Car Credit City

Is this a good place to buy a car with bad credit? Are they reliable vehicles or lemons? Easy to work with? I saw their ad on t.v. and wanted some opinions from others. Thanks.

Sorry. I am not sure, but you can always check with the better business bureau.

Everyone I know that has bought from them wishes they hadn't. Just be careful if you visit them and don't buy from them right away. Make yourself visit them at least twice to avoid their high pressure tactics. Most of all, do your homework on ANY vehicle you buy from ANYONE. go to kbb.com and research the vehicle your interested in so you don't pay too much. Don't be afraid to walk away from a salesman or dealership. Also, if they don't give you a FREE CARFAX report on the vehicle you're interested in, RUN from the dealership and NEVER go back!

That is interesting CR8VDO -- reason being that I have a Car Credit City SUV and many friends and family members that have gotten a car from Car Credit City who are really happy. They guarantee you credit and have really really nice cars. The cars are so reliable and actually the inside is perfect -- not like other used car places I have been who don't car about the inside. Bottom line, if you pay on time, you have a great car and few problems. I saw few because it is a used car and if there are problems Car Credit City pays for your repairs. They pay for my repairs and my payments stay the same, just extends my loan, which is not a problem because I have affordable payments that I am used to. It is easy.

I stepped in and the cars were nice and all but there down payment was to expensive for my blood. Do you agree or am I crazy??????

I worked at both locations in Bridgeton and Alton. I watched people get sold cars, trucks, and suv's that were in relatively good shape, at extremely high prices. In fact, the percentage rate that they charge is just beneath the loan sharking limit laws. They tell the customers that 500 down gets them a ride, but then tell the customer that they need to put down 2,000 dollars instead. The customer could have easily taken the 2k down payment to a GM or Dodge or Ford dealership and got quailified with that kind of down payment with a BRAND NEW CAR. They are extremely misleading. The Bridgeton Police are there at the very least 3 times a day to remove a teed-off customer. They refuse to sell vehicles to their own employees (that should tell you something) The mechanics are mostly NOT certified in anything, and most are meineke muffler flunkies. The owners, both lawyers (Father and Son also), are less than consumer reputable. The Father, Herb Wolkowitz was sued by Attorney General John Ashecroft for selling Oil (When he owned Midland Oil) that had additives that were damaging to automobile engines. The Son, Richard Wolkowitz, Worked in the White House under the Clinton administration and helped draft a famous thing called "NAFTA". They are not in the Automotive business to sell cars and make money. They are in the automotive industry to SELL their new concept of selling used cars. And that is worth millions.
Did I mention that their repossesion rate is 52 percent?

Interest raates may be hi, but thanks to dealerships like Car Credit City -- and some of its competitors -- I could at least get a car -- you can't get qualified for a good use car -- or new car -- at one of the big dealerships if your credit is bad -- and repos -- that happens with houses, too -- nothing uniqe to this dealership -- I got a car the same day at Car Credit City -- solved my problem -- and the interest rate - its no diff from the rate on the credit card I used to have -- that helped me out, too, for a wahile ...

Please avoid employment and purchasing vehicles from Car Credit City. Their BBB rating is an F and their buisness practices are appalling. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Their interest rate is very high and their cars have multiple service issues which after 30 days they will not resolve. It is not uncommon that thousands of dollars in repairs/engine/transmission issues. They finance repairs at over 20% interest and work with Firestone, which vehicles would go in and out for the same servce problems that were unresolved.

This place sounds exactly like insta credit auto mart. the place is a joke. they TURN YOUR CAR OFF IF YOUR $ DAYS PAST DUE!

I TOTALLY believe Wile E Coyote's and ANGELINA's comments. If Illinois and Missouri really cared about their poorer citizens they wouldn't let Car Credit City, Insta Credit Auto Mart, Check Into Cash (and others of that ilk) do business in our states. They depend on people like "Elizabeth_S" (Added the repair bill on to your LOAN?)and "one mans opinion" (Credit card interest rates for A CAR?) for their business--people who just don't get the fact that they pay twice as much as they would at a more reputable dealership. These two people will always be poor and wonder why.

Thanks for the info!

Ok so heres the thing what do you do if you have no other option? We need a car our credit is pretty bad. We are trying to build our credit back up. We both have good jobs now and we are going to be consolidating loans. We can't go another year with out a car though. We both got jobs in the city and we live about 40 mins away. Just not sure what to do.

Please donot purchase a car from this company. They are a total ripoff and prey on people with bad credit. Back in 11/07 i put down 2500 on a 2003 chevy cavalier, and up till this day with my down payment and car payments i have paid over 10,000 and they say I still owe them $6000. I would rather walk than give them another dime. I gave it back and would rather take a ding on my credit than to pay them almost 18,000 for a 2003. When you know better you do better!

