General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. MacKrill

122 N.W.2d 742, 175 Neb. 631, 1963 Neb. LEXIS 205
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 16, 1963
Docket35438
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 122 N.W.2d 742 (General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. MacKrill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. MacKrill, 122 N.W.2d 742, 175 Neb. 631, 1963 Neb. LEXIS 205 (Neb. 1963).

Opinions

Spencer, J.

This is a replevin action in which General Motors Acceptance Corporation, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, alleges it has a special interest in a 1960 Chevrolet sedan pickup Biscayne by reason of being the assignee of a conditional sale contract entered into between Kizzier Chevrolet Company, a corporation, hereinafter referred to as Kizzier, and Donald E. Mackrill, hereinafter referred to as defendant. Defendant appeals from the overruling of a motion for a new trial after a judgment for the plaintiff for possession and costs.

On December 9, 1961, defendant purchased the car in question from Kizzier and signed what is designated as a conditional sale contract, obligating himself to pay a balance of $1,573.76. The financial part of the transaction is described in the conditional sale contract as follows: “Undersigned seller hereby sells, and undersigned buyer or buyers, jointly and severally hereby purchase (s), subject to the terms and conditions set forth below and upon the reverse side hereof, the following property, delivery and acceptance of which in good order are hereby acknowledged by buyer, viz.:

New Year No. Make Body Type Model Manufae- Motor

or Model Cyl. Trade If Truck, Number turer’s No.

Used Name Give or Series Serial No.

Tonnage

used 1960 8 Chevrolet sedan pickup Biscayne 012 80S 134 161 none

For a TOTAL TIME SALE PRICE computed as follows: 1. *CASH SALE PRICE (Including the [633]*633itemized costs designated below) $1895.00(1)

2. TOTAL DOWN PAYMENT under instalment sale - Consisting of $645.00 plus $ none

(Net Trade-in) (Cash) $ 645.00(2)

DESCRIPTION OF TRADE-IN

Make Chevrolet

Model Bel Air

Year 1956

3. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ITEMS 1 AND 2 $1250.00(3)

4a. COST OF REQUIRED CAR INSURANCE.

(Include this item, if buyer has authorized seller to apply for the insurance) 80.00(4a)

4b. COST OF CREDITOR INSURANCE ON LIFE OF BUYER

(Exclude this item if buyer does not authorize such insurance) 9.60 (4b)

4c. none (4c)

5. BASIC TIME PRICE (PRINCIPAL BALANCE) (Add items 3, 4a, 4b and 4c) $1339.60(5)

6. TIME PRICE DIFFERENTIAL $ 234.16(6)

7. TIME PRICE BALANCE (Add items 5 and 6) $1573.76(7)

8. TOTAL TIME SALE PRICE (Add items 2 and 7) $2218.76 (8)

The Time Price Balance is payable at the seller’s office designated below or at such office of any assignee as may be hereafter designated in 24 instalments of -$ as listed each commencing Jan. 10, 1962, and on the same day of each successive month thereafter, or as indicated in space below. The final instalment shall equal the amount of time price balance [634]*634remaining due. 1 @ 200.00 on Jan 10, 1962 and 23 @ 59.72.”

Defendant was allowed $845 for his old car, received $200 of the amount in cash, and was given credit for $645. There is a dispute between the parties as to whether this $200 was a loan or was advanced by Kizzier bn the old car for the purpose of paying off an encumbrance of some type on the car. For the purpose of a decision herein, that point is immaterial and will not be discussed.

Subsequent to December 9, 1961, the salesman for Kizzier advised defendant that he had used a wrong rate for computing the insurance premiums in the contract and that the contract would have to be changed to include an additional $9. On January 13, 1962, defendant signed a new contract which is the contract involved in this action. The contracts are on the same form and are exactly the same except for the changes in the amounts inserted in the contracts. The itemization of the description of the transaction in the January 13, 1962, contract is as follows:

‘•For a TOTAL. TIME SALE PRICE computed as follows:

1. *CASH SALE PRICE (Including the itemized costs .designated below) $1895.00(1)

2. TOTAL DOWN PAYMENT under instalment sale - Consisting of $645.00 plus $ none

3. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ITEMS ” 1 AND 2 $1250.00(3)

4a. COST OF REQUIRED CAR INSURANCE (Include this item, if buyer has authorized seller to apply for the [635]*635insurance) $ 89.00 (4a)

4b. COST OF CREDITOR INSURANCE ON LIFE OF BUYER (Exclude this item if buyer does not authorize such insurance) $ 10.47 (4b)

4c. -:- $ none (4c)

5. BASIC TIME PRICE (PRINCIPAL BALANCE) (Add items 3, 4a, 4b and 4c) $1349.47(5)

6. TIME PRICE DIFFERENTIAL $ 231.22(6)
7. TIME PRICE BALANCE (Add items 5 and 6) $1580.69(7)
8. TOTAL TIME SALE PRICE (Add items 2 and 7) $2225.69(8)

The Time Price Balance is payable at the seller’s office designated below or at such office of any assignee as may be hereafter designated in 24 instalments of ........$ as listed each, commencing Jan. 10 1962, and on the same day of each successive month thereafter, or as indicated in space below. The final instalment shall equal the amount of time price balance remaining due. 1 @ 200.00 on Jan. 10, 1962; and 23 @ 60.03.”

Defendant sets out eight assignments of error. The pertinent ones may be summed up in the contention that the transaction evidences an installment loan at usurious rates. It is the plaintiff’s contention that the transaction is a time price sale and not a loan transaction. Plaintiff contends further that, in any event, there is no time price differential which is in violation of the Installment Sales Act or the Installment Loan Act construed with the laws regulating the amount of interest which may be charged by a private person.

In Elder v. Doerr, ante p. 483, 122 N. W. 2d 528, we held the Nebraska Installment Sales Act to be unconstitutional. It will, therefore, not be necessary' to discuss any of the provisions of that act with relation to this transaction. We are concerned with only two' points. [636]*636Is the transaction a bona fide time sale? If not, is the contract usurious and void under the provisions of the Nebraska Installment Loan Act?

Is the transaction a valid time sale or what our cases have denominated as a loan in violation of the terms of the Installment Loan Act? In considering whether or not such a transaction is a time sale made in good faith or a loan, the court will look through the form and examine its substance. State ex rel. Beck v. Associates Discount Corp., 168 Neb. 298, 96 N. W. 2d 55. We have said many times an essential of a valid time sale price is a price agreed upon between the parties where the buyer is actually informed of and has at the time the sale is made an opportunity to choose between a cash and a time sale price. See Wood v. Commonwealth Trailer Sales, Inc., 172 Neb. 494, 110 N. W. 2d 87.

This transaction on its face shows a cash sale price of $1,895, an allowance for the trade-in, and two additional charges for insurance. The total of $1,349.47 is shown to be the basic time price. The only apparent conclusion is that the amount of $1,349.47 is to be financed. There is then an item designated as time price differential of $231.22.

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General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. MacKrill
122 N.W.2d 742 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
122 N.W.2d 742, 175 Neb. 631, 1963 Neb. LEXIS 205, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/general-motors-acceptance-corporation-v-mackrill-neb-1963.