Subprime Auto Loans

[lizzie]

Will we never learn?:shock:

I guess since GM is now too big to fail, we can have a car bubble, and the taxpayer can pay for auto loans. :roll:

GM Goes Subprime (Some Companies Just Never Learn)

Chad Brand submits: Just when I thought General Motors was on solid footing and heading in the right direction after shedding a large portion of its liabilities in bankruptcy, they seem to have forgotten what has happened over the last several years in the world of credit. One of the big reasons GM’s losses were compounded during the recession was because they funded a lot of subprime loans for their vehicles through GMAC. When those loans went sour, the losses not only negated the razor thin margins they had on the vehicle sales themselves, but resulted in a company that lost money on most of their cars. Hence, SUVs (with their fat profit margins) became a focus for the company, even in the face of rising gas prices, which aided their competitors in stealing market share. Since GM has exited bankruptcy and the economy has stabilized management has stated publicly a desire to once again expand into the subprime auto finance market, but this time GMAC was hesitant (and understandably so). Undoubtedly, the result has been that GM could be selling more vehicles if they were willing to finance customers with bad credit who could not get loans elsewhere. This morning we learn that for $3.5 billion in cash GM is buying AmeriCredit (#HYPERLINK "http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/acf"ACF), one of the larger subprime lenders in the country. They will use this new financing arm to get more cars into the hands of more people, many of whom could not get loans from third party lenders due to bad credit, no job, etc.Complete Story »

GM Goes Subprime (Some Companies Just Never Learn) | www.bullfax.com

edit: I don't start many threads, and wasn't sure if this is the forum where this one belongs, so if it's in the wrong place, would one of the mods kindly move it?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Will we never learn?:shock:

I guess since GM is now too big to fail, we can have a car bubble, and the taxpayer can pay for auto loans. :roll:

GM Goes Subprime (Some Companies Just Never Learn) | www.bullfax.com

edit: I don't start many threads, and wasn't sure if this is the forum where this one belongs, so if it's in the wrong place, would one of the mods kindly move it?

Hopefully if this goes sour, we won't break Obama's claim that there will be no more bailouts again.

 

[lizzie]

I hope you're right. I can see it now: headlines in the NYT and LAT "Wallstreet Bigwigs Behind Automobile Crisis":mrgreen:

 

[Crunch]

I hope you're right. I can see it now: headlines in the NYT and LAT "Wallstreet Bigwigs Behind Automobile Crisis":mrgreen:

More like, "Bush economy sinks GM."

 

[NolaMan]

Will we never learn?:shock:

I guess since GM is now too big to fail, we can have a car bubble, and the taxpayer can pay for auto loans. :roll:

GM Goes Subprime (Some Companies Just Never Learn) | www.bullfax.com

edit: I don't start many threads, and wasn't sure if this is the forum where this one belongs, so if it's in the wrong place, would one of the mods kindly move it?

It is typical. We saw it over and over again with banks for the last few decades. They make poor choices and the government bails them out. Therefore, there is no real risk to making more poor choices.

I would be willing to bet as well that the $3.5 billion GM came up with to buy AmeriCredit is taxpayer money too.

 

[winston53660]

Seems like a decent investment to me:

AmeriCredit Corp.: NYSE:ACF quotes & news - Google Finance

 

[The Giant Noodle]

This is just HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!
Subprime loans are evil. I was dumb enough to get into one 4 years ago and it was 3 years of HELL! They bumped up the interest rate after 4 months.... lied about late payments.... lied about never getting payments..... lied about a deferment payment.... hid charges that were above the APR. Harrassed me. I basically paid $11,000 on a $13800 loan over 2 years and I STILL owed them $12,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thankfully got the $12000 all at once and paid the loan off. But still.... $23K paid for a 13,800 loan. They legally sold my money!!!

 

[washunut]

It is typical. We saw it over and over again with banks for the last few decades. They make poor choices and the government bails them out. Therefore, there is no real risk to making more poor choices.

I would be willing to bet as well that the $3.5 billion GM came up with to buy AmeriCredit is taxpayer money too.

Not sure what this has to do with banks, perhaps you could explain.

Also does anyone get tired of saying that there is no real risk with banks. ninety banks have already gone out of business this year.

If you mean the mega banks, Bear Sterns was sold for essentially nothing, Lehman went broke, Merill was sold for a song, Citi stock is still down 90% even after the government has been repaid with interest and are selling off 7.7 billion shares at a profit.

It seems so easy to use the trite lines that the administration has sold to so many that do not know much about business.

As they say, the public gets the government they deserve!

 

[Cold Highway]

Another reason why you take out a personal loan from the bank to buy a car instead of a car loan.

 

[washunut]

Will we never learn?:shock:

I guess since GM is now too big to fail, we can have a car bubble, and the taxpayer can pay for auto loans. :roll:

GM Goes Subprime (Some Companies Just Never Learn) | www.bullfax.com

edit: I don't start many threads, and wasn't sure if this is the forum where this one belongs, so if it's in the wrong place, would one of the mods kindly move it?

Why exactly did we have to bail these bums out???

 

[mike2810]

Another reason why you take out a personal loan from the bank to buy a car instead of a car loan.

or keep your vehicle for as long as its not a money pit, make payments to yourself and pay cash when you need a new vehicle. Other option is to be in good standing and take advantage of 0% loans from the car companies, but still put money away in savings.
Has worked for me for years.

