How Can a Foreigner Buy a Car in the USA?

Tanya Freedman, CEO Connetics USA: Transportation in the USA and important topics we are going to be talking about - getting a driver's license, we're going to be talking about how to buy a car in the United States. We're going to be talking about car loans. We're going to be talking about auto insurance, car registration, lots and lots of tips and advice on transportation in the United States. And we are really excited to have this expert panel who's going to be taking us through everything that you need to know about this topic. So if you have any questions, please feel free to put them into the chat.

We have Yaku who's here saying hi? We've got Fernando Elvin from Fort Myers. Aldrin is saying that my voice is not here. Can everybody hear me? Yes. Okay. Sorry, Elvin. I'm not sure what's happening there, but maybe it's because we are actually live from the Philippines today. So I'm in my hotel room in the Philippines coming here. Awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. And if anybody is interested in coming to the United States doesn't yet have a job, please check out our if you're in Manila or anywhere in the Philippines, you're welcome to join us.

Okay, so let's get started, panel. First of all, I think it would be great if you each want to maybe give us a little bit of a background and introduction. Let's start with Nicole. Ladies first. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. My name is Nicole Dean. I work as a business relations officer at Advancial. So I do work with a lot of companies that have nurses come over and help them get set up with different products like auto loans and credit card products. So I'm very happy to be here and

I'm excited to answer some questions today. Thank you. Nicole, we're excited to have you here. Advance is one of the Connetics USA prestigious partners, one of the resources that we provide to nurses when they arrive in the United States to help getting car loans as well as other services that they provide. James, do you want to tell us a little bit about yourself? Sure.

My name is James Krulder. I'm the director of International Auto Source. International Auto Source has been helping the nursing community relocating to the US. For over 15 years, helping them with purchasing a vehicle financing, helping them get their driver's License, vehicle registration, auto insurance, the whole kitten caboodle of buying a vehicle. And we've gone through we've learned a lot of things together about buying cars in the United States and we're happy to see all of you candidates that are moving here and we're excited to help you. Thank you. James, an international order source, is another very prestigious partner of Connetics USA and they have also helped thousands of nurses get not just nurses, but many experts getting a car in the United States because it's really difficult without credit. And we look forward to James sharing a lot of tips and advice and information for those of you who are still around the world waiting to come to the United States or you've already arrived here. And last not least, we have Nurse Juan, who's no stranger to onwards and upwards. He is on our show many times. Nurse Juan, do you want to introduce yourself?

 

Hi. My name is Nurse Juan. I'm a YouTube content creator focusing on immigrants coming to the United States, like sharing some of the important things you can do when you arrived here, mostly based on my experience. And also I'm one of the admins of Lefora partners. Thank you, Nurse Juan. So Nurse Juan, no stranger to the show and also to our Lefora talk show, one of the admin of Lefora wonderful organization with nurses helping nurses. So we're very grateful to have Nurse Ones perspective.

And before we get started on the topic, I just wanted to ask everybody to stay on until the end of the show because we will be announcing our IELTS raffle winner. The name of our IELTS winner will be announced at the end of the show. One lucky winner will receive the IELTS exam paid for by Connetics USA and the name will be drawn today. So tune in at the end of the show to see who the winner is. Connetics USA pays for review courses. This is free for all Connetics nurses, but once a month we have a raffle winner for the exam cost.

I see some people are joining us. Chris Vincent watching from the Philippines. Great to have you here. Please put your questions into the chat for the panelists and I will try and get through as many questions as I can. This is a really important topic for many nurses coming to the United States. They think, well, the end result is arriving and then everything is just kind of easy. Well, that's not 100% correct. So if we look at our success path, which is on the nursing agency Connetics USA website, you'll see that step number seven is enjoy and prosper. And that's where many nurses are wanting to live their American dream.

And we have a lot of nurses, lots of pictures of nurses who have got their cars and lots of Connetics Nurses have bought cars and we have a lot of pictures of them yes. Jessica with her. I don't even know what I'm not a car person, so I don't know the names of the car. Renege it could be a Maverick, actually. It looks like a maverick. Yeah, I believe it's a maverick. Great picture there of Jerry Cohand loantra, maybe. Okay, I got to see the back. I don't know if we got a picture of the back. There we go. That's an easy one. Great. So lots of pictures of nurses getting their cars, but the journey to getting a car is not that easy. And I'd like to start off with Nurse Juan, and maybe you can share with us a little bit about your experience of where you live in the United States and when you came here, what transportation was like in the area where you were deployed and how you were able to navigate that.

Okay. I'm from Kentucky, in the state of Kentucky, and I was deployed in eastern part of Kentucky when I arrived here. That's one of the most difficult part for me, because there was no public transportation throughout Kentucky for the entire state. I think there's only two or three cities that has a public transportation, and that's Louisville and Lexington forgot the name of the other one. So most of the other counties or other places in Kentucky, there's no public transportation. So I had to get by through having connections with some of our Filipino colleagues who went ahead of us.

So they were really a big help for us. But if they weren't there, we will definitely have had a hard time, even with having them around, a hard time, because it was really hard to get them to help us, because they also have their own work and lifestyle. So it's not easy to be in a place where there's no public transportation. Yeah, I think that's why this is such an important show, because for many nurses, they go through many struggles. The NCLEX, the IELTS, the Visascreen, the immigration process. That can take forever.

