Monday, May 14, 2007

How To Get An Auto Loan - Even With Bad Credit

Being able to buy a new car when you need one is certainly a necessity in the world we live in. Many people, perhaps even you, need to commute to work every day, and there may not be any public transportation nearby. This means that you may need to get a loan for your new car - and your need is not alleviated just because you have bad credit. Here is how you can get your auto loan - even if you have bad credit.

The first thing you need to know is that there are lenders out there who will give loans to people with bad credit. Before going to them immediately, however, follow some simple steps.

Get a copy of your credit report, first, and then look it over for any errors that might be reported on it. You can get a free copy, one each year, from the three main credit bureaus - Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Each one of them will have different numbers because they are based on a little different data. These three companies, though, are the ones that a lender will most likely use to determine your ability to get a car loan. After you check for mistakes, be sure to follow the necessary steps to correct those errors before you go to a lender.

Once that is out of the way, go online and get several quotes from lenders. You want to look for a preapproved auto loan. After you get the quotes, you want to compare them to find out which one is the better deal. You should look at the interest rate, how long you have to pay it back, total cost, and other fees that will be attached. Then, respond to the lender that offered it and get your auto loan.

They will send you a blank check - with a credit limit. By getting your check first, you will know how much money you can spend on your new car. It will not be as much as you could get if you had good credit, and the interest rates will certainly be higher, but the good news is that you got a loan - and soon, your new car. You should look at the new auto loan as a means to rebuild your credit and be careful to make your payments on time. This will soon give you an even better credit score.

Before you spend that check, though, find a couple of different cars that you want to look for when you go to the dealer. Check out the various offers for those cars so you know what price you should be paying. Then go to the dealer and be ready to negotiate a good deal. Because you have the check already, don't be hasty about getting your car. Negotiate for a better deal and stick to the prices you saw advertised. If they will not deal with you - go somewhere else.

You can reduce the price of your car even more by putting some money down on it. The more cash you put down, the more savings you will get. And remember, in this case, it will also mean that you write an even smaller number on the check - which means a smaller loan - and less interest.

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

How To Choose A Good Personal Loan

It is easy to find many lenders that are willing to give you the money you need for just about whatever reason you want. But aside from their willingness, finding that good deal will not come quite so easy. Here are some things that you will want to keep in mind as you look for a good personal loan.

Determine How Much You Need

Good spending habits, along with being able to stay out of debt, start with a control over the finances. This means you should only choose to borrow as much as you need now and then maybe a little more. Taking out all you can is a lender's dream because it means you will be paying a lot of interest over a long period of time. Sit down and calculate what your needs are and then seek to borrow that amount.

Determine What You Can Comfortably Pay

Since you are in need of borrowing money, it means that you are on a limited budget. Figure out how much of your monthly budget you can afford to pay out on a loan each month and still have enough left to live on. Once you know this figure, you can intelligently approach a lender for an amount that will fit your income. Some lenders will knowingly loan you more than you can afford - which could lead to trouble on your part.

Choose A Secured Loan Or An Unsecured Loan

A secured loan will enable you to get better interest rates and longer terms for repayment. You will also be able to get a larger sum of money if you put down something as collateral - usually a house or a car. If a lender says that they do not require any collateral, then they are probably going to put you into a higher interest rate category. Ask about collateral if they do not offer - it will mean more savings.

An unsecured loan is one that does not require anything for collateral. While there are a lot of these available, they do charge more in interest and give smaller amounts and shorter time periods. They are also based on your credit rating, which might be a bad thing - depending on your credit.

Check Your Credit Rating First

Before you apply for any loan (or credit card), it is always a good idea to get a free copy of your credit report (you are allowed one each year from each of the major credit bureaus) and look it over for any mistakes on it. Mistakes are common and can effect your credit quite seriously and may even cause your application to be turned down. It does not take long to look it over but you can easily tell if there are things on it that should not be. It can also tell you if there has been a case of ID theft, too.

Get Multiple Quotes

Go online to a website that will give you several online quotes with each application. This is the best and easiest way to go, because it will allow you to see what you can get, as well as what you do not want. You will want to look over the various terms, compare interest rates and length of the personal loan, monthly payment, and then select the right one for you.

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