One of the issues that terminated my sales relationship at Landrum Chevrolet, directly by Sheppard AFB was that I would not participate in the "Airman Finance Program". Basically there is a company called "The Finance Company" that specializes in financing military personnel. What they do is figure out half of the remaining pay in the soldiers hitch, reverse calculate 21% interest, kick back 3 points to the dealer and keep 18%. When this fee was subtracted from the 50% residual income figure, it would determine what was available to spend on the car. So, since these figures were pretty constant by grade as this was often their first training base, the management wold buy cars that would fit these $ amounts with a 50-100% margin, then segregate these groups into E-1, E-2, E-3... Sections to direct people. The loans would be secured by them signing over an allotment against their pay. Their car costs them half their pay for the rest of their hitch basically, and most of them won't last that long. This is a huge ripoff and I refused to participate. I would however put an airman in a new Cavalier for a smaller payment, if a parent or grandparent had decent credit to co-sign, I could get them 0.9-2.9% interest on a three year loan with $750 down and a $189 a month payment.
I think it's morally wrong to take advantage of the stupid, to take advantage of a stupid soldier makes it kinda reprehensible even. I sold enough Cavaliers and GEO Metros and Trackers that he couldn't *****, but neither he nor I made the money that could have been made by ripping them off. What ended our relationship was cold calls. That's right, he wanted us to get in the phone book and cold call 40 people a day, I refused, I don't SPAM be it on computer or phone. "But you have to." "No, I don't. Now you can choose to further employ me or not, but I will not be making those calls."
He was out of business in another year anyway. The only way to survive long term in the car business is by being morally scrupulous and upstanding. By providing a benefit to the locals, not taking advantage of them or alienating them.