Does anyone really expect disasters?  How about all in a year?

My husband left me three years ago. Next, I had a stroke this past winter at age 37, my insurance covered 60% of the hospitalization, my pharmaceutical coverage had a $5000 deductible, my employer closed the US manufacturing and that affected office staff too, COBRA will cost $1400 per month, my ex-husband hits with child support about half the time, and my bad credit makes it impossible to do half the things in life most people take for granted.

Now Christmas is coming  From where will the money come? A few weeks ago I saw an auto title loan store on Pleasanton Road and thought about the Corolla, paid for in full since 2006.  I didn’t go in – kinda intimidating, those places – so instead I searched online for “loan for my car title.” Never give up, I say.

I found San Antonio Car Title Loans. They have an online application and no credit checks.  I completed it and got the money in one day — which beats the hell out of a health insurance company.  I took only $200 – after this past year, I can turn that much into gold.   

- Wendy C.

My son moved to Toronto in 2006 to be with his girlfriend.  Now they have a baby, and I’m thrilled to be a grandmother. They’ve invited me to come out for a visit for Christmas. Of course I want to go very badly.

This is my first trip to Canada.  But I didn’t know how I could afford the trip. I went on a travel website and I couldn’t find a fare below $700, plus another $150 for a passport. Earlier in December the fares are much cheaper, but Christmas week is my only vacation time. But I have bad credit and because I have no credit cards, this didn’t look possible.

I often drove by the car title loans store on Bandera Road, but couldn’t go in there.  But the idea of a car title loan looked like something I could do with my car and I had heard you could do it online.

Next I searched on Yahoo for “car title loans near San Antonio” and “fast cash” and I found San Antonio Car Title Loans.  This appealed to me.  They said my 1999 Mustang was good enough for that $700.   There was my ticket. I definitely am more comfortable doing it online.

Immediately I filled out the online application. The money was in my checking account the next day.  Two days later, those fares all went up another $100. Which goes to show, you should never hesitate when you see a good price on plane tickets because they go fast.

- Francine G.

Getting married at age 20 was not a good idea.  So after three years, I left my husband and looked into getting a small apartment.  I found one not far from my job at the Kelly Air Force Base, so that made sense.

The landlord wanted a security deposit of one-and-a-half month’s rent.  I was pretty sure I could afford the $500 rent, but to come up with another $750 seemed impossible.  My husband had really mismanaged our money.  He ran up the credit cards to the point where we couldn’t keep up with them.  I had little money and just as problematic, I had bad credit.

A friend told me to look for answers on the Internet.  So I Googled “auto title loans work” and “fast cash” and some other words and found San Antonio Car Title Loans.  They work strictly through an online application so you don’t have to go near those car title places on Military Drive. As a single girl I am afraid to go there.  I had my money in 24 hours and signed the lease that afternoon.

- Rhonda A.

I hate missing out on deals just because I don’t have the cash.  I was planning to buy a tankless water heater to save long-term on my energy costs.  But right now I’m unemployed, have bad credit and no spare cash on hand for this project.  And it looks like the old water heater is about to die.

Tankless, “on demand” water heaters instantly heat your water instead of having a big tank constantly kept heated.  They save around 34% off energy costs and reduce water use by six gallons a day – you don’t run the tap so long waiting for the hot water to arrive. In 2009, there will be a federal tax credit of $300 for purchasing these models and a store near Fort Sam Houston is selling them in advance at a discount: you order it now with a $200 down payment today, you get the water heater at 20% off plus the tax credit next year.  So clearly, with fast cash I could swing this deal.  The total cost for the heater with installation is $1200, but with all the savings and credits I’d shave that down to $650.  And, these water heaters last 20 years versus the ten for a traditional boiler.

This is an investment that will pay me back over time.  And I figured out a way to finance it, despite my circumstances: San Antonio Car Title Loans for a $400 on my 2002 Camry.  The online application allowed me to avoid going to some storefront car title operation on San Pedro Avenue.  It took 15 minutes to fill out the form. I got the money the next day in my bank account.

This auto title loan will turn into a net savings of energy and water – and our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

              -Carlos D.

My nieces were coming to visit me for a week.  A week is a long time for a 12 and 9 year old.  I needed to find some good activities that they would really enjoy.  One activity I knew they would like is the San Antonio Zoo.  It’s always fun to go to the zoo and make silly faces at the animals.  I took them the second day of their trip.  We were all so excited.  I don’t have any kids so I hadn’t been to the zoo in years now. 

In the snake house, they had a few snakes out that people could come up and pet.  They had employees watching over them and said the snakes would not bite.  Well, wouldn’t you know it, one of those snakes broke hold from the zookeepers grip and bit my youngest niece on the arm.  The snakes were not poisonous but my niece had a nasty puffy bite on her arm.  I took her to the doctor the next day because it started to look infected.  He prescribed some antibiotics to heal the infection and told me to never let my nieces pet snakes again.  I did not want to give my sister a doctor’s bill and decided to pay for it myself.  However, I didn’t have money to pay the bill.  I needed some fast cash now.

I went to look on the Internet to see if I could find some fast cash.  I came across San Antonio Car Title Loans and saw that by filling out an online application, I would know in 10 minutes whether I’d been approved or not.  I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a try.  They required that I own my car to qualify for the loan.  I have a paid off sports car that is worth a good amount of money.  I got the loan quickly and was so happy to have the money transferred to my bank account.  Now I just have to tell my sister that I let a snake bite her baby.  I don’t see this going over too well.

