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Auto Refinancing Tips & Scams
Credit Crisis Alert The scary truth about your credit score Fact: You don't need an appraisal to refinance your car loan How To Get Your Credit Report Your credit score will NOT drop if you run your own credit report What is auto refinancing? How do I benefit by auto loan refinancing? Note: Most lenders will not refinance their own auto loans. So if you plan to refinance your auto loan, you will need to look for a lender other than your current lender. It's absolutely the most important priority that a person with bad credit, paying a high APR, refinance their car loan to a lower APR.It's true, most bad credit borrowers can indeed refinance to a lower APR, but many don't think to try because they were "programmed" or duped by the dealer into thinking they are stuck at 21-25% APR. Real world auto refinancing example
Your current payment at 21% APR would be: around $446.38 | |||||||||||
Send in an extra $50 monthly principle more than the $330, and your loan will pay off even quicker. See how powerful auto refinancing can be for you? Most people have no concept of the time value of money, and just how bad high interest car loans are for your bank account, and what a difference 1% makes. That $6,945 is better off in your bank account, not theirs. Of course your actual APR would depend on your credit rating. Not everyone gets the 7% or lower APR, but I'm sure it's got to be lower than what you're paying now.
It's very important to refinance your auto loan early, because with car loans, the interest is mostly paid in the earlier payments. The earlier your car loan is refinanced, the more money you save. Our examples here are based on savings only if you refinance during the first couple of months of a car loan. If you wait until the 4th year to refinance your car loan, your savings will be a lot less.
Who should refinance their auto loans? What APR % should you look to refinance a car at?
Anyone who did not get a 0% to 3% APR car loan from the carmakers should consider a car loan refinance. Even if you got a decent APR auto loan, you should consider
car refinancing. I like to use the 1% rule. After you buy your car, start watching the auto refinancing interest rates at sites like
Up2Drive
and myAutoloan.com looking for
refinancing auto loan rates at least 1% less than your current car loan interest rate. Use the calculators on these car refinance lender sites to see how much it
saves you to refinance your car. You'll be astounded at how much money you just found, and you'll stop the hemorrhaging in your bank account.
Tips to ensure a speedy auto refinance loan approval
Pay close attention to these important points, because you would hate to get rejected for making a stupid clerical error.
CarBuyingTips.com Auto Refinancing 101: The steps to refinance your car loan.TM
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I already got a good APR car loan. Why do I need to refinance my car?
Suppose you already got a good 7% APR car loan. Here's another example with the same $16,500 loan for 60 months mentioned above:
| Interest Rate (APR) | Your Monthly Payment |
Total Interest On Car Loan |
| 7% | $326.72 | $3,103.19 |
| 6% | $318.99 | $2,639.47 |
Your car loan payment with 7% APR: $326.72
Your new payment when you refinance your car to 6% APR: $279.21
You save $463.72!
The above example shows you that even if you got a low APR you can benefit by auto loan refinancing. It also demonstrates just how much money lenders have been making off us all these years. Would you have thought in a million years that getting a 7% APR car loan was costing you $463 too much? In this day of stock market volatility, corporate accounting scandals, and watching your retirement account plummet, you need to empower yourself more, and take charge of every penny of your financial well being. Don't let the greedy lenders do it for you. Use the friendly lenders that we review here, like Up2Drive and myAutoloan.com.
If you don't look into auto refinancing today, you could be throwing away thousands of dollars!
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Read our reviews of the online auto refinance sites to refinance your car loan. | ||
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Up2Drive (a division of BMW Bank of North America) offers highly competitive rates and superior customer service. How up2drive works:
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myAutoloan.com - Offers qualified applicants up to 4 online loan offers in minutes to help you maximize your car refinance savings. How myAutoloan works:
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Auto refinancing for people with bad credit: If your Credit Score is below 600 and you're rejected, don't submit apps that keep getting you rejected. Submit one free application to a bad credit auto loan site like AutoCreditFinders, that finds bad credit car loans for you.
