Buying used car for less than $15k with bad credit
I was involved in a bad car accident last week and my car is most likely totalled (all airbags went off and damage is really bad). I will most likely be getting $12-15k from insurance (obviously hoping for higher) and need to get a new (to me) car. Due to my ex not paying child support and alimony, my credit took a huge hit.
I am completely overwhelmed by this process. I work 3 part time jobs and need a little bit of trunk space as carry about 3 tubs of stuff. I teach lego class after school, deliver for Whole Foods and another misc job where I use a large duffel bag of items for events. I would like a sedan or small suv and need it to be good on gas mileage since Whole Foods/Amazon loves to make us drive.
I was reading the post that talks about not letting them know you are paying in cash, which I'm fine with but they can't run my credit as it's really bad and I'm working on improving it.
Does anyone have any advice on where best to go? I'll be avoiding car lots but have tons of dealerships, carmax and carvana near me also.
Any advice on best cars or ones to avoid? I've heard Nissans have become bad with transmissions in the past few years.
Thank you for any help!