And then they think, okay, I'm going to arrive here, and everything's going to be great. And actually there's a lot of obstacles that occur, and that's where the importance of entries and upwards comes in. Our weekly show every Friday, because we are able to share and prepare nurses before they arrive. And you might be deployed in a place like Nurse Juan was, where there isn't any public transportation, isn't maybe Uber or Lyft, or any way to get work or grocery stores or whatever you need.

James, where you live, can you share with our viewers where you live and if there is public transportation in that location, and if there's Uber, Lyft, those kinds of resources. I live in Long Island. In New York. So it's a lot of confusion or a lot of misconception about where I live is that I'm in New York. So you would assume that automatically we have public transportation, and that's really limited to New York City. So New York City has the subways and the trains and the cabs and buses and everything readily available to you. I'm a little bit more on the outskirts of New York City, so I'm out in maybe about 2030 minutes away.

So in the suburbs and very limited public transportation, you need your own vehicle to just do the simple things like go to the grocery store or drive your children to school. It's not something that you can necessarily just jump on the train or jump on the subway or even call an Uber. Unfortunately, now I am lucky enough to have Uber. It definitely comes in handy. Uber and Lyft is available. But really what it comes down to is the fact that it's having that own personal vehicle is definitely required in some areas like mine, especially because just that simple ride to go get groceries, you're not able to really walk there. You're not able to take the train or take the bus.

You need that public transportation to get there. So I'm in the outskirts of NYC. Okay. So interesting there. So you seem to have more resources than what Nurse Juan experienced in his first position in the US. Not like being in New York City, which is probably one of the only places in the United States that you really can get by without driving a car, correct? Yeah, exactly. Nicole, tell us a little bit about where you live. And is there public transportation? Is there Uber, Lyft, what resources are available there? Absolutely.

So I live in Houston, Texas, and there is quite a bit of public transportation in the city. Just like with James, I live close to downtown, so, of course there are buses. We do have a light rail system going straight to the hospital network. But if you live in the suburbs, you definitely need a car because the buses are limited. Being in Texas, everything is very spread out. So the buses in the suburbs, very non existent. We are lucky to have Uber and Lyft, which is very affordable because of the low demand and the high amount of drivers.

So it is more affordable than some of the other cities that I've seen. However, if you don't live directly downtown or in the Heights area of Houston, Texas, you really do need a car. And it's going to be a little bit difficult to get around if you are in the suburbs. And if you do live in the city, it is way more expensive. So we see a lot of people moving to the suburbs, and they do need their cars to get around.

Okay. So I think it's interesting for many viewers that don't realize that different parts of the United States has a different kind of set up from transportation. So this kind of gives everybody an idea of the different areas and what you might expect and I think the first tip for anyone who is coming to the United States is to do your research and your homework and is to try and figure out if the place that you're going to has some resources.

Like where James or Nicole are or has really no resources like where Nurse Juan started off in a smaller town or rural area in Kentucky. Okay. So that kind of gives us an idea of the different places and the importance probably of getting a car in the United States. So we're going to talk a little bit more about that Nissan just before we start talking about driver's licenses and buying a car and all of those things. Can you tell us about your driving history? Because I see we have some questions in the chat about some nurses who maybe don't have, who haven't driven before they come to the United States.

Okay. For me, ever since I was young, I think I started 16, I was already driving, but never four wheel drive. I only own a motorcycle back home. So for the four wheel drive, I think I only have like maybe maximum of 30 days experience for driving behind the wheels. So it was quite challenging for me when I arrived here because I really don't know much about driving.

I haven't gone speed faster than 30 mph back home, so I was really a novice back then. And taking the test for me, for the license was also like a challenge for me because I never tried to do like, the parallel parking or three point turn or those kinds of things. Like most of the Russia I'm staying with you guys, I don't really have an experience, so it's really nice of being an idea. The traffic is not advantage, particularly in Kentucky, so it's easier for me to learn how to drive there. So most of my driving experience is based here in the United States. Okay, gosh.

I'm having a problem with my laptop in my hotel room here. So I think the thing is that we have a question from Peter who's asking, what happens to those without driving skills? James, do you have any advice for somebody without driving skills? How to navigate or how to prepare? Well, the first thing that we would suggest is that even though you don't have the driving skills or you haven't necessarily had the opportunity to learn how to drive, we would suggest that when you first arrive here in the United States that you can get, obviously it's going to be slightly self fulfilling. International Auto Source does offer driving lessons, so wherever you are in your local, wherever you're relocating to, we can assist you with that.

But I would suggest going for driving lessons first. What you're going to do is have to go for a five hour driving course where you kind of watch videos and learn about the rules of the road and what these signs mean and then from there. You would take some lessons where you get the opportunity to kind of get behind the car excuse me. Get behind the wheel and have that opportunity to really drive and get the feel for the vehicle. And as Nurse Juan mentioned, you won't necessarily be thrown right out into the highways or right out into traffic.

