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Buy Here Pay Here – Cincinnati, OH

The car-buying process can be hectic, but it’s made a whole lot worse if you’re forced to pursue a vehicle with poor credit. Often times, it will appear that these customers have no options for purchasing a car. However, there is a unique opportunity that these individuals should consider.

While the Buy Here-Pay Here industry tends to be surrounded by a negative stigma, there are actually a number of benefits that these dealerships provide to their customers. If you’re struggling with a poor credit score, see why you should consider this specific route, and then explore why you should be pursuing your next vehicle from McCluskey Auto…

A man in a denim shirt and tan pants is driving a car with a woman in a pink shirt smiling in the passenger seat.

Why Buy Here-Pay Here?

We understand if you’re a bit tentative about pursuing a vehicle from a Buy Here-Pay Here dealership (after all, this industry doesn’t necessarily have the best reputation). However, these businesses actually provide their customers with a number of incentives, and these benefits go beyond the fact that the seller is willing to finance your vehicle. Rather, you can anticipate additional monetary incentives and a number of protections. Once you dig into the specifics, you’ll feel better about the prospect of pursuing a vehicle from a Buy Here-Pay Here dealership.

A close up shows a person opening a car door.

Unique Opportunity

Normally, if an individual is struggling with a poor credit score, they’ll find that it’s particularly difficult to secure financing from a traditional lender. These banks or credit unions don’t want to lose money, and they’ll perceive these individuals as too much of a risk. As a result, these individuals can’t afford to purchase a vehicle, leaving them without any options.

Well, rather, they’re without any options if they fail to recognize the benefits that a Buy Here-Pay Here dealership offers to their customers. These businesses are willing to provide their customers with the necessary financing and their next vehicle, leading to a one-stop car-buying experience. Of course, it goes beyond the obvious convenience factors. Rather, these dealerships truly provide a unique opportunity. If these Buy Here-Pay Here dealerships weren’t willing to provide the necessary financing, these cash-strapped individuals wouldn’t have the ability to purchase a vehicle.

Now, there is a fair share of misconceptions that surround this industry. Primarily, customers anticipate incredibly high-interest rates when they agree to a particular financing offer. While the interest rates will be higher than usual, customers shouldn’t expect a value that’s through the roof. While the higher rates mean you’ll ultimately be paying a bit more in the long run, you’ll have to remember that there aren’t many alternative options.

Furthermore, these dealerships have a reputation for having a quick trigger finger if a customer fails to make a payment. Ultimately, these Buy Here-Pay Here dealerships are plenty reputable, and they won’t want to compromise their public standing by repossessing a car. While you should definitely make an effort to complete your payments in a timely manner, you shouldn’t expect the world to come crashing down in the event that you are late.

Monetary Incentives

Considering the impending interest rates, you may wonder how there could be any monetary incentives to pursuing a vehicle from a Buy Here-Pay Here dealership. However, the benefits are rather obvious when you start to think about it. By having a monthly payment plan, you can slowly build up your credit over time. While you won’t see drastic changes overnight, you should see your score improve during the entirety of your loan. Ultimately, when you’re finished paying off your vehicle, you should be in good enough shape to secure financing from a traditional lender during your next car pursuit!

Protections

For starters, there tends to be a stigma that these Buy Here-Pay Here dealerships sell beater vehicles that are bordering on “lemon” material. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The majority of these sellers tend to offer a number of dependable vehicles, meaning you shouldn’t worry about the quality of your “new” ride.

However, despite the adequate quality of these vehicles, Buy Here-Pay Here dealerships still offer their customers a number of protections. For starters, the majority of these sellers offer some type of return policy, meaning you won’t face any financial penalties if you notice a mechanical issue. Normally, you’d be forced to tolerate the vehicle until you can afford a replacement, which is a scary scenario for those with poor credit scores. Furthermore, assuming you’re going to be pursuing a used vehicle, you can expect the dealership to include some type of warranty with their cars. That way, if you do come across any issues, you won’t have to dig into your pockets for the necessary maintenance or repairs.

A close up shows a poor credit score on a desk.

What Does “Bad Credit” Mean?

When we talk about Buy Here Pay Here financing, we often refer to customers who have “bad credit” or “poor credit” or a “bad credit history.” Ultimately, what we are talking about is someone’s credit score and how it compares to what is considered good, average, or poor. You will also see terms like “prime” or “subprime” when looking at credit scores and loan interest rates. All of these terms and ideas can be a bit confusing, but understanding what they all mean and how they work is really important.

