Financing a car (San Antonio, New Braunfels, Anton: credit, loans, buy)

[Manulisa]

Hello everybody,

we moved from Germany to San Antonio and now we have a big, big problem:

we can´t get financed a car without a social security number and because of our visa-status we will not get a SSN. If we would go to our bank asking for a credit we have to deposit the same money into a blocked account. So we can pay the car cash - there is no difference.

Is there anybody who can tell us, what we can do in this situation???

Sorry about my bad english and thanks for your help!

[rd2007]

Your English is a million times better than my German!!

Only suggestion I can make is research this situation on the internet and go to a bank and ask them. I have a feeling you're going to get stuck paying a bad interest rate because you technically don't have a history, but hopefully I'm wrong.


edit- I just noticed there's a financial forum and an automotive forum on here, maybe try them.

[PopsGuysRule]

Here are some ideas, don't know if there is a solution in any of them, but you could check and see:::::
Here are some German-American associations that may be able to help with your questions::::
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German American Association New Braunsfels, TX 78130 830-625-6330 Helgard Shur-Hollis

Beethoven Männerchor 422 Pereida Street San Antonio, TX 78217 210-222-1521
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Here is a website/message board forum with LOTS of info as well as the opportunity to post your question directly. It appears to be a very active forum….. It is a board for 'immigration help' and addresses an abundance of issues...

Immihelp Forums
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Are you able to apply for and secure a loan based on an ITIN?::::::
What is an ITIN?
An ITIN is a nine-digit Individual Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to foreign individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but are not eligible to obtain a social security number (SSN). ITINS begin with the number "9" and are formatted like a SSN (NNN-NN-NNNN).
The ITIN is for tax purposes only. It does not entitle the individual to social security benefits, and creates no inference regarding the individuals immigration status or right to work in the U.S.


Who Is Eligible For A Social Security Number (SSN)?
While an exhaustive list of all those eligible to receive a SSN is beyond the scope of this document, the following categories of individuals are generally eligible to obtain a SSN:
U.S. Citizens;
Alien Registration Receipt Card;
Alien individuals lawfully admitted to the U.S. with a visa or
status permitting him/her to work in the U.S., including:
F-1 Visa holders (students including practical trainees);
H Visa holders (temporary workers or trainees);
J-1 Visa holders (students and scholars under an exchange
visitor program);
O Visa holders (those with exceptional abilities); and
TN Status (visitors from Canada and Mexico).
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Are you eligible by any avenue for a credit union membership? They have different, and sometimes more lenient, requirements for a loan. That German American Association may have a credit union association!! They should certainly be able to steer you in some helpful direction anyway…

Best of luck to you…. I have visited your BEAUTIFUL country, and actually found myself feeling I could have been born there……

[rd2007]

ha ha, forgot that they're in luck being here with the huge German population. and those sound like some pretty good ideas, I'm sure there's some way around it.

[PopsGuysRule]

Originally Posted by rd2007

ha ha, forgot that they're in luck being here with the huge German population. and those sound like some pretty good ideas, I'm sure there's some way around it.

Huh? There's a HUGE German population here? In SA?
ok, you're being facetious, playing with me, right?

I just know there are German-American associations (as well as french-amer, italian-amer, etc.) nearly everywhere, though the closest one I found was New Braunfels. When I traveled to Europe, I joined the German-American Club in So Calif so I could buy their incredibly cheap airfare to fly to Europe.

You're playin' with me, right RD??? LOL

[rd2007]

well, I'm of German heritage and a pretty big guy..

[wCat]

Pops....in the 1860's the population of German Immigrants actually outnumbered Mexico Immigrants! But today, most of our German heritage is from descendents of those early immigrants. We really don't have a large group of "new" immigrants. Your post was great! Lots of good info for any new immigrant!

RD....cute post!

[rd2007]

I'll hijack this instead of making a whole new one..

Anyone ever get a new car that included a trade-in and not have the loan work out in the end? Hypothetically speaking, say you traded in a car for another vehicle and the trade-in was paid off, but you didn't get approved for the financing and nobody ever called you about it.. Can a person be held responsible for something that didn't happen the way the contract said it would? The contract stated a specific finance company, payment, APR, number of payments and all that. The financing definitely did not work because A. it's not online with other loans under the same persons name B. Nobody is calling and the first payment was already due and C. there is no account number to credit a payment to. The original finance company (the one on the contract) didn't agree to the terms and denied the credit.
If this was an actual case, I would find it odd that the dealership hasn't called about anything, even though it has been over a month and they definitely know the persons phone number. Also, what could be done anyhow? The traded vehicle is gone and its loan has been paid off. This has been verified.
Would it be possible that a finance person screwed up big time and is trying to cover up their mistake? Maybe they are also counting on the other person to be quiet?

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by PopsGuysRule

Huh? There's a HUGE German population here? In SA?
ok, you're being facetious, playing with me, right?

I just know there are German-American associations (as well as french-amer, italian-amer, etc.) nearly everywhere, though the closest one I found was New Braunfels. When I traveled to Europe, I joined the German-American Club in So Calif so I could buy their incredibly cheap airfare to fly to Europe.

You're playin' with me, right RD??? LOL

There's a substantial German-American population and a significant German population in San Antonio - in the city. Head to Beethoven's Mannerchor and Biergarten. You'll sometimes wonder what country you're in. Lots and lots of folks from Germany, as well as German descendants.

Manulisa - any chance you can just get a cheaper, used car and pay cash? That's what pretty much everyone I know has done... Do you mind sharing your visa status?

[sapphire]

One question, rd. How many times have you farted on that seat?

Good luck!