"For Real, Stop" — Car Salesman Urges Folks Not to Look for Car Payments of $200-$300

Every month, you're probably thinking about at least one or two payments you have to fulfill. Between streaming subscriptions and ad-free experience to rent and utilities and the dreaded return of student loan payments in 2023, most of us tired millennials and anxious adults have some bill or monthly expenditure looming over our heads. For avid drivers, that also includes car payments.

If you need a car to get around, then you're definitely thinking about how to manage your car payments on a regular basis. So for folks buying new ones, it's understandable for them to want to look for the cheapest payment plan possible on such a large and oftentimes necessary item. But even if you have your entire budget planned out around a car, one car salesman urges folks to be reasonable. He suggests on TikTok that anyone looking for car payments between $200 and $300 is fresh out of luck.

Darryl Yates on TikTok (@theyatesofficial) loves to post as a comedian and a self-proclaimed hype man. But while he's used to doling out the jokes on a regular basis, he isn't exactly kidding around about this public service announcement.

In his TikTok post from late October 2023, he all but vented to his more than 188,000 followers about his job as a car salesman at Nissan. Specifically, he urges folks to be realistic about their needs in car payments.

"Them 200 to 300 [dollar] car payments is gone, people [sic]," Darryl confesses in his 29-second video. "Stop coming to the car lot looking for $250 to $300 car payments! This s— is gone!"

He continues, "My cell phone bill is about $400. You're not gonna get nothing cheaper than that in a car payment."

For all intents and purposes, he's probably not that made. However, he is using his humorous platform to dole out a harsh truth about car payments.

CBS News reported that as of 2023, over 15 percent of drivers are paying more than $1000 a month for their cars thanks to rising interest rates. It stands to reason that even for folks paying cheaper rates, car payments of $200 or $300 a month just isn't feasible in this economy.

That said, Darryl's PSA has still elicited some hilarious reactions from folks who understand the severity of the situation but still wish to make light of it.

One person wrote in the comments section, "You're so right. I'll take one for $301 monthly payments."

Others joked that they would come in to his dealership and ask for $200-$300 payments anyway.

Another person not only agreed with Darryl's plight but admitted that it's those rising car costs that have kept them from buying a new one.

They commented, "That's why no one is buying cars anymore. I'm not paying more than that period. Keep it. I'll keep fixing my old car."

For anyone still holding out for those cheaper car payments to make a comeback, the wait might just be longer than you expect.