You'll start off very slow in a parking lot and then work your way out into the local streets where there are not many cars driving around. It's very similar to probably what Nicole and I how Nicole and I learned. We went through a driving course, and then I'm assuming things are similar to New York and Texas, probably just in that way. Nicole but as far as the driving lessons where we watch videos, we learned, we saw our parents, but at the same time, when we started to first drive out there, it's very slow. We go just onto the normal, regular streets, local streets, and then we work our way onto the highways and the expressways.

I can remember just the very first day I had my license, I wanted to go drive out on the expressways. And my father was like, no, it doesn't work that way. First thing, you learn how to drive locally, you got your license, that's great. But you don't just go on to the highway. It's not just something you just do. It's work in progress and you take your time and you learn. And you do it based on how you feel comfortable driving. Yes, I think that's really good advice. I'm just thinking as you're speaking about my

I came from South Africa 22 years ago. And I remember the first time that I drove on a freeway. And, I mean, I'd been driving for years. When I came here, although it was on the other side of the road, I cried like a baby.

I was so scared and so nervous in the California six lane highways. It was terrifying. Well, that's very intimidating. I mean, I can tell you that the numerous times that I visited the Philippines, when I sat passenger, I cried like a baby. You can drive in the Philippines, you can drive in the United States, that is for sure. And I can attest to it, having been driven around today in the traffic of Manila. It was quite an experience. Yeah, exactly.

Can you tell us a little bit about when you first drove on an interstate on a highway? For us, it wasn't that bad because, like I said, Kentucky is quite easy to drive through. The interstate here is like maybe three roads, but it's not really that traffic. So it was great. I was with Chat with one of my colleagues who came here, and that's the first time I was able to drive like 90 mph in my entire life. So it was kind of nice. I got to get need for speed, like what he wanted to do when he had his license.

So it was easy. But when I went to Chicago, that's where I felt like I got more nervous because I really felt like it's quite different. The interstate in Chicago and in Kentucky is really much different. So it was hard for me to drive then, and it was nerve wracking. Yeah, it's definitely, as James said, something where you've got to kind of go slow, get your confidence, and then you'll get better and better in time. Absolutely.

So Katrina has a question. Is it difficult to get a license in the United States? Nurse Juan, can you talk a little bit about your experience of getting a license? I think it really depends on the state and the county where you're getting your license. Like, for me, it was easy enough because basically you just need to take a test, a written test, so you have to study for that and PDF or the manual for the test, you can download from any of the BMB websites. Then for the test, it's quite easy because they will give you a map of what to do and how to practice so you can prepare ahead.

The only thing that usually burdens us for new immigrants is the requirements. Number one, they really need you to have your Social Security number. Then they need you to have, like, a permanent address. You can't use the hotel address. So they normally require that. Then other than that, I think that's it. Luckily for me, I only have to take the written test, and after that, I don't have to take the driving test anymore. And I think that within our county or within Kentucky only, it's because I have my LTO or my Philippine license, an international driver's license. Right.

And I think Visa, my permanent resident Visa, has something to do with it, because I have a colleague who was here two months ahead of us. She had a working visa, so for her, she still was required to take the driving test. So it was easier for me. Yeah. And that's where it can be different state by state. Right.

James, do you have any information to share about international driver's licenses and how that might help or not help? So the best thing about the United States is that it's 50 states in 50 different countries and then thousands of different counties. To Nurse Juan Point nursing, and that was a great answer we can put you on is for that answer. It's very true. It all goes down to the local county and the local requirements, and every state is different. Just as a quick example, the state of Florida, you require to have your Social Security number and an international driver's license. And you can apply for a driver's license in the state of New York, you have to have six points of identification, which includes your United States visa includes potentially your passport and employee ID card, a checking account with your name on it, which is confirming your permanent address, as Nurse Juan mentioned. So every state has different rules, but every state does look for the international driver's license. That will help speed up the process.

Now, some states and again, it really goes down to the local level some states will allow you to not have to take the driver's test to the actual driving, physical driving test, if you have a driver's license from your home country and an international driver's license, as Nurse Juan mentioned. Okay, but most states most states will require you to take well, all states actually, I'm sorry.

All states will require you to take the written test, and then most states will require you to take the road test, and that's where it's helpful for you to have those driving lessons. The driving lessons. Not only will they help you learn the rules of the road, learn to parallel park, which I can promise you parallel parking, I did on my road test almost 28 years ago, and I probably would never parallel park again, but I just had to do that at one time to pass the test. So they'll help you with all of those things, but in addition, they'll provide the car for you to be able to take the road test at that time, should there be any issues with you not having any transportation for that.

But going back to the original point, the international driver's license is something I would always suggest obtaining before you leave your home country, which is basically just a translated version of your home country driver's license. Yes. James. Chris Vincent said I will be deployed in South Dakota soon, god willing. I don't have a license here in the Philippines. Do you suggest I get a license here? I do. I think that would speed up the process. There's no question about it. It just expedites everything. Most of these states excuse me again, getting down to a local level, are not that familiar with immigration and not that familiar with individuals relocating into the United States.

So the Department of Motor Vehicles, which is the acronym that you hear, is saying DMV. The Department of Motor Vehicles can be sometimes quite challenging with what forms to fill in, what documents to fill in. Did I fill in this properly? Did I provide the right documentation? Anything that you could provide them that solidifies who you are and anything that you can provide them that solidifies that you're safe to drive in the US is going to help expedite the process and speed up anything that might become frustrating.

