When four wheels mean second chances: How Shift Garage drives change

March 20, 2025

This paid piece is sponsored by MarketBeat.

Jessica had no choice.

She needed a car. Without one, she couldn’t pick up food from the local pantry, where only those who come through the line with vehicles are served. She couldn’t take her daughter to school or ensure they had a safe way home after church or community programs because the city bus system didn’t run late enough.

And while an Uber might seem like an easy fix, for someone on a tight budget, the cost of frequent rides was completely out of reach.

A car meant stability.

But in Sioux Falls, only one dealership would sell her a car, and it charged her an outrageous 23 percent interest rate. Not only that, the dealership required all repairs and maintenance to be done through it, tacking every service charge onto her growing loan balance.

Her first car already had hundreds of thousands of miles when she bought it. When it died, she was given only one option: Roll the remaining balance into a loan for another aging car.

That vehicle failed, too, and the cycle continued. By then, she already had paid $12,000 over five years yet still owed more than $9,000 on cars that originally cost much less.

She was stuck, paying endlessly for cars that would never last and feeling like reliable transportation was forever out of reach.

Just when it seemed like she was out of options, she found Shift Garage.

She walked in scared, nervous and in tears. The team listened to her story and found a safe, affordable vehicle she could manage. They even offered free financial counseling and worked with her payee to help negotiate her crushing debt.

For the first time in years, Jessica had security: a car she could rely on and a burden lifted.

A garage unlike any other

Stories like this are why Shift Garage exists.

Founded in 2012 in Rapid City, the nonprofit began as a men’s Bible study that turned into something much bigger. Over the years, founder Joe Smith and his growing team realized that for many struggling families, a working car meant far more than just transportation. It meant the ability to work, provide for their children and sometimes other relatives and break free from financial hardship.

After expanding to Sioux Falls in 2020 with the support of Ransom Church, Shift Garage quickly became a critical resource for those in need of affordable car repairs and reliable vehicle purchases.

Shift Garage is an up-and-coming nonprofit that MarketBeat has been following closely – and for good reason. Highlighting the story helps bring awareness to its mission, ensuring more people in need can access the resources they provide. The organization stands apart by tackling transportation insecurity at its core, addressing not just cars and repairs but the financial traps that keep people from moving forward.

Shifting the way people buy cars

For years, the Shift Garage team saw the same heartbreaking pattern: people with limited financial options being preyed upon by “buy here, pay here” dealerships.

Some dealerships sell the same unreliable car up to six times, repossessing it from struggling buyers who fall behind on payments and reselling it to yet another vulnerable customer, trapping them in never-ending high-interest loans. These loans come with harsh stipulations, like requiring all repairs to be done through the dealership itself, rolling costs into a growing, inescapable debt.

Shift Garage knew it needed to do more than just fix the problem after the fact. It needed to stop the cycle before it started.

That’s where the UpShift Program comes in.

UpShift allows Shift Garage to buy, repair and sell safe, reliable vehicles at 85 percent of their market value. That 15 percent discount makes all the difference, ensuring buyers can secure reasonable financing, while keeping lenders comfortable with the loan.

Being able to offer cars at a reduced rate is invaluable to a low-income family or single parent who needs reliable transportation,” Smith said.

By working with Service First Federal Credit Union, Shift Garage connects buyers with fair, ethical financing options, helping them build credit rather than destroy it.

Breaking the cycle

While UpShift tackles the car-buying crisis, Shift Garage remains just as committed to affordable repairs. For many struggling families, even minor repairs can be devastating financially. That’s why Shift Garage offers deeply discounted repairs, charging only for parts — no labor costs, no markups.

Beyond repairs, Shift Garage also emphasizes financial education, working with organizations like Lutheran Social Services to teach clients about budgeting, vehicle financing and the responsibilities of car ownership.

Driving toward a brighter future 

The demand for Shift Garage’s services continues to grow. In just one year, it has helped 97 people purchase safe, reliable vehicles in Sioux Falls.

But the vision doesn’t stop there. Shift Garage is working toward expanding its reach, with a goal of providing 250 vehicles per year to families who need them most.

To achieve this, Shift Garage is focused on long-term sustainability, ensuring that it can continue providing access to these resources.

“We want Shift to live on long after I’m gone,” Smith said. “This isn’t just about fixing cars. It’s about fixing a broken system, and we’re just getting started.”

For people like Jessica, a car means more than just transportation — it means a future. With the right support, Shift Garage can continue putting people back in the driver’s seat.

How you can help

Shift Garage runs like a nonprofit small business with real monthly expenses, limited funding and an ever-growing need for more resources.

• Donate a car: Unlike other donation programs, Shift Garage places cars directly with families in need.
• Volunteer: It takes all kinds of people to make Shift Garage run smoothly. Whether you love working on cars, talking to people or handling office work, there’s a place for you to contribute and make a difference — no experience necessary.
• Buy a car from Shift Garage: Anyone in the community can buy a car from Shift Garage regardless of financial status. Buying there funds future repairs and vehicle placements for those in need.
• Spread the word: Awareness is the biggest hurdle. Shift Garage is just one introduction away from a new donor, a car donation or a critical partnership.

Learn more about Shift Garage at shiftgarage.org.