Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

At Stonehill Motors, we aim to provide great used cars at affordable prices. We are currently celebrating our first anniversary, and we are both humbled and thrilled that we’ve grown so much and learned so much in one year.

We think this is a perfect time to answer your most frequently asked questions about buying used cars from our licensed car dealership in Lake Isabella, CA. 

From down payments to credit scores, we’ll cover all the questions we hear every day. It’s a long article, so feel free to scan your way through the sections.

We’ll start by answering a very popular question, “Are you a branch of that Wofford Heights car dealership?” (Spoiler: No.)

Then we’ll answer your most common used car financing questions. We’ll cover down payments, trade-ins, and more. We will even answer, “What happened to the swap meet in Lake Isabella?” Check it out!

Are You a Branch of the Wofford Heights Car Dealership?

No. Stonehill Motors is independent. We are a local “mom and pops” shop. We are not connected to any other car dealers in Wofford Heights, Ridgecrest, Bakersfield, or elsewhere.

(We’ve also been asked if we’re related to the Ridgecrest Toyota dealership. We’re not.)

Does Stonehill Motors Offer Financing?

Yes. We work with a bunch of credit unions and banks. We can help most people get a loan, even if your credit is not great. We are really good at it!

All these banks have different requirements, though, and different ideal customers. Some want credit scores at least 625; others prefer lower (550) or higher (725) credit scores.

What Do I Need to Get an Auto Loan?

When getting a loan for a used car or truck, financial institutions may ask for your:

• Driver’s license or state ID (out of state licenses are okay)

• Proof of insurance

• Proof of income

• Checking account information (routing and account numbers) for automatic withdrawals

• Proof of address

• A few references (they can be anyone, family, friends, coworkers)

• Social Security Card

Some banks also like to verify your employment. They will have an AI computer call your employer to make sure you work there.

Many banks will call you after the sale to ensure you are satisfied with your new ride.

Can I Get a Used Car Loan if I Get SSI/SSDI or Other Benefits?

Yes. We get this question a lot.

Social Security payments, SSDI, Veteran’s benefits, pensions, and all sorts of income can be used to qualify for a car loan at Stonehill Motors.

You don’t need a job to buy a car. But you must prove your income, residency, etc.

In fact, benefits like SSI/SSDI or VA benefits are sometimes preferred by banks.

Think of it this way; a workplace can fire you or close their doors. Social Security is a more reliable income because they will never fire you. Our banks love SSI/SSDI. Stop in if you’re shopping for a car on a fixed budget. We can help!

Can I Get an Auto Loan if I am Self-Employed?

Sure. You still need to prove your income. We can do that with a handful of recent bank statements, and there are other ways, like Turbopass.

What is Turbopass?

Turbopass is a digital tool car dealers can use to verify income, residency, and more. If you have a modern cell phone and are internet savvy, we can use this tool to help get your loan approved quickly.

Or we can use some recent bank statements.

What About Buy-Here-Pay-Here (BHPH) Deals?

We do offer BHPH for certain vehicles and certain situations.

One of the most frequently asked questions is, “How much money down do you need to do buy-here-pay-here?”

The answer is a little complicated, and it is different for every vehicle we sell. In short, the down payment needs to be large enough that we are confident letting a car leave the lot, plus enough money to pay for:

• Sales tax

• License plates

• Registration

• DMV fees

• And so on 

  
  

A downpayment of $200 is not enough. We wish it was.

What is a Good Down Payment for BHPH?

A good rule of thumb is to aim for 75% of the final price. For instance, on a $6,000 car, with a total final price of $7,000 after sales tax, DMV fees etc., we need a down payment around $5,000. In a case like that, we can probably carry the note if your credit is reasonable.

We have some other stipulations, too. We only offer BHPH to locals here in the KRV. We must verify your income and address, and we put GPS trackers in all BHPH vehicles.

If you live in Wofford Heights, Bodfish, Lake Isabella, Onyx, Weldon, and so on, we are willing to discuss a BHPH deal. Again, these work best with a chunky down payment. Otherwise, we will try to help you get an auto loan.

Of course, if your credit score is low, you’re always welcome to bring a trade-in vehicle, or add a co-signor to your loan application. We’ll talk more about trade-ins, co-signors, and used auto loans shortly.

And remember, we can get loans for most folks, if they have a job, a home, a phone, and a bank account.

Does Stonehill Motors Work with Local Credit Unions and Banks?

Yes, you can use any bank you like when buying a used car, truck, van, or SUV from us. Many of our customers bank with AltaOne FCU in Lake Isabella and Kernville, or with Westamerica on Lake Isabella Blvd. Both of these organizations are terrific.

Can I Use My Own Bank for a Loan?

Yes. If you’d rather deal with your own bank, we support that! We will provide you with a final out the door price of a vehicle, and you go to your preferred bank to get a loan.

Sometimes, they will give you an auto loan. Other times, you might need to apply for a signature loan.

What’s the Difference Between an Auto Loan and a Signature Loan?

In a nutshell, auto loans are based on collateral (the vehicle you purchase with the loan). Signature loans are based on your good name and credit score, like a credit card.

Sometimes, the interest on a signature loan is higher than an auto loan. That's because the bank has no collateral. They cannot repossess your name if you don’t make your payments. But they can repossess a car.

Some financial institutions have requirements on the age or mileage of a used car, truck, or SUV. Check with your preferred bank to be sure.

Every bank has different rules. You can call yours or come here to get qualified with one of our banks. We will do our best to help. (Not to toot our own horn, but we’re very good at it.)

Can I Shop Around for Auto Loans and Interest Rates?

Absolutely! At Stonehill, our motto is “Save with Us.” We want happy customers who will spread the word about our awesome deals and bring more business. We want to be your favorite auto dealer ever.