As mentioned earlier, before you move here, you're filling in so much documentation. Immigration is so important. You're worried about your visa, passing your tests, where you're going to live, all very important things, obviously. Then all of a sudden, you arrive here in the United States, and everything is miles upon miles upon miles away. And you need a car and you need a driver's license. It becomes the most important thing that you require here in the US. So anything that you can do while you're overseas that can help expedite the process here in the

United States, we always suggest to do. Yeah, very good advice. So I see. We have Flora from Nigeria.  We have Mityu saying hi. Mary rose from Saudi. Arlene from Jamaica. Junma from Kenya. Kyla has an important question. Nicole, how large are the car loans and do you have a cap for international nurses? I'm sorry, you kind of cut out. Can you repeat the question? Yes. Kyla has a question. How large are the car loans and do you have a cap for international nurses? Sure. So with advanced going back to the international driver's license, I do want to add on James point. An international driver's license will also help you in the loan process with the answers. We recognize the international driver's license as a driver's license, so you're able to get that loan. I will also vouch for that.

Please get one before you come. But as far as the auto loan goes with advantage, we do have a $30,000 cap. We just increased it because of the climate of today's environment. It's crazy out there with car prices and the competition. So it is $30,000. And we suggest doing as much research as you can to get the best deal because a lot of the cars will be inflated that we've seen. Yeah. And that's really probably due to call to the prices that the limited inventory in the United States.

The prices have just kind of the inflation that we see in the US. Almost 30% of that is going to vehicles, whether new or used. So I can understand where you're coming from with that, because it's a challenging time with the vehicles. Absolutely. Definitely. And that's really why it's so important, as I said before, to do a show like this onward and upwards, because the climate for cars has changed in the last year.

And it's very important to educate yourself before you come to the United States so that you know what to expect and you understand the choices and the resources that you have available. So Nicole had just spoken about the advanced program, which is a car loan program, which is really important. Nicole, before we move on to how to go about buying a car, can you maybe share a little bit with the viewers why getting a car loan is so important, just as how it relates to credit? Yes.

So being with a financial institution like advanced credit in the US. Is super important. Every decision that is made as far as large purchases, getting an apartment later on, your credit is looked at. So getting a car loan versus a lease, that loan will go towards building your credit. Once you get your Social Security number. The benefits of Advanced is we do not require a Social Security number to get that car loan, which is amazing. It is a wonderful product or service that we offer.

However, once you get that Social Security number and you update it with us, you start building credits and that credit is so important to start building. And I highly recommend you get your Social Security number as fast as you can and then update us as well. So advance. Going back a little bit, we do offer our Inbound USA program. It is special to our select employer groups like Connetics and we offer the service of getting car loans to people newly arriving in the US and as easy as possible without that Social Security number, which can cause a lot of headaches with a lot of other providers as well.

Yeah, thank you, Nicole. Really important information shared. I often tell the story of when I came to the United States and went with my husband and two little kids to buy a car. The salesman was very excited and then he went back and checked our credit. Came back with a very long face, not very happy with us. He said you have no credit. And you were like, what is that? We don't even know as immigrants that credits existed.

So if you don't know what credits is, please check out some of the shows that we've done. Onwards and upwards. They are on our social media, on our website and they'll explain what credit is and how to build your credit. Nurse Juan, when you realize that you are in a place where you needed a car, how did you go about finding and buying a car? Luckily for my stopping agency, before, they were also helping us with getting a car. They offered International Auto Source then for us, but we decided to get it from a dealership directly from them, so we get it through the bank. The reason is because there was like at that time, there was like cars that I really like, but most of the cars were not available.

So that's the main reason why I wanted the car. Just went to a different dealership. But it was harder doing on my own versus if I just went with the international source. So for me, I went to a local bank and I didn't know about those APR and those kinds of things, so they kind of gave me a big rate and I wasn't like really aware of it, that it was big, it was like eight point something. So it wasn't a good start for me for getting a loan or coming here to the US with that decision.

So getting a loan, it took time getting the car or finding a car itself, it was quite challenging because like I said, I had a problem with having our colleagues to bring us to roam around to find some of the. Cars. But luckily one of my colleagues, she got a car from International Auto Source, so we were able to tag along with her. So with her help, you're able to do most of the things because of your help. James so luckily I have someone with someone who got it from International Auto Source or else I will really be doing those first two weeks or three weeks.

I love that you're coming on the show and sharing your journey and your experience because other people can learn from you and say, oh goodness, it is possible to do what you did. But it was probably a tough road to go also just to know that there are choices. So if you want to try and get it on your own, that is possible. If you wanted to go through International Waters Source, that is possible. If you want to get a car loan through Advancial and go that route, that is possible.

There are choices and it's important to educate yourself because everybody's situation is different and you need to find what's going to be the best option for you. James, we have a graphic about the process that a nurse needs to take in order to buy a car. Can you talk us through that and just explain that in a little bit more detail? The only thing you're missing is first contact International Auto. No, I'm just kidding. So really kind of going through buying a car wherever you're buying a car.