Brianna L. in San Antonio

I worry about two things: health and money.  It’s just my nature.  The fact my parents had to declare bankruptcy related to the medical costs from my mother’s colon cancer has a lot to do with it, too.

I’m advised to get colonoscopies every three years because she had it.  When I worked at my job at Lackland AFB it was easy because we had great medical insurance.  But I left there in 2004 and have been doing temporary engagements ever since with no health insurance.  I was supposed to get my colonoscopy in 2007, but it wasn’t affordable.  Without insurance, you pay $3000.

My spotty work has caused me bad credit.  So $3000 looks impossible.

And from my mother’s experience, I’m always checking for symptoms.  I worry about every little stomach ache and blood in my stools (sorry if that’s a little harsh sounding, but it’s what we’re supposed to do).  I worried enough I decided I had to do something.  So I went online and found San Antonio Car Title Loans.  They said my eight year old Toyota is good for a $3000 loan – and I took that as a sign saying “Get this done.”  The loan is processed on the Internet — you complete an online application, then you get an email with the approval that same day.  The money is sent electronically to your checking account in under 24 hours.  It’s fast cash, which is what you want when you’re worried about your health.

There were some polyps that we’re keeping an eye on.  I am REALLY glad I took a loan on car title to find out my situation.  

– Neil O.

I drive a ten year old car, a Toyota Carolla.  For anyone who is a Corolla person, you know how dependable they are.  But believe it or not, mine was good for collateral on a loan that got me a great new energy and water-efficient dishwasher.

My old dishwasher was out of the 1980s, an electricity and water hog.  I could save money and get some “green peace of mind” with a newer model. But the model I had my eyes on is about $900.  With bad credit and no savings, that’s hard to pull off.  So I put that idea aside.  

One day I was on the Internet and saw how developers of unsold condos in Windcrest were selling that same model for half price.  Brand new, never used, $450.  It was a real steal, but out of reach if I don’t have any money to spare.  And you had to act fast: cash and carry, the next day.  I needed fast cash.  

This was time for the old girl to get her brain working.  I own my car outright, so I went to San Antonio Car Title Loans, where they told me I could get up to $3000 in a title loan.  All I needed was $450, so I filled out the online application, which took about 20 minutes, and was approved in an hour.  With cash by the next morning through my checking account, I was able to get the dishwasher. I’m equally happy with my lower energy bill, lower water usage and the sense it is a little help for the environment.

An automobile title loan was the trick.  I now know I have collateral that can help me find other deals when they are there.
- Evangelina F.

When our supervisor called us all into the conference room, you knew the news was bad. Our jobs were being eliminated, shipped offshore to India.  The kicker was we would get four additional weeks of pay, plus a month of severance, if we trained the people who took our jobs.

I took that option anyway.  I have a family to feed and bills to pay.

But that was months ago, and both the severance and unemployment were inadequate to cover the usual set of unexpected expenses that happen in any family.  Bills went unpaid, my credit rating tanked. Plus, I needed to build some new skills to make me more competitive in the global economy.

So I assessed my assets despite having bad credit.  My car is paid for and I can use it for collateral.  So to get fast cash I needed for a training course, I filled out an online application with San Antonio Car Title Loans.  It was fast, simple and non-judgmental (unlike how my requests for home equity lines and credit card extensions went).  In less than 24 hours I had the money I needed to help me find my next job.  I’ll never criticize anyone who uses auto title loans for financial management again.

- Evan F.

When it rains it pours, they say.  But I say, when it rains you get out an umbrella.

My husband and I both developed chronic illnesses at the same time.  The good news is we’re both going to live, but for me at least, it meant not being able to continue in the job I had that brought in the bigger income.  Losing your job, then seeing much bigger insurance premiums on a COBRA plan, really threw our finances into a mess.

We’re now adjusting to a lower income, but kept our house in Alamo Heights, our cars and our medications.  But there was a period of time when I wasn’t sure we could keep the lights on we were so far behind in our bills. Worse, with bad credit, we didn’t have a safety net for surprise expenses.

That’s when I turned to San Antonio Car Title Loans.  Our vehicles were our collateral, as well as a form of necessary transportation.  We borrowed money against them, enough to keep the wolves from the door, get healthier and find a new career.  It didn’t mean going to some icky storefront in an iffy neighborhood because they have an online application that takes about ten minutes to fill out.  An online auto title loan is the prescription for financial sickness, I think.

As a San Antonio native, I would never consider leaving the area.  My entire family lives here. But when I lost my job at Kelly Air Force Base it looked like I might have to.  Even worse, I had an accident with my Toyota right when I was changing jobs. Sometimes these things happen in bunches.

Things turned around in about three months.  I live in near Roselawn Memorial Park, just off Cupples Road, but found a new job near the San Antonio airport, about 25 miles away.  I wasn’t crazy about the traffic and commuting – not to mention gas prices – but it made my car all the more important.  It also meant I had to do some car repairs just when money was pretty tight to begin with.  Because I was out of work so long my credit cards were at their limits.  After just two missed payments, I had bad credit, despite years of managing things prudently.  Not pretty, especially when the SUV had to be repaired to drive that much that often.  

My solution was San Antonio Car Title Loans.  It really made a lot of sense: I could use the car’s value to pay for the car repairs. I guess I was relieved I didn’t have to go to a storefront operation in some strange neighborhood to get the $1400. It’s just an online application, which I did from my home computer in, like, 15 minutes. By the next morning I had the fast cash to pay the body shop.  Through online car title loans, anyone can manage in a tight spot like mine.