So, we will do our best to work with any bank you like. If our bank is offering an 11% interest rate, and your bank is offering 8%, we will encourage you to take the better interest rate.

Other Dealerships Don’t Do This, By the Way

Some other dealerships, especially the big new car dealer franchises, increase your price if you don’t use their banks. They may increase the price on a car if you choose an outside bank or find some other way to add money into the sale contract.

That’s because big franchises make more by using their in-house banks. We don’t play those games. The price we advertise is the price you pay, regardless of the payment you choose.

Who Can Co-Sign an Auto Loan?

The purpose of a co-signor is to have someone with a better credit score added to the contract. If you fail to make your car payment to the bank, the co-signor must do it, or it hurts their credit score.

Banks also love co-signors because they are responsible people, someone you know, who will remind you about your car payment.

Anyone can be a co-signor. It can be your spouse, your (adult) child, your neighbor, or a friend. They just need a decent credit score, proof of address, etc.

They must come here in person, though. We cannot accept a co-signor over the phone.

Now that we’ve answered most of your frequently asked questions about financing, let’s move to trade-ins.

Does Stonehill Motors Accept Trade-Ins?

Yes, we accept trades. However, the deal needs to make sense for everyone.

Can You Get Me Out of an Upside-Down Loan?

No. We cannot accept trades with a lot of negative equity, when someone is deeply underwater/upside down.

We wrote about this more in another article. In short, if you owe $20,000 on a vehicle that is only worth $5,000, we cannot pay off a $15,000 loan for you. We will never get those funds back, because the car is only worth $5,000 when we sell it.

We also discourage people from rolling over a lot of debt onto a fresh loan. This is how people get in bad financial trouble, by owing way more on a car than it is worth.

However, if your car is paid off (or nearly paid off), we can talk about trades.

What Will You Give Me for My Car as a Trade?

Ahh, this is a golden question we hear every week. And the answer is complicated.

How Do You Determine the Value of a Trade?

To determine the value of your car, we use a handful of appraisal tools at Stonehill Motors. We have special software, and we also check cars using:

• Kelley Blue Book

• JD Power

• Experian AutoCheck

  
  

We also deal with a ton of auto auction houses, and we pay very close attention to prices, even on vehicles we don’t buy.

Before offering a value, we do a physical inspection, scan the car for codes, and take it for a test drive.

We do our best to give honest, fair values for your trade. That’s part of our Save with Us motto! However, it doesn’t make sense for us to pay much more than auction prices for a car.

In the spirit of full disclosure, know some people get more for their car selling it privately. But we promise we will give you an honest, competitive offer, and zero pressure.

What Paperwork is Needed to Trade in a Car at Stonehill Motors?

In a perfect world, you would have your clean title and a recent smog. But if you don’t have these things, it’s okay. We do need some proof that you own the vehicle, if you don’t have a title. Your loan documents will work.

Do I Need to go to the DMV if I Buy a Car at Stonehill Motors?

No. We handle all the paperwork and DMV legwork for you.

This is a great spot to promote another local business. We often rely on the experts at Rapid Auto Registration on Lake Isabella Blvd. They can help you with all sorts of DMV hassles.

There is also a DMV field office in Lake Isabella. They don’t do dealership business, however.

Does Stonehill Motors Offer Free Delivery?

Yes. Stonehill Motors offers free local delivery in the Kern River Valley.

With a fully funded contract (meaning you paid cash or got a bank loan, or your check has cleared) we will happily deliver your vehicle to:

• Lake Isabella

• Wofford Heights

• Kernville

• River Kern

• Bodfish

• Onyx

• Weldon

• And all the little communities in between

We have delivered cars elsewhere, too, for a reasonable price. Gas is expensive, after all.

We find this option helpful for people who come from Wofford Heights, Kernville, Ridgecrest or Porterville for our vehicles. We will help you get that vehicle home.

Will You Hold a Car for Me?

Unfortunately, no. Earlier in this piece, we mentioned that we’ve learned a lot in our first year. This is one of the things we’ve learned. We cannot hold cars.

If you’re ready to sign a contract and give us a down payment, we are ready to sell you a car.

If you need a month to gather funds or sell your other vehicle, we will be ready with fresh inventory when you come back.

But we don’t hold cars without a fully funded contract.

Lastly, we’ll answer one more question we get all the time. It’s about the Lake Isabella Swap Meet.

Did You Kick Out the Swap Meet?

No. This place was vacant when we applied to rent it. We've been here since 1/1/2026. 

What Happened to the Lake Isabella Swap Meet?

If you’re new in town, you might not remember it. But the swap meet used to happen on weekends at this location. It was a beloved Lake Isabella tradition, and folks from Kernville, Bodfish, Wofford Heights and all the local neighborhoods would drop in to dicker for cool swap meet stuff.

The swap meet is not gone. They’ve moved up the road a few miles, to Bodfish, and they’re open on weekends still. (But we didn’t kick them out.)

Was This a Car Dealership Before the Swap Meet?

Yes. Back in the 1990s, this property was home to RJRs Dam Good Cars. It’s a cool, historic spot for long-time locals. That’s one of the reasons we love it so much.

The One-Year Mark: Our Final Thoughts

As our first year ends, we are incredibly grateful to our local community for all the support. We love selling awesome used vehicles to our neighbors in Wofford Heights, Lake Isabella, Bodfish, Kernville, and even Ridgecrest, Porterville, and beyond.

For the next year, we will continue to bring fresh, affordable vehicles into town every week. And we look forward to becoming your family’s preferred car dealership.

Please drop in and say “hello.” Be sure to “like” and follow us on Facebook. That’s where we share the hottest deals, fun promotions, and inventory updates.

And remember, Stonehill Motors = Great Prices, so Save with Us!