 

[The_Patriot]

I was raised to never buy something you couldn't pay for it with cash right then and there. One cannot succeed in life if everything is built on debt.

 

[NolaMan]

Not sure what this has to do with banks, perhaps you could explain.

My point is that it becomes SOP in these companies that continually get bailed out to start relying on bailouts to save them from their poor choices.

Also does anyone get tired of saying that there is no real risk with banks. ninety banks have already gone out of business this year.

If you mean the mega banks, Bear Sterns was sold for essentially nothing, Lehman went broke, Merill was sold for a song, Citi stock is still down 90% even after the government has been repaid with interest and are selling off 7.7 billion shares at a profit.

Yes, some banks are going under, as they should, but the big ones are mostly not. Bear Sterns was essentially bailed out before being given away, Citi was given billions in assurances so they were not in any real danger, the only bank (or investment house I guess) that really had to face the music so to speak was Lehman, and they certainly are not the only ones that should have failed.

It seems so easy to use the trite lines that the administration has sold to so many that do not know much about business.

As they say, the public gets the government they deserve!

I agree, our current government is acting horribly in my opinion. That said, TARP is still on pace to lose over $100 billion, GM should never have been saved, neither should the banks.. any bank.

 

[jujuman13]

Hopefully if this goes sour, we won't break Obama's claim that there will be no more bailouts again.

You should not hold your breath on that!

 

[jujuman13]

I was raised to never buy something you couldn't pay for it with cash right then and there. One cannot succeed in life if everything is built on debt.

Unfortunately very few people have the immediate wherewithall to be able to put down all the cash for eitjher a vehicle or a residence, thus unfortunate though it is, there is a need for credit.

 

[The_Patriot]

Unfortunately very few people have the immediate wherewithall to be able to put down all the cash for eitjher a vehicle or a residence, thus unfortunate though it is, there is a need for credit.

That's what happens when you have the instant gratification mindset. I save up my money until I can afford to buy what I want, including cars. Of course, this means that I haven't owned a new car, but a used one is just as good.

 

[samsmart]

Well, there's another issue at hand here: even people with poor credit or no job need transportation in this country. In urban areas, for the most part they can either just walk to where they need to go or use the city's public transportation.

However, in suburban and rural areas, there's usually no public transportation to rely on. That means they need a car to get around - they have no choice.

So many people who get subprime auto loans don't do so because they want to - they do so because they have to in order to get around.

So those who are against subprime auto lending should either 1) call for the auto industry to manufacture cars cheap enough for those who are poor or have bad credit can afford or 2) call for better public transportation infrastructure to be built in urban and suburban areas to allow the poor to have access to transportation opportunities.

 

[washunut]

Well, there's another issue at hand here: even people with poor credit or no job need transportation in this country. In urban areas, for the most part they can either just walk to where they need to go or use the city's public transportation.

However, in suburban and rural areas, there's usually no public transportation to rely on. That means they need a car to get around - they have no choice.

So many people who get subprime auto loans don't do so because they want to - they do so because they have to in order to get around.

So those who are against subprime auto lending should either 1) call for the auto industry to manufacture cars cheap enough for those who are poor or have bad credit can afford or 2) call for better public transportation infrastructure to be built in urban and suburban areas to allow the poor to have access to transportation opportunities.

The people you are talking about do not have to purchase a new car. Also the sub prime market as you well know is there is for all sorts of people that want more than they can afford.

 

[Kushinator]

Will we never learn?:shock:

I guess since GM is now too big to fail, we can have a car bubble, and the taxpayer can pay for auto loans. :roll:

Sub prime auto loans are already a major aspect of used car markets. Sub prime does not equal adjustable rate lending and only reflects risk. GM's appetite for risk is growing, I don't see this as an absolute negative.

 

[lizzie]

This is just HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!
Subprime loans are evil. I was dumb enough to get into one 4 years ago and it was 3 years of HELL!

No need to be a drama king. I don't mind at all that finance companies loan to whomever they wish. I do mind when they ask the taxpayers to bail them out over their risky choices. As long as they take their own risks and take their own losses, everything's fine with me, but we have seen how that works out over the past couple of years.:roll:

 

[lizzie]

Sub prime auto loans are already a major aspect of used car markets. Sub prime does not equal adjustable rate lending and only reflects risk. GM's appetite for risk is growing, I don't see this as an absolute negative.

Sure they are. I can go into town and find at least a couple of we-tote-the-note places, and I've been in the position previously where I had to pay a higher interest rate on loans for cars. Point is- GM is now government-owned in effect, and GM losses will affect everyone.

 

[Kushinator]

Sure they are. I can go into town and find at least a couple of we-tote-the-note places, and I've been in the position previously where I had to pay a higher interest rate on loans for cars. Point is- GM is now government-owned in effect, and GM losses will affect everyone.

Sure, I agree. Yet you already have a negative bias towards them, which is somewhat understandable. Do you honestly believe gm can grow revenue without increasing risk?

 

[The_Patriot]

Sure, I agree. Yet you already have a negative bias towards them, which is somewhat understandable. Do you honestly believe gm can grow revenue without increasing risk?

What risk is there when Government Motors can go to Congress with hat in hand to beg for another handout?

 

[Kushinator]

What risk is there when Government Motors can go to Congress with hat in hand to beg for another handout?

So you are making the case for moral hazard? On what grounds?

 

[The_Patriot]

So you are making the case for moral hazard? On what grounds?

Nope, I asked you where was the risk when Government Motors can just go to Congress to bail them out?