My dopey brother said the other day he was lost in thought. That must have been unfamiliar territory for him.

He’s just not the brightest bulb, ya know?  He got his first job last year, at a rental car company at O’Hare, and what does he do with his first paycheck?  Bought a Wii.  The guy doesn’t have two pairs of shoes, and that’s where his money goes. He’s driving our mom’s old Buick everywhere – she gave it to him – and when he drove over a concrete curb in a parking lot, he discovered that catalytic converter replacements cost $900.  Which is two weeks pay for him.  Of course he didn’t have it saved up or anything.

So I showed him online where to go. I did this myself once. I use Northlake Title Loans, a car title loans company that you go to online.  It’s pretty easy, even for a dimbulb like him. He got the money the next day and got his car fixed in time for the auto emissions inspection. And it makes total sense - use the value in your car to fix your car to keep it running.

Everyone should have a sister as smart as me.

Northlake is near, Hinsdalew, Western Springs, Downers Grove, La Grange, and Westchester.

My husband Jose and I moved from Chicago to Franklin Park ten years ago because of the many jobs here. But with the closing of his plant in 2006, he started driving to O’Hare where he found his new job.

But last year, United cut back on their flights which affected his job too. He still was working parttime, but the problem was when the car needed repair we didn’t have the extra money for that. He needs his car to get to work, so we didn’t know what to do.

Then my friend Marisol told me to go to Franklin Park Title Loans. That’s where they give you money for your car title if you are done with the car payments. We are, so that worked really well. Jose paid for the repair and now he’s confident of the car working every day so he can make the trip in to work. He hopes they give him more hours again soon or to get more hours with another company.

By the way Franklin Park is near Northlake, Melrose Park, Berkeley, Bellwood, and Oak Park.

Answer me this: If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan? Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin? Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Now tell me why old cars can be more valuable than new cars. Stumped? It can be old cars because they tend to be paid for while for most people new cars are likely under a payment plan or leased.

And here’s where that can be a benefit: when you need cash, a paid-for car is eligible for a car title loan. I hadn’t really thought about when I’d need such a thing until recently, when a medical bill socked me with $2500 in uncovered charges. That’s not the kind of money I have sitting around waiting for hospital charges, so where would I get it? I went on the Internet and found the answer: car title loans can be found right here, at Elmhurst Title Loans.

Because you transact the whole thing on the Internet, it’s also fast and easy. No going into some crappy neighborhood in Chicago, you just fill out the online forms and you learn in a half hour if you’re approved. Then they wire the money to your checking account by the next day (i.e., no waiting for a check to clear).

Yeah, it’s a mystery to me why more people don’t know about this. It’s a great back up to unforeseen situations. And it generally works better for people with older cars.

By the way Elmhurst is near Northlake, Melrose Park, Villa Park, Broadview, and Oak Brook.