says about the Achilles tendon injury he sustained. "I got up, and I could move. But it
didn't heal right."
Te injury, which would eventually require a costly surgery and rehabilitation, occurred just as Catley was getting started in a
challenging feld. Employment was seasonal,
and he ofen had to drive 100 miles round
trip to work a game. With his medical bills
stacking up, bankruptcy was the only way
out. He fled in June 2003.
"I had managed to somehow get a new
car before that," he says. "I couldn't make
the payments. I was sweating. I had no idea
what I was going to do."
Catley looked for answers online. He
learned that fnancing was available for car
buyers with recent bankruptcies. He found
Prestige Financial and wound up in a 2002
Saturn L200 at a 21 percent interest rate on
a six-year deal — terms he chuckles at now.
Like the Vines, he was able to reduce his rate
over the life of the loan. His career took of
and the Saturn held up over tens of thousands of miles. "One of my proudest moments was when I got the title in my hands,"
he says.
Te Vines and Catley both found a new
vehicle when they needed it most, and both
used the loans to rebuild their credit. Teir
stories aren't unique, and Prestige isn't the
only fnance company that specializes in
bankruptcy customers. Several established
national and regional lenders, including
Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS), First
Investors, Friendly Finance Corp. and Tide-
PJ Taylor (right) stands with
Nate Seaburn in the showroom
at Buckeye Ford. Taylor's team,
which also includes Pat Santos
and Brittani Seaburn, gets 25
percent of their business from
repeat customers and referrals.
AUGUST 2013 • AUTODE ALE R MONTHLY.COM
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