They may not be for everybody.. If the big new car dealerships turn u down because bad credit, they will not. Of course you need a down payment, thats the penalty for having screwed up credit, hello. My brother works for Firestone and I know for a fact that all Car Credit City cars go through them and get $2000-$3000 worth of work to make them as good as possible b4 they sell them. they put good cars on the street. They also help finance any repairs you ever need as long as you have an open loan on the car.. Tell me another dealership that does that...

Concern wrote:

Ok so heres the thing what do you do if you have no other option? We need a car our credit is pretty bad. We are trying to build our credit back up. We both have good jobs now and we are going to be consolidating loans. We can't go another year with out a car though. We both got jobs in the city and we live about 40 mins away. Just not sure what to do.

When you have no other option and have to use these places consider a few things. Can make a car payment to yourself for 6 months to build up a savings...then buy something old for cash? Continue making payments to yourself to build up your savings until you can go somewhere reputable? If not and you have to get a car from one of these places, keep in mind that it's only a temporary fix and make it a priority to get out of. Get a vehicle that is cheaper than you planned and out of the savings, make extra payments on the vehicle, with a top goal to payoff your loan. Anything less will only further damage your finances.

Logistically, the interest is too high & combined with the principal you will owe more than the auto is worth...and you can't flip that until you owe less...and remember the auto depreciates every day :) Technically the financial rule is that you should never finance anything that doesn't appreciate in value...but that's just not the american way :)

You all talk about how to check the BBB for info on this company but if you truly did your homework you would find that the company with the most complaints is Microsoft. You must understand that if a company is selling thousands of vehicles there are going to be problems. CCC is a respectful company and does their best to assure the consumer is taken care of. Everyone has a bad experience with something they purchase at one point in their life. If you ask me CCC is the best buy here pay here in and around the St. Louis area.

I think that people need to look at the bigger picture. Would you invest your own money to help those less fortunate or those with terrible credit... people who have never paid off anything in their life. Or those that had good credit and just need the oportunity to rebuild. Most of you would not! I think its a good thing that we have companies like CCC to help stimulate our economy as well as help those who could never buy a car due to lower income. Do they make money? Of course. But they do not make as much as people think. 5 dealerships, numerous employees, and overhead to get these cars at the best quality possible. Who would run a business if there is no profit? Car Credit City is the Cadillac of BUY HERE PAY HERE dealerships. They could follow what most car dealers do and sell their cars straight off the auction lot without making sure the car is machanically sound but they dont. Their cars are inspected by certified machanics. Not flunkies. Firestone is a very reputable company with A.S.E certified machanics. I have never had to purchase from a buy here pay here but if I had to my first choice would be Car Credit City.

Stumper wrote:

I think that people need to look at the bigger picture. Would you invest your own money to help those less fortunate or those with terrible credit... people who have never paid off anything in their life. Or those that had good credit and just need the oportunity to rebuild. Most of you would not! I think its a good thing that we have companies like CCC to help stimulate our economy as well as help those who could never buy a car due to lower income. Do they make money? Of course. But they do not make as much as people think. 5 dealerships, numerous employees, and overhead to get these cars at the best quality possible. Who would run a business if there is no profit? Car Credit City is the Cadillac of BUY HERE PAY HERE dealerships. They could follow what most car dealers do and sell their cars straight off the auction lot without making sure the car is machanically sound but they dont. Their cars are inspected by certified machanics. Not flunkies. Firestone is a very reputable company with A.S.E certified machanics. I have never had to purchase from a buy here pay here but if I had to my first choice would be Car Credit City.

yeah; whatever. try doing business with them.

My sympathy to you Mrs. Morris. As I said before, most everyone has a bad experience in purchasing something at one point or another in their life. My bad purchase was a RCA flat screen 56 inch TV that cost 4,500 dollars. It came with a 1 year warrantee. I had it for 2 months and the main computer board went out. RCA had me take it to a shop and get it fixed. It worked great right up to the point that the warrantee ran out. I was furious. Do I want to do business with RCA again? At the time IT happened I would not even dream of buying another RCA TV but I realized that it is just a conditioned response to a bad purchase. If everything we purchase was breakdown proof it would be a perfect world but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Should a TV cost that much only to go out in a year? RCA is another reputable company and yes I would buy another TV from them. Again, you must realize that THINGS HAPPEN TO THE BEST OF US! Ultimately you made the choice to buy the product as I. Car Credit City did nothing wrong to you. Get over it!!!!!