In the best circumstances, a trip to the car dealership to pick out something shiny and new should be an enjoyable experience. But that isn’t always the case. One man’s tale shows how, for those with bad credit scores, the dealership visit can be as long and painful as going to the dentist's office. The clip from Kia salesman Sean Thompson (@senathompson864) of Calavan Kia in Lithia Springs, Georgia, gives us an up-close look at how difficult and confusing the sales process can be when a buyer's credit score is lower than expected. There’s a special strain of disdain for Credit Karma, which, according to the major credit bureaus, substantially overstates the customer's credit score. "Your credit score is in the low 400s. I can't understand how you said you it was a 650 on Credit Karma," Thompson says in the clip that’s been viewed more than 100,000 times. "I'm gonna re-run it, all right? You got a cosigner?" ‘Family Reunion’ Of Co-Signers The rest of the video plays out like a dealership war story turned into a comedy sketch. The customer scrambles to find someone with better credit who can help them secure the loan, while Thompson grows increasingly exasperated after hours spent trying to structure the deal to work with the lender. At one point, he jokes that the buyer has effectively staged "a whole family reunion" at the dealership, trying to find a viable cosigner. Eventually, the conversation turns to a more promising option: the buyer's girlfriend has a high credit score. While the video leans into humor to get the point across, Thompson told Motor1 that the situation behind the skit is something he sees regularly on the showroom floor. "That’s something that I had experienced," he said over the phone. "I kinda reincarnated it and turned it into a skit because the majority of the things that I do, they’re real." According to Thompson, the biggest surprise for many customers comes when the credit score they saw on a financial app doesn't match what lenders actually see when a dealership runs a financing application. "We get a lot of people that come into the dealership with Credit Karma," he said. "In fact, I had one come in hours ago. Credit Karma showed them they were about a 590, but when we ran it they were around a 480." That gap can derail a deal before it even gets started. "A lot of customers are really getting upset because they’re thinking they can buy a car and really can’t," he said. All Credit Scores Aren’t Equal Part of the confusion stems from lenders often considering different versions of a borrower's credit profile when evaluating whether they qualify for an auto loan. Thompson said dealerships frequently work with an auto-focused credit score that weighs previous vehicle loans and payment history more heavily. "You gotta look at the auto FICO," he said. "Your auto score is totally different from your regular credit." Even when a buyer’s score isn't extremely low, Thompson said other factors can still make financing difficult, including short job histories, limited credit accounts, or a lack of money for a down payment. In those situations, the search for a cosigner can become the only path forward. And once a buyer starts shopping aggressively across multiple dealerships, the situation can worsen. Thompson said he recently encountered a customer whose credit score showed 70 separate inquiries from dealerships, which quickly scared lenders away. The moment that kicks off the viral video, which was the gap between the buyer's credit score and the number that lenders see, also sparked plenty of debate in the comments section. Some viewers said they've experienced the same kind of surprise when financing a vehicle. "My Credit Karma says 630, bought a brand new car two weeks ago. Dealer pulled a 712," one commenter wrote. "Credit Karma is nuts." Others pointed out that the difference often comes down to the scoring model being used, noting that Credit Karma typically shows a VantageScore while many lenders rely on FICO-based scoring systems. "Vantage pulls me for like 590–600 and FICO pulls me for 685," another viewer wrote. "FICO got me approved no money down as a first-time buyer." The reactions highlight a lesson that many car shoppers don't realize until they're sitting in the finance office: the credit score on a free monitoring app may not be the exact number the lender uses when deciding whether to approve a loan. Via email, a Credit Karma spokesperson said, “Credit Karma was founded with a mission to educate consumers and provide the right financial products they expect and deserve, always underscored by transparency. Credit Karma does not create credit scores or credit reports. Credit reports and scores are determined by the credit bureaus and credit scoring companies. Credit Karma relays the information created by those companies.” The spokesperson added that there is not just one credit score. “There are dozens if not hundreds of scoring models,” they said. “For instance, there are multiple versions or models of the FICO score, so you never really know which model a lender uses.” They concluded, “With so many scores available for lenders to use – it’s best to monitor how your scores change overall as you use credit responsibly, rather than focusing on specific numbers. If you consistently pay your bills on time, reduce your debt and apply only for credit you need, over time you can establish a solid credit history.” We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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