And if I could just touch on the point that you said before about choices. It's perfect to have choices. You want to have as many choices as possible. I mean, look what's happening today as the choices are limited, prices are going up. So it's definitely research everything in the sense that when you can say decide on the type of vehicle, that means really decide on the type of vehicle that's going to be best for your family. Do you need a small car? Do you need an SUV? What part of the United States are you moving to? Not necessarily. Do you require a four wheel drive if you're moving to, for example, Florida or Texas, but you might still need the size of an SUV. Research online.

So research the reviews on those vehicles, trying to make sure that people are talking positively about the car, that it's good for your area, that longevity of that vehicle is good, those types of things. And then this is really probably one of the most important is determine your monthly budget. This is all going to be new moving to the United States, it's going to be new. You have new expenses, you have a new rent, you have utilities, you have taxes, you have health, you have all these types of new bills that are going to come up. So you really want to try to determine what is going to be the extra income that you have set aside for purchasing a vehicle.

Research your loan options exactly as many choices as you can find out there, the better. You have options with Advancial, you have options. With International Auto Source, you have options with your local dealerships. The local dealerships typically the only time, and I don't know again, I don't want this to sound self fulfilling, but the local dealerships at the end of the day, don't necessarily have to answer or are not building a longevity or partnership with Connetics.

So they're looking for that one individual deal where situations like International Auto Source and Advancial are focused on many deals and long term deals and doing the right thing all the time as opposed to some of the time. So it's really a matter of look out there and see who's offering you the best interest rates. See who's offering you the best down payment options. See who's offering you an option of no Social Security number. I mean, to the point. That's amazing. That's the single most important thing that someone requires in order to build a credit history.

See who's offering you a car, that you have a car, so maybe you have a loan, a car while you're waiting for your new car, whatever the case is, look for the best situation for you. Shop at multiple dealerships. Absolutely. Verify check pricing, make sure that you're getting the best deal, and make sure you're also working with a reputable company. There's no doubt about that. Check Google reviews and make sure that you're working with a reputable company.

Car dealerships in the US. Do not have the best reputation. That's important. But in today's world, I've noticed a lot of people are buying things online. I just bought an entire bedroom setting a mattress online. I can't believe it. People are saying I'm crazy for not testing out the mattresses. It'll be fine. I sleep on it. That's it. But test drive that car to make sure that you're comfortable in there. And then select your vehicle and make sure that you review the cost. So you're going to go through the cost  and make sure that there's no hidden fees. Make sure that those prices include the taxes.

One little surprise in the United States is prices do not include taxes until the very end. Typically now, because of our market, when we provide pricing, we ensure that everything's inclusive. But in the local market, when you're going to the local dealership, when you're first reviewing that price with the dealership, they're going to tell you about the taxes at the very end. So just be prepared for that because taxes are not included in the original prices. And then make that final decision and give your initial down payment.

There are services out there. I believe loans like Advanced can be done with zero down, depending on the value of the vehicle. And then similar with programs like ours, we can have zero down, which is important when you're first coming to the US with all those new expenses and just make sure that if you do give that money down again, you're giving it to a reputable company, whoever you're providing it to. So it can seem a little intimidating, that entire process. But I assure you, there's companies and there's people out there that will help you. I mean, for example, Nurse Juan relied on some of his friends and people that relocated. And I really think it's one of the things I love the most when I hear you guys talk about how nurses helping nurses, I think it's so great that nurses moving into local areas, like an area like Kentucky, somebody's helping each other out, showing the lay of the land. So it's really lean on your friends, lean on your companies, and lean on companies like ours, advanced and International Auto Source.

And I assure you, both of us, both Advanced and International Auto Source would help you or answer questions for you, whether you got a car from us or not or a loan from us or not. Exactly. We're here to help. Yes. Thank you, James. I think that gives so much great information and lots of pointers and tips there for any nurse who has never driven before, never bought a car before. It really can feel very overwhelming and very scary. So some great advice there. It's overwhelming for Americans. Yeah. And intimidating for US. Citizens. US.

Citizens don't want to buy cars and go to local dealerships. I can't imagine what it's like for an international nurse to go to a dealership and try to buy a car. It's a very intimidating process. Yeah, definitely. Nicole, can you share with our viewers around the world just a little bit about the options in terms of, like, a new car, a pre owned car, what they should think about in terms of that, about the difference between buying or leasing? Can you share a little bit of insight about those different options? Sure. I just want to give kudos to James.

He explained that process very well. And I would like to give one tip. This is not your dream car. This might not be your forever car, but this is a car that you get a payment for, that you feel comfortable with, with all of the other expenses that you come that are going to be arising when you come for the first time. So I just want to make that point as well, because you don't want to overstretch or overcommit yourself because you needed a brand new car versus pre owned, whatever situation you have.

But, yes, I would love to talk about the process. So as far as leasing versus a new car, what's great about Advanced is a new car or a pre owned car, we give the same rate for. So it doesn't matter if it's new, it doesn't matter if it's been loved on before. We do give that same rate, which is different than a lot of some of the dealerships. They might get a better rate for either or. With Advanced specifically, we do finance up to 115% of the value of the car. So let me break that down.