Essentially, every adult has a credit score these days, which is based on your credit history. There are numerous factors that go into this, but it really comes down to how well you have paid off debts that you owe in the past and how much you have in debt now. If you were slow to pay off credit cards due to missed payments, or you made a lot of late payments on them, then that can negatively impact your credit score. Similarly, if the amount of debt you have is very high, as well as if you have a lot of outstanding debt on credit cards compared to how much you earn each month in income, then that can also result in a low credit score.

The idea behind all of this is really pretty simple: your credit score and history are a way for a potential lender to see how you have been with loans in the past. So if you are trying to get a loan from a bank or similar financial institution, they are going to base their decision mostly on whether you have paid back previous loans in a timely manner. Prospective lenders use that information to decide on how much of a risk you represent, then either approve or deny a request for credit or a loan based on that. They will also give you either a high or low interest rate based on your score if they do approve you.

How Does Bad Credit Happen?

We mentioned some of the ways that you can end up with a bad credit score already, but it is important to consider how everything really comes together. For some people, having a poor credit history can be completely outside their control. We have worked with customers before who had parents or other trusted adults use their information for fraudulent purposes when they were kids, and they are still trying to repair and rebuild from that. Other times, a tragedy or serious injury can result in a situation where you end up with poor credit afterward.

This is one of the reasons that we offer Buy Here Pay Here financing. We understand that sometimes these sorts of things are beyond your control, or, even if they were within your control, a lot of people end up with poor credit scores because of mistakes they made when they were younger. Plenty of customers damage their credit history in their 20s, when most of us are prone to making mistakes and not fully appreciating the long-term consequences of the things we do. It is only human to make mistakes, and we truly believe that people should not be punished for those kinds of things forever with an inability to get a loan or have a vehicle.

Fortunately, bad credit is not necessarily a lifetime punishment, and there are ways to start rebuilding your credit score. This comes down to the old adage: the best time to build good credit is yesterday; the second-best time is today. The most important thing is that you choose to take control over your finances and your credit score and start making the most of the situation you find yourself in. It can take time and a lot of work to rebuild a damaged credit history, but it is well within the realm of possibility and a lot simpler than you might think.

Best Ways to Take Advantage of BHPH Financing

If you find yourself in a situation where you need Buy Here Pay Here financing for your vehicle, then it is important that you really take advantage of that offer. This means more than simply accepting the loan so that you can get a vehicle – it means using this opportunity to help rebuild your credit. First off, before you accept any kind of loan, make sure you understand all of the terms and conditions in detail. You need to know what the interest rate is, what your payments will be, how often you need to pay, how you can make payments, and what rules there are in your loan for late payments.

All of these details can vary quite a lot from one loan to another and from one dealership to another, so go over all of them. Next, make all of your payments on time – we understand that life can get complicated, but do everything you can to make your payments before or on the day that they are due. This is why you need to make sure you understand how much each payment is and when you need to make them – as well as how you need to make them. Some dealers will require payments in person, while others allow you to pay online. On-time payments help rebuild your credit score, while late payments can damage it further.

Most importantly of all, if you cannot make a payment on time, do not run from the problem. If you have a BHPH loan with us, for example, and you are going to be a couple of days late on a payment, then call us a let us know. Many lenders are happy to work with customers and help them make sure payments are handled properly, but without any communication, this becomes a lot more difficult.

A close up shows an approved car loan at a buy here pay here dealership.

Options Other Than Buy Here Pay Here

Buy Here Pay Here financing is not necessarily the only option for some customers, so it is worth considering what else you might be able to do. You can look for loans from other sources, like your bank or credit union, though these can be just as hard to get as a third-party loan through traditional financing if you have poor credit. There are some bad-credit loans available from other third-party companies, but we cannot speak for how trustworthy they necessarily are – while we do know that we are a reputable and respected dealer here in Cincinnati.

You may be able to get someone else with good credit to act as a cosigner for a loan and help you with financing. This is a great option if you have a parent or partner who is willing to put their name on a loan with you. The problem here, of course, is that they are also on the hook for your financing. If you miss payments or have other issues, then it will hurt their credit too. While this can be a good solution, it can also cause a lot of stress in a relationship.

Another option is to pay for your vehicle in its entirety with cash so that you do not have to worry about financing at all. This is obviously not an ideal choice for everyone, as it typically requires a great deal of saving in order to be able to pay for such a large purchase. It is an option, however, so keep it in mind. If you find that none of these alternatives work for you, then learning more about BHPH financing could be your best solution.

McCluskey Automotive 39.2116761, -84.4616228.