CAR LOANS - Bad credit car loans

Auto Loan Options For Bad Credit Borrowers

More and more bad credit auto loan ads these days bombard debtors and other bad credit borrowers with the concept that they can buy a car or truck no matter what their credit may look like. Although most of these ads are based on truths, in this article I will carefully review some of the bad credit auto loan pit falls to be aware of, and help debtors to understand how some of these systems work.

The direct finance business works as a good credit auto loan would from your local bank, except borrowers with bad credit will be expected to bring in a larger down payment and pay a higher interest rate. Most local lenders, of course, will not make these loans at all to borrowers with bad credit. Depending on the severity of one's bad credit, down payments for these loans can range from 20% to 50% and depending on the credit and legal limits of the state one lives in, interest rates can range from 12% to 26%. I have even seen in a few states extreme cases where borrowers already owning cars use their vehicles as collateral for very short-term loans.

The effective interest rate can be as much as 144% per year. These loans, sometimes called title loans, offer a short-term loan at 12% per month, so when the loan can not be paid off another loan at 12% must be taken. Such lending is illegal in most states and even where allowed I can think of almost no situation where taking out such a loan would represent a prudent financial decision. In most cases debtors with bad credit should expect to pay in the 12% to 18% interest range. Amortization (the time needed to pay the loan in full if all regular payments are made) choices offered may only range from 2 to 4 years opposed to good credit borrowers whose auto loans may extend for as long as 5 to 7 years. Certain amortization schedules and higher interest rates combine for payments that can be considerably higher than for those with excellent credit. The good news is that if these loans are paid on time they can also serve as tools for rebuilding credit. Dealers who advertise their willingness to work with bad credit auto purchases often ultimately finance the transaction with one of the direct lenders as described above. Dealer's who finance these loans internally sometimes combine of these things where they secure an external financing source by guaranteeing apart of the loan or allowing a part of the loan to remain unfunded until certain loan payments are made.

This leaves the borrower in a position that ultimately they will default on the loan further ruining their credit.

Otherwise they will complete the contract by which time they may have paid double or triple what they would have for the same car if they had purchased it from a legitimate dealer at a legitimate price. The watch word here is "caveat emptor," let the buyer beware, some dealers advertising they work with poor credit purchasers may be honest and forthright dealers. The best consumer protection is knowledge. Research the true value of the cars you are purchasing and try to pay only the wholesale cost plus a $200 to $500 profit for the dealer. In only the rarest of instances should you pay more than the retail price of the car.

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