What to do? Car purchase question

[Brisco444]

Well, we finally paid our attorney last week, and submitted all the ppwk today so he will file our Chap 7 in the next day or so. So, what happens tonight? The engine seizes up in our '97 Odyssey, and it now sits at the dealership, a useless heap of metal. My husband commutes to work, so he will be out for the next few days.

We are trying to find something reliable under $2000. Our folks (who don't know we are filing BK) are kicking in $1000. So, we need to get financed for $1000 (as we already found a car that suits our needs. By not paying our student loan this month or next (not ideal, I know, but we have no money in our budget as yet) we can pay off this car by May. We can't afford a monthly payment at all even after we are discharged. During our pre-filing debt counseling, we discovered that after all our necessary expenses we have less than $200 a month available.

Is it possible to make this work before our 341? Any help would be appreciated.

Denise

[lrprn]

Call your lawyer first thing in the morning and share what's happened with your car. He may advise you to wait to file until you've settled the car situation. Getting a new car right after you file could interest your trustee because the different car can change your figures on the Means Test - that may or may not be ideal in your situation.

Your lawyer can advise you whether it's best to get the car first and then file, or if it won't matter.

[325Falcon]

You can get a decent car for $3000 from a private sale.

We just got a 96 Subaru with only 131K miles and a complete dealer service record for $2900. You can expect to get %50 less car from a used car dealer, they need to make buck.

Check craigs list and ebay lots of deals to be had if your a willing to do some looking and little bit of travel.

[Brisco444]

Well, we lucked out big time! I talked to the attorney's office this morning, and got the all clear. My dad is sending us $700 as a gift, my mother in law is giving us $500, and we still have the $500 we hadn't sent to Sallie Mae. My dad found a dealer in Ohio (70 miles away) with a 97 Buick in good condition, and talked him down to $1900. So, my MIL and husband are on the road there now, and Mom has said she will cover the difference between what we have on hand and the 2179 the car will cost total as a loan.

Plus, one of the mechanics at the Honda dealership will give us a couple hundred bucks for our old car. What a stressful situation! It always seems like there is something that goes wrong, just as we are trying to get back on our feet.

Thanks for all the feedback. It totally helped.