Say the car is worth $25,000. We will finance up to 28 $750. And a lot of the dealerships you'll see are charging way more than what a car is worth. If they were charging $30,000, the difference would be up to you guys for the down payment. But Advanced, we are always looking out for you. I know international auto source as well. We will tell you, hey, that's a bad deal. You need to go back and make sure that you negotiate and try and get it down to a certain price for us to finance that car without a down payment. Because I know a down payment means a lot. You don't want to spend that extra money. You might not have that extra money to put down on that car right away.

So the difference between a lease and purchasing a vehicle with a lease, you're paying to use a vehicle. With an auto loan, you are paying to purchase the vehicle. So it's really up to you. I know here in Houston there are a lot of cars for lease. Sometimes they want to go with the lease because they don't want to have that obligation or they want to maybe that's not their forever car. So they want to lease something until they can afford to maybe purchase their dream car a little bit down the road. There are a lot of scenarios on why you prefer a lease versus an auto loan.

But at advance, feel free to contact us and we can talk through your options as well. Thank you, Nicole. I see that. I think that's really helpful just to know the options in terms of a new car or what did you call it? Nicola? A little bit loved car. What did you say? I like that. Pre owned or pre loved car? I think we have a graphic of a pre loved car and a new car. I love that. And a newer car will be a biggest big savings as opposed to a newer used car will be a big savings as opposed to the new model.

A two year old car will most likely be in great shape and may even come with a warranty. So just to be aware of the options there, amber has a question in the UK. Is it appropriate to ask how much does advancial and International Auto files charge for their APR? And the second part of the question is it true that there is no available Japanese brand of cars in the United States? James, do you want to start on that one? Sure. So, for our financing, we offer, for any vehicles, $27,000 and below. It's 3.99% financing. For vehicles over 27,000, it's 7% financing that's on new or used to Nicole's point. So, looking at the new or used vehicles, the second question I believe, was about Japanese cars.

Yes, correct. The Japanese vehicles are some of the vehicles that have been hit the hardest by the semiconductor issue. And the biggest challenge of why that happened. Initially, when the microchip issue first started, the Japanese models like Toyota products were doing exceptionally   well because many years ago, unfortunately, when there was a challenge, when there was a tsunami and Japan was affected, Toyota made a decision.

After every microchip that they made, they made an extra microchip. So when this actually occurred, this issue with the microchip being behind, they were able to deliver their vehicles. They were able to build and ship their vehicles. But here's the challenge. Everybody who had every other type of product wasn't able to get a new car. So they all bought Toyota and they all bought Hyundai, and they all bought these types of products that wiped out the market.

And now those manufacturers are trying to rebuild and trying to catch back up while the other manufacturers were building. So we're kind of going through this wave right now. You're seeing mostly forge. Chryslers Audi, Volkswagens, potentially some Nissan. Nissan went through a very big period where we had no vehicles at all for any Nissan. But they're starting to come back, hopefully by the end of this year. And we'll probably see Toyotas come back up probably around February, March of next year. The estimation on this microchip issue that's causing all of this wave of who's available and who's not available is expected to last about 18 months.

Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you. They're starting to bring some microchip plants to the United States, into New Mexico and Arizona. So they expect to have them up in the next year, which they'll start to see the microchips catch up and then help the US. Car manufacturers. Okay, so that's really good news. Nicole, anything you want to add from the advanced side in terms of that question? Sure. So our rates are the same as far as we only finance up to $30,000. And once again, that's new.

It used to be 25,000, but we realized that these are crazy times, so we needed to up it. So it is 30,000. Our rates are constantly changing. So my advice is when you're looking everyday advanceal.org rates and you'll be able to find the most current rate depending on what day that you're trying to buy. Thank you, Nicole. And I'm just looking at the chat, we have a lot of questions coming in, so I want to try and get as many questions answered from the viewers. And I see we have Yaku from Dubai, Jiffin from India, and we have a question here from Cram, who's asking, do we still need to undergo driving school to get a license or can we just convert our driver's license?

Nurse Juan is it important to go to driving school to get a license. Do you have to go to the license here? You don't really have to, but I really suggest, before coming to the United States, try to learn how to drive. That's an important thing you have to do. And get a license here.

You don't really have to go through those training sessions for those kind of things. You can just go ahead with DMV and process your license. But if you don't have a license, you don't have a previous experience that don't know how to drive. I think I would suggest you would enroll to those kinds of classes that will be beneficial for you for safety reasons ones, and for you to pass the test for the actual driving test. Okay. I would suggest researching where you're going as well and see the stipulations.

As far as if you're in Texas, I know for Houston, I think you do have to do a driving class or driving school because of the crazy roadway. I would suggest doing your research wherever you go. Yeah, Nicole, I think you're 100% right. I'm just looking at the chat and seeing we've got a question from Risha, who's asking about North Dakota, and then we have Pay, who's asking about Pennsylvania. Edna is asking about Louisiana. Every state is so different. And that is where, from a Connecticut, USA perspective, and I know we work in all of those states that were just mentioned in the chat.

Now that I just called off, that I just noted, please speak to your onboarding specialist from Connetics USA, and they will advise you in terms of that specific state what the requirements are for the driver's license. We have another question here, which they're asking is, is a non professional driving license here in the Philippines accepted, or should it be a professional license there's? One nonpro will do.

