If you have bad credit, how do you get a car? In these times of restricted credit, auto financing can be a challenge. Even those with stellar credit, lenders don't give money freely. But if you know how to do it, bad credit auto financing is available.
Reviewing your credit history is the first step in securing bad credit auto financing. When mistakes are found, they will be corrected before you go to your car loan. Twice a year you can order a credit report free of charge. In the case of inaccuracies, write a letter detailing the inconsistencies to the credit department. You have 30 days to either verify or delete your credit report from it. If you question inaccurate information, you will be shocked at how much your credit score will increase.
The next step is to determine how much you want to pay for a car. This includes how much you can comfortably put down at the present and the amount your budget can handle in terms of monthly payments. You can use a car loan calculator to help you determine how much care you can afford.
The next step in securing bad credit auto financing is to prepare the documentation. This includes proof of employment and income. Remember that with a house, the value of the property doesn’t change when the new owner takes possession, but with a car, the value drops when you drive it off the lot. That is why the people giving car loans have to be so picky about who they finance.
Finally, keep a clean credit history. Once you have secured bad credit auto financing, make sure that you pay your loan on time every month. This will help you get loans in the future.
Bear in mind that as a person with less than stellar credit, you will be expected to make a larger down payment and will be faced with higher interest rates. This means your monthly payments will either be higher per month or stretched out over a longer period. You might be expected to put down up to 50 percent of the car’s price in order to secure the loan.
The interest rates can be up to 26 percent. At that rate, on a $15,000 loan over 4 years you will pay more than $9200 in interest.
You should watch out for dealers who “specialize” in bad credit car loans. These dealers often have inflated prices on the cars and higher interest rates than you would be able to secure elsewhere.
Often people faced with bad credit auto financing situations are better off purchasing an inexpensive new car than they would be going to a used car dealer as new car dealers can secure factory financing.
The good news about bad credit auto financing is that if you make all of your payments on time, you will be building good credit for yourself. That means the next time you go for a car loan, you can get it at a more attractive rate.
