You CAN Afford This Classic!

March 17, 2015
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Which would you rather have: a brand-new, top-selling, standard-cab pickup—or a fully restored 1954 Ford F100 custom pickup with a rockin’ body, power windows and seats, air conditioning, overhead console with CD player and a hot rod V8? The going price for that popular new pickup is just under $35,000. Using traditional methods, you can get that truck financed at a rate of around 3.99% for 60 months, leaving you with a monthly payment of about $645.

If the ’54 Ford is more your style, consider this. That very vehicle (pictured above) sold at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January for $31,900. Most traditional lenders will laugh at the notion of classic car financing, but have you ever watched the big screens at a Barrett-Jackson auction and noticed the “Estimated Monthly Payment” graphic down at the bottom of the screen as the cars cross the block? Many people don’t realize it, but you can actually get financing on the collector cars featured at Barrett-Jackson auctions. That fabulous ’54 Ford could have been yours for a monthly payment of only $419 a month, based on financing with a 5.99% interest rate over a 96-month period. That’s a whole lot less per month for a whole lot of cool that may appreciate in value.

Since 2012, Woodside Credit has been turning dream cars into reality at every Barrett-Jackson auction. The nationwide collector car finance company partnered with Barrett-Jackson to make it easier than ever to put great cars in the hands of enthusiasts. It’s something Mitch Shatzen, president and COO of Woodside Credit, is pretty jazzed about. “We provide cash that allows car enthusiasts to enjoy the cars of their dreams,” he says. “They get to keep their savings in the bank, use ours, and we deliver to them the lowest monthly payment in America.”

The template to the low monthly payments dates back to the 1980s, when Roger Kirwan, founder of Woodside Credit, pioneered never-before-seen low payments in the RV industry with terms up to 180 months. He recognized the purchasing power and cash-flow benefits of those low payments. His next thought was to apply the same principle to the world of classic cars.

Here’s how it works.

If you’ve got your eye on a collector car that’s at least 25 years old, or perhaps a late-model exotic (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, etc.) or specialty vehicle (most Corvettes or Porsches, for example), just contact Woodside Credit. Ideally, reach out before the auction, so you can get pre-approved (it’ll also save you $100 on the loan fee). That pre-approval is good for 60 days for amounts under $100,000, or 30 days for larger loans. You’ll need to have good credit (typically a 700+ FICO score), no bankruptcies and pay the down payment, which is typically 15 percent. Shatzen insists that each case is considered individually. “We are truly common-sense lenders with our eyes on every application,” he says. “A computer doesn’t approve loans.”

Woodside offers competitive fixed rates, loan amounts from $10,000 to $500,000 and flexible terms of up to 12 years. As an example, on a $50,000 loan, you’d be looking at a monthly payment of around $555 (as opposed to approximately $921 per month for a traditional bank loan). For a $100,000 loan, you’d pay about $975 per month through Woodside, but around $1,841 through a standard-term loan. If you’re looking at a higher dollar acquisition, Woodside can work with you on a custom loan. They’ll even finance tax, title and license.

The collector car hobby is robust. As passionate enthusiasts descend on Barrett-Jackson auctions to buy and sell specialty vehicles, Woodside Credit is the place to go. They provide a personalized financing option with a proven track record. If you have any doubt about how well the program works, just have a look at the many testimonials on the Woodside Credit website—or better yet, ask Gary Bennett, Barrett-Jackson’s vice president of consignment. Thanks to Woodside, in 2013 Gary was reunited with a beloved 1965 Corvette he had sold more than 40 years earlier, and he’s one happy customer indeed.

To find out more, visit www.woodsidecredit.com, call 800-717-5180 or visit the Woodside Credit folks in person at any Barrett-Jackson auction.

To find out how to become a bidder at a Barrett-Jackson auction or register to bid, click here.

This article appears in the Spring 2015 issue of The Barrett-Jackson Experience magazine. To order your copy or subscribe, click here or visit www.shopbarrettjackson.com.