I didn’t exactly expect this to happen when I graduated from ASU: my gas service was cut and my old microwave died and I refuse to only fry things on a George Foreman grill. And this year it is my turn to make Thanksgiving dinner for some friends and my uncle.
But I’m a creative fixer: I just learned that your a car can be collateral on a loan.
This year, 2008, hasn’t been my best. I lost my job in March and was unemployed until last month. During those months without work the bills piled up, went unpaid and I got bad credit. Then brake replacements on my car set me back another $450, which I had to borrow from a friend in Tempe.
I hit a low point when my gas was shut off in late summer. They asked for a $190 security deposit to get it restored. That simply wasn’t possible. So with no money, what did I do? I went shopping. I found a combo convection oven-microwave at the Walmart out by the airport on Northsight Boulevard. It was about $200. If I bought it it would solve two problems (oven and microwave) because you can cook most foods in them, it just takes a little study. You can even roast a turkey, grill fish and make steaks or chops in them.
But I couldn’t figure out where I’d get the $200 for the new microwave in time for Thanksgiving. I went on the Internet and searched for “Holiday loans” and “very fast cash,” then I found Car Title Loans in Scottsdale. They said my Ford truck (paid off about 24 months ago) could get me a loan for the $200 plus the $450 I owe my friend. The online application was easier than getting a discount shopper card at Safeway. It took about 20 minutes to complete. The $650 was in my bank account in 18 hours and I bought the oven that afternoon. The first night I made a delicious hamburger-broccoli dish with garlic – such an improvement over the Seven Eleven burritos I’d eaten the entire previous week.
Car title loans are great when you think you have no other options or simply are in a hurry. Now I can have friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. I might even surprise everyone with mashed potatoes from scratch.
- Merrit N.
By the way, Scottsdale is near Tucson, Phoenix, Peoria, Tempe, and Goodyear