Are buy here pay here lots worth it?

It depends entirely on what your alternative is, and it's worth being honest in both directions.

You'll pay more than at a bank — higher interest on an older car with more miles. Nobody sensible disputes that. If a credit union will finance you, go there instead; even with damaged credit, a local credit union is worth one application before you decide.

But if the answer is no, the real comparison isn't buy-here-pay-here against a good loan. It's buy-here-pay-here against no car. In this part of South Carolina no car generally means no job, and a job you can't reach costs more than any interest rate.

Where these lots genuinely earn it: same-day approval, no lender who can decline you, and a down payment that's negotiable in a way a bank's terms never are. Where they don't: if you're buying for credit-building, confirm the lot reports before you sign, because many don't. And read the default clause — some contracts call a single missed payment a default.

The practical move is to call several rather than take the first offer. These are individual businesses with different cars and different flexibility, and the difference between the first lot and the fourth is often substantial.