‘Make sure you have GAP insurance and total your car‘: Walmart worker buys Toyota Camry for $724 a month. Now she has buyer’s remorse

A Walmart worker went viral on TikTok after telling viewers what prompted her to buy her Toyota Camry when she was only 19.

While her monthly payments are high, coming in at a whopping $724 per month, Liz (@liz87447) explains that she wouldn’t have agreed to such terms if she had known about other options.

She says she felt misled by dealership workers who took advantage of her lack of car knowledge and low credit, using her vulnerability to their benefit. 

“How do you sleep at night knowing that you scammed the [expletive] out of people? Bro, do you not feel bad?” she asks rhetorically in one video. In a follow-up clip, she further explains why she bought her Camry and explains whether she plans to trade it in. As of Tuesday, her storytime amassed more than 27,700 views.

What’s wrong with the driver’s Camry?

In short, Liz doesn’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with her purchase, but she feels like she got “scammed.”

Liz bought her 2020 Toyota Camry in 2021 and now pays a staggering $724 per month. She admitted she was initially hesitant to share this with viewers, fearing judgment and harsh comments from “mean” people.

While she says she wasn’t “forced” to sign the contract, Liz was just 19 at the time and didn’t fully understand what she was agreeing to. Though she acknowledges that she’s partly to blame for the deal, she believes the dealership workers also share some responsibility.

“How would you feel if your 19-year-old daughter, sister, or cousin went into a dealership and someone did her like that?” she asks, addressing automaker workers.

Thankfully, after nearly five years, Liz says her car is almost paid off. “I was able to afford the payments,” she explains, noting that she works at both McDonald’s and Walmart.

Worker says she initially wanted a luxury car 

Liz doesn't go into detail about her experience at the dealership but suggests that she was advised against buying a more expensive car. Initially, she says she had wanted either a Mercedes-Benz or a Tesla.

However, five years later, Liz says she hasn’t had any issues with her Camry. She also explains that she chose to buy the car instead of leasing one because she didn’t want to make car payments indefinitely. 

At one point, she says she considered trading in her Camry for a more luxurious car at a lower cost. Ultimately, she says she decided against it, partly because she lives in the “ghetto.”

“I’ve learned to love my Camry,” Liz says. “I’m almost done paying it off, and that’s all that matters.”

Was she 'scammed'? 

Monthly car payments vary based on factors like credit score, interest rate, and loan terms. However, a Toyota Camry should generally cost less than $500 per month—even on the higher end.

In 2023, RateGenius estimated that the average monthly payment for a 2020 Camry could be around $245, assuming an interest rate as low as 8.1% APR and that the loan was refinanced. This calculation considered a market value of approximately $20,000 and an average mileage of 65,000 miles.

Many commenters on Liz’s video suggested she was overpaying. One noted that her payment shouldn’t exceed $375. Another quipped, “If you’re embarrassed, it’s too much.”

Liz’s high monthly payment may be due to a low credit score and the timing of her purchase. She mentioned buying the car nearly new and putting down only $3,000, which likely contributed to her higher costs.

@liz87447

Me yapping I could go on and on tbh so I made sure to say the price at the beginning for yall

♬ original sound - Liz

Viewers encourage driver to learn from her mistakes

Everyone’s been young before, and, even if she is overpaying, some viewers encouraged Liz to use the knowledge she has now when she buys her next car.

“People make mistakes. Make sure you have GAP insurance and total your car. But you didn’t hear that from me,” one viewer quipped.

“I understand your frustration,” another added. “It’s a learning experience.”

“People get in these situations more often than you think,” a third user offered. “Don’t feel bad, what’s done is done. You learned from it.”

Others offered advice for how she could avoid high payments in the future. 

“Never buy a new car again. Just buy a used that will get you from point A to B. Buying new will keep you living paycheck to paycheck.”

“You need to refinance ASAP when you can,” another wrote. 

“Takeaway from this: don’t live above your means!” a third viewer said.

To this comment, Liz responded, “Not above my means. I can afford it, wasn’t the smartest move but yea.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Liz via TikTok comment and to Toyota through email.

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The post ‘Make sure you have GAP insurance and total your car‘: Walmart worker buys Toyota Camry for $724 a month. Now she has buyer’s remorse appeared first on The Daily Dot.