You don't really have to get a professional type. The regular nonpro is okay. Okay. And Anna is saying hello to you, Naswan. Hi. Okay, so Janson's got an interesting question. Jansson is asking my question is, what are the differences between International Auto Source? Thank you for putting me on the spot for that one.

So I think, first and foremost, we both have we worked together in the past, so I have processed with Advantage loans for purchasing the vehicles. The one difference that we have, or that I would suggest that Nicole, correct me if I'm wrong, would be that with International Auto Source, our program has a distributorship agreement with US. Car manufacturers as well as Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan We also have local agreements with all the local dealerships throughout the United States for us to be able to purchase or obtain vehicles and actually sell the vehicle.

So we sell the vehicle. We also provide the loans for the vehicle, and we can provide insurance for the vehicle. So we're kind of like the full one stop shop where we're actually selling the car, filling out the title paperwork for you and transferring the title from us to you. I don't want to speak on behalf of Advancial, but Advanced is a credit union and they're providing the loan. So I would go to a program like ours, international Auto Source would ask Advantage of to provide loans to our candidates that were buying cars, buying the actual physical car from us. Nicole, if I said correctly, I apologize. No, that's great. We are financing. So we are the loan provider.

Like I say, we might not be the best deal, but that's where you come in and you research and you find the best rate and the best situation for you. So we are just the financing, but we do have a program where we do not require the Social Security number right away. So that is huge, because I know for here in Houston, the appointments to get a Social Security number can be months. So if you need a car right away, we're able to get you into that vehicle as long as you have some sort of international driver's license or something.

And so we just do the financing. Thank you, Nicole, and thank you to Jensen for asking that question, because I'm sure thinking about it, that's probably a question that is coming up in many people's minds. So hopefully that clarifies it. And Billy is saying Billy is from Kenya and he's enjoying the discussion. Good, we're glad you're enjoying it, Billy. Mary has a question. Nurse Juan. Mary saying, sorry, I just I have a question. When a nurse has a license from their own country, is it equivalent to an international driver's license or do they have to apply for it separately? And I see we have a similar question actually underneath that okay.

It's definitely different. Like, for me, when I arrived here, I didn't get my international driver's license. I wasn't able to apply because I was thinking based on the website, that for the Kentucky DMV website, it said it's okay not to have an international license. But when I asked, the DMV account is nearby, all of them said I need to have an international driver's license to drive. So that for me, I was able to apply online, getting the driver's license or the international driver's license from Manila, and I had to have it mailed to here in Kentucky. So I think it took like six or seven days for it to be processed.

Luckily for me, I did leave some papers, like a proxy for someone who I can ask them to process it for me back home in the Philippines. So it's like my signature and like an authorization letter for them to do it on my behalf. So definitely like what James said, you definitely have to have your international driver's license when you arrived here. It really opens up more options for you and it does make it easier. Just think of it as an investment. So spend a little bit more for that part so it will be easier.

Yeah, I love that one. An investment. That's a great way to put it. Carla has a question. Greeting from Doha. I just want to ask if my APR will sorry, I just missed it. If my Apr will lessen if I have the guarantor like my sister who's living in Texas already. James not necessarily with our program, it might help you with like a local program. So if you were purchasing a vehicle through Ford or Toyota and they were offering a local incentive, so maybe offering like a 1.9% or 2.9 financing, that would help you with that. Our program is built around providing you those rates as if you were already established as an American with an established credit rating without a US. Credit history.

So that's how we're established. The challenge that you have today is that a lot of these incentives are nonexistent. So there is no rebates, there's no interest rate reductions. There's nothing that the manufacturers really are doing or personally have to do. They don't have to do to move to sell vehicles because there's such limited production. So they're not really offering those special incentives. So one of the challenges that you have and

Nicole, correct me if I'm wrong on this, I think there's a challenge with buying a vehicle locally. And if you finance or if you finance a car, your cosigner potentially has to live in the same state, which I know is the case for the situation that you had there. But I believe that is the case with financing, that if anybody's considering that and having a co signer, their co signers have to live in the same state, yes, that is true. And yes, we do not offer any type of extra percentage off or something for that. Like James said, it's such a competitive market right now. There are no rebates, there are no special offers right now as far as it's pretty cut through.

I mean, even the rates that both Advanced and I and International Auto Source are offering are going to be lower than what you see at the local dealerships today. There's no question about it. I can say that very confidently because there's no special financing. And at the same time, when you're first establishing your credit and building your credit in the US. It's an opportunity for the banks to kind of take a slight advantage. And when I say that, I say banks, I don't say credit unions. No, we're different for the individual banks or for shareholders. Right. Okay. Well, we are almost at the hour, but so we're going to start kind of ending off now.

But before you go, I just wanted to point give a shout out to Anna who shared her experiences coming to the United States in the Chat. So everybody have a look at that. Don't be scared and learn all the options. So learn from Anna. I love that. Thank you so much, Anna, for putting in your comments.

