Target Car Supermarket

Target Car Supermarket: used car sales and finance for poor credit in Essex

Target Car Supermarket is a used car dealership based on Stifford Road in South Ockendon, Essex, that presents itself as a specialist in arranging car finance for customers with poor or average credit histories. The business trades as BMC (Grays) Ltd and operates as a credit broker rather than a lender, introducing applicants to a limited number of finance providers.

The company states that it approves more than £10 million worth of applications per year and describes itself as a car supermarket holding up to 150 vehicles at a time. Its stock is presented as covering prestige models, SUVs, automatics, family hatchbacks, executive cars and seven-seaters, and the site notes that new stock arrives daily.

Finance for poor credit and no-deposit deals

The dealership's central proposition is access to car credit for people whose credit record would normally complicate an application. It lists the situations it says it considers, including defaults and CCJs, missed payments, payment arrears, benefits-only income, ex-bankruptcy, self-employment and agency work, alongside full-time and part-time employment.

No-deposit packages are a prominent part of the offer: the company describes itself as one of the UK's leading no-deposit car finance dealers and states that in the majority of cases no deposit is required. Where a customer chooses to put money down, that amount is deducted from the purchase price and reduces the weekly or monthly payment.

Part exchange is accepted on any car, including vehicles that are broken, non-runners or missing a log book, and the trade-in can serve as a deposit to lower the price and the instalments.

Eligibility, amounts and costs

• Applicants must hold a full UK licence, be at least 18 years old and earn £1,200 or more per month, whether through employment, self-employment or benefits.
• The company states it cannot help customers who are currently bankrupt or in an IVA.
• Borrowing runs from £3,000 to £25,000, subject to an affordability assessment.
• No fees are charged for the service.
• Rates are advertised from 10.9% APR, with a representative APR of 29.9%.

The site publishes a representative example: borrowing £6,000 with no deposit over 60 months at £181.25 per month, a total charge for credit of £4,875 and a total payable of £10,875. Applications are described as taking about 60 seconds, with fast decisions and the possibility of driving away the same day.

How applications are handled

According to the company, each applicant is assigned a personal case handler, described as a SAF-qualified finance executive whose role is to secure approval and then the best rate available for that customer's circumstances. The business says it works with most fair and poor credit finance providers in the UK and draws on an extensive lender panel for average and poor credit, while also offering low-rate finance for good credit.

Stock and vehicle preparation

The cars shown on the site are examples of available stock and include models such as the Mercedes A Class, Mercedes CLA, Mercedes GLA, Renault Kadjar, Nissan Qashqai, Ford Focus, Ford C-Max and Vauxhall Crossland X, mostly diesel and a mix of manual and automatic. Listed prices in the sample range from £6,995 to £12,499, with mileages between roughly 54,000 and 97,000. The company states that all cars are safety checked, MOT'd and warranted.

Regulatory status

BMC (Grays) Ltd, trading as Target Car, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 917901 and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under number ZA118632. The company gives its company number as O9384530. It discloses that it acts as a credit broker for the introduction to a limited number of finance providers and that it may receive commission for those introductions. Finance is subject to status and income, and applicants must be 18 or over.