This site has two financing forms, and people regularly fill out the wrong one first. No harm done either way, but the forms do different jobs, and knowing which is which saves you time and - for the cautious - some unnecessary nerves about personal information.
The short version: pre-qualification is the conversation starter, the credit application is the decision maker. Everything below is the detail.
The two forms at a glance
The pre-qualification is short. It covers your budget, your income, and your contact information, and it uses a soft credit pull that won’t affect your credit score. The credit application is the complete financing form - identity, residence, employment, income - and it requires a Social Security Number, because a financing decision does.
What pre-qualification is for
Pre-qualifying takes a few minutes and doesn’t ask for your Social Security Number. Its job is to establish what you’re working with - the budget, the down payment you can make, the payment range that fits - before anybody spends a Saturday driving between dealerships.
It’s also the right form when you haven’t picked a vehicle yet. The down payment quick picks let you choose a common amount, and answering honestly lets us point you at inventory where your figures work. Buyers coming in from Anson, Cisco, Eastland, or Sweetwater especially: do this form before the drive.
What the credit application is for
The credit application is for when you want an actual decision, usually on an actual vehicle. It collects the full picture - the income proof, residence history, and employment history described in the in-house financing guide - plus your Social Security Number.
About that number, since it’s the part people hesitate on: the application delivers your information to our financing system, and this site never stores your Social Security Number. It passes through to the people making the decision; it doesn’t sit in a website database.
Which one first
Start with pre-qualification unless you already know the exact vehicle and want a decision this week. There’s no penalty for starting small - the short form locks you into nothing, and it makes the eventual application easier because the budget conversation has already happened.
Skipping straight to the credit application makes sense for one kind of buyer: the vehicle is picked, the down payment is sitting ready, and - if credit is the worry - you’ve already read what strengthens an application.
What happens after each form
After either form, the next step is human. A representative from the dealership will contact you shortly.
After a pre-qualification, that contact is a conversation: which vehicles fit your budget, what an in-house deal might look like on them, when to come see them. After a credit application, it’s about the decision on the vehicle you named - the terms we can offer, the down payment, and what to bring when you come in. Financing is subject to approval, and terms vary by vehicle and applicant.
Neither form commits you to buying
Filling out a form is information gathering, not a handshake. If the terms don’t suit you, say so. If the timing is wrong, tell us that too and check back when the inventory turns over - it changes as vehicles sell. And if forms aren’t your speed at all, the phone still works: 325-480-2444, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturdays by appointment.
Get pre-qualified before you shop
Pre-qualifying takes a few minutes and doesn't ask for your Social Security Number.
Get Pre-Qualified