The last question that we have and before we finish off is really just to talk about the insurance and car registration. Nurse Juan, can you talk a little bit about your experience in that regard? For me, it was quite a challenging experience for me because if you don't have a DMV license, car insurance will definitely charge you a lot. Like, for me, I tried with Geico and Progressive Online, they were quoting me like $450 or $470 per month. So that was super expensive. And when I tried to go to nearby, like, physical offices for different insurance companies, they say I don't qualify because I don't have a DMV or

I don't have the Social Security number yet. So they didn't want to entertain me. So I only had the option for Geico, which was cheaper, like 450. So I kind of got that for the sake of getting my car. You need your car insurance before you'll be able to drive your car out of the car dealership. And the only thing is, after you have your DVD license, you can just call another car dealership and you can get a better rate. So I was able to lower it down to like 150, I think, within the first month. So that's one good thing. Like, I really suggest is try to focus on getting your DMV license as fast as you can. OK.

So also some things that nurses might not even know exist. So thank you for sharing your experience. Nurse Juan. James and Nicole, any last tips or pointers advice for anyone who is coming to the United States and is going to have to buy a car? Ladies first. Nicole. Nicole so for our program, I just want to talk a little bit about that is, you do have to be a part of one of our partner companies in order to apply for membership and applying for an auto loan. So Connetics is one of those partners and they graciously cover the five dollar deposit that it takes to become a member at Advanced. So if you're interested in using advance for your banking needs when you come here, just keep that in mind. I want everyone to be clear that you do have to be a part of our partner groups in order to receive these products and services. Thank you for clarifying that.

Nicole and James, any final words, pointers and tips? I just want to touch base from North Dakota and South Dakota. So if anybody saw me peeking down, texting our experts about the driver's licenses and the requirements for those states, I just wanted to answer that one quick question because I know so many people asked about it. So in North Dakota, you don't really require anything other than your identification to verify who you are. And in South Dakota, they look for either a learner's permit or a home country license and you can convert that over.

So those are two of the easier states I just wanted to provide easier in the scope of what we have considered easy here in America considerably. Yeah, really just the only tips that I would offer to you is to do your research. As we've mentioned a handful of times, I know things are busy, I know things are exciting, and there's so many things to check off before you move to the United States. But take care of that international driver's license before you arrive, which again, is really just an English it's a version of your home country license.

And review your options. Shop around, look for the best deal for you and what's best for you. And when it comes to selecting a vehicle to an appointment Nicole made earlier, this is not going to be your last vehicle that you ever purchased. You don't have to select the most expensive car or the dream car. You have time to fulfill that dream. Your first dream is to make it to America, and then the next dream will be what kind of car you can drive. Okay, we can do it that way, but don't necessarily put everything all into that car when you first arrive. Focus on your other expenses first and then just get the vehicle. It's going to get you and your family around safely and to and from work. So I would just say just focus on your home, where you're living and things like that, and then the dream car will come later.

Okay, love it. I think everybody on the panel could definitely agree on that one. Keep your expenses low. I know this is the American dream and you see lots of beautiful, shiny things that you want and they can come, but just in time. So with that, we're going to finish off. I want to thank our panel, nurse Juan, James and Nicole, for such insights and valuable tips and pointers. And James and Nicole and Nurse Juan have also agreed to go into the chat and answer any questions that we weren't able to get to. I think they have quite a few questions for you,

James, about different cars, long clothes and the Subaru and everyone else, please go in and answer those questions and we hope to get as many of your questions answered. Onwards and Upwards. Before I want to just make sure to announce our new competition, which is very appropriate. That is our new competition, cars. This is a photo of August. Take a photo.

Three honorable mentions for each. Go ahead and let us start this competition to everybody about the upcoming shows. So please don't forget our upcoming shows on 5 August we have a Q and A with the OET from the 1 August. The CGFNS accepts OET as one of the English proficiency exams. They also are accepting others, but on. The 5 August, we are going to be concentrating specifically on OET and telling our viewers a lot more about that language Proficiency exam.

On the 12 August, we're going to be talking about building credits in the United States, and we will be talking about the clinical differences in the ICU, specifically overseas and in the United States. So if you're an ICU knows, please don't miss that show. On the 19 August, we have our monthly immigration Q and A session with our legal experts on the 26th, Cost of Living in the United States.And on the Connetics College, we also have Connetics College. There's these free classes on a Monday.

Every single Monday, we have Aspire doing an Infected class on radiation therapy on the first August, on the 8^th August, and IELTS class on the 15 August, NCLEX class, also by Aspire, and on the 22 August and OET class on the spot, writing with Niners, Swoosh, Niners and Aspire, all of Connetics partners and Connetics Initiatives. Don't forget, lots of announcements. Today Connetics Initiatives are our free IELTS scholarship. Free NCLEX scholarship. $1000 in flex application. Bonus if you have passed your NCLEX recently and apply to Connetics before the 31 July, not when you can earn yourself $1,000 bonus.

Watch our podcast. Listen to our podcast. Nursing in America. We have direct nurse aid program. Our weekly show on a Friday. Onwards and upwards. Connetics College every Monday. And we also place many allied needs. And last but not least, I feel like I'm talking our IELTS winner of our raffle. So, Drumroll, we're going to be announcing the number. The name it is Bubbacar.

I hope I pronounced that right. Connetics USA is covering the cost of your IELTS exam. Congratulations, Bubba Car. With that. Thank you everybody, for joining us. Thank you, Nurse Juan. Thank you, James. Welcome. This is a fabulous show, and we look forward to seeing you next Friday on with another thank you. Bye so much. Thank you. Thank you. Bye.