inspections on cars coming from dealerships or from any seller. I can assure you that no car I've owned has ever had any inspection, but they were all from private sellers. My mom buys from Buy Here Pay Here dealerships, and pays three times as much for the same beaters I usually get - they are also not inspected. In fact most of them exhibit engine problems soon after she drives them off the lot. (Unfortunately her credit is in a bad way and she can't buy them any other way.)
My dad buys from reputable dealerships. I think they do thorough inspections irregardless of any laws that may or may not exist because they want to sell quality cars. He usually buys them just a few years old with a warranty. He says new cars aren't worth buying for a few years because the "bugs" need to be worked out, and they depreciate quickly in value.

Originally Posted by TRPardoe (Post 4511923)

You may not be aware that if your Mom continues to buy from Buy-Here Pay-Here lots, no matter how well she pays off her loans she will never improve her credit score.

The interest rates they charge are completely out of kilter with proper bank rates, even secondary lender rates.

Those lots only report bad payers, they do not report good payers. Nobody will have their credit score improved if they use a Buy-Here Pay-Here lot no matter how well they repay the loan.

It is almost standard procedure on those lots to charge people a "deposit" equivalent to the actual value of the vehicle. When they repossess it, they do the same thing all over again.

Please try to get your Mom away from that process.

Originally Posted by TRPardoe (Post 4511923)

Please try to get your Mom away from that process.

Originally Posted by Molly Malone (Post 4517410)

Oh, I know. She really is getting ripped off. She needs to save up some cash and just buy a beater like I do.

The last car she bought just broke down. She had it towed to a garage and they told her it would be around $3000 to fix the problems (she's had it for a year, and it had lots of mechanical problems). She asked how much to get it running, and they said $300. She paid the $300 and drove it straight to the dealer she bought it from and traded it in for another. They gave her $800 for it towards the new one. I laughed when she told me - it felt like she was getting back at them a little for selling her the thing in the first place (even though I'm sure they haven't actually lost any money in the process).