September 7, 2021

When I was a junior at Baldwin High School I opened my first savings account at Maui County Federal Credit Union. Upon graduating in 2019, my grandma gifted me her 2002 Volvo S40 with only 45,000 miles, which incentivized me to get my driver’s license so that I could drive to and from college. Unfortunately, over the course of two years, the car broke down several times.

I kept asking my mom if I could get a new car that was more reliable, and my mom would say “you need to keep a job for several months and save your paychecks. Car dealers need to see that you have an income to pay for a car.” As luck would have it, at the same time, I was furloughed from my job due to the pandemic, making it difficult to show consistent income needed to get a loan on my own.

When tourism on Maui reopened, I was able to get a new job at the airport. I even setup my paycheck to be directly deposited into my account at Maui County Federal Credit Union so I would be sure to save a portion of my paycheck for a down payment on a new car.

The last straw was when Vivian (my Volvo) broke down and I need to have it towed. The next day my mom and I went to look for a new car. We visited three different car dealerships with no luck. At the fourth dealership I test drove a 2019 Nissan. We went in to see if I would qualify for a loan, when I saw a brand new Nissan Versa that I just loved!

Without having any established credit, I knew getting an auto loan on my own was a long shot and thought I’d have to ask my mom to co-sign the loan with me. To my amazement I was approved by Maui County Federal Credit Union for a loan, without a credit score or a co-signer. I did it on my own!

I’m so happy that I opened an account with Maui County Federal Credit Union in high school and thankful that they were able to help me get my first auto loan. I’m so grateful to my mom for her wisdom in encouraging me to save my paychecks and show that I am gainfully employed before trying to get a loan.

Mahalo Maui County Federal Credit Union for helping me get a car all on my own!

- Karizma Alvior