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What about loan fees and early payoff penalties?
The "gentle" lenders that we recommend here like Up2Drive
and myAutoloan.com do not have any fees. No loan application fees, no points, no origination fees, and no early termination
penalties. It's even in writing on their web sites. The only cost you might see is the small fee from your state to change the name of the lien holder on your car's
title to the new lender. Other than that, there's no scams, the only thing you pay is the loan balance and interest. It's very seamless, completed in a few days, like
you never even left your loan. The only difference is now your monthly car loan payments will drop, and the checks become payable to the new lender instead. You should
be cautious about other auto loan refinance lenders not reviewed here who might have hidden fees or charge to process your loan.
Also, carefully check your current car loan for any early payoff fees and
penalties. It still may be beneficial to refinance even if there are some
penalties involved. Each situation is different, so you need to do the math.
Can I refinance my car through the same lender that I used for my original car loan?
No you can't. If your car loan is with Greedy Bank USA, they will never refinance your car loan to a lower rate APR. Why would they? They already have you
trapped. When you are auto refinancing, you must always do it through a different lender than your current car loan.
I have bad credit and I am paying 21% APR now. Who in the world would approve me for auto refinancing?
Good question. Even though you have bad credit, someone took a chance on you, even though you're paying 21% for that honor. Once you have paid on time for 3 to 6
months, you can start shopping around for auto loan refinancing. The beauty here is you are not taking on more debt, you are swapping one car loan for another car loan
with less APR. The banks should not have a problem with that.
Submit one free application to a bad credit auto loan
site like AutoCreditFinders, that finds bad credit car
loans for people with bad credit. Send in extra principle payments to buy down the APR and pay off your car loan faster. They can find you car financing from
high risk underwriters.
Even if you have a discharged bankruptcy, tax liens, or bad credit, as long as
your credit score is 550 or above, your chances are good. You should be working at least 6 months, and no bad credit
the last 6 months. Many banks, once they see you have paid on time for a few months, will then take a chance on you. You might not pay as low APR as someone like me
with perfect credit, but you'll almost certainly pay as much as 10% less APR than your current 21% APR car loan rate. Remember, car dealers tend to jam all
questionable credit people into 21% APR, while gentle lenders sort you out better into "good", "fair", and "poor", buckets, charging you lower APR than car dealers.
This way is much better for you, because you will then be charged a lower APR that more accurately reflects your credit rating. You can also try
Up2Drive
and myAutoloan.com.
Remember, even if you end up saving only 1% APR, it's still a lot of money over
the life of the loan, and it still lowers your monthly payment. If you can save 10% off a 21% APR, 60 month loan of $16,500, your payments
will drop nearly $100 per month, and you'll save over $5200! That's why it's the absolute most important priority that people with bad credit who are paying a high
APR need to refinance car loans to a lower APR.
People with bad credit don't realize that they can never get out of their credit crunch because they are stuck in the 21% APR range on all their loans and credit cards. By paying only the minimum payments, they will NEVER pay off their debt, because they have no concept of the time value of money, and don't realize the high APR is what is preventing them from paying off the principle. Most of them are brainless, with no common sense, and go buy new expensive cars at high APR when they have no business doing so, and should be buying a cheap used car if anything at all. Auto loan refinancing is your only salvation if you fall into this bucket.
The car dealer credit score scam.
This scam happens all the time and explains why thousands of car buyers are paying way too much APR than they should be, and don't even know it. All because they did
not know their own credit score before going to the car dealer. One guy emailed me to say his score was 780 (Excellent rating) from 3 credit bureaus. He negotiated the
deal at the car dealer, filled out the paperwork including a credit application. Four
sales guys came out of the finance office with "concerned looks" on their
faces. They had a piece of paper that said "credit score" on it with the number 580 circled in red. That's all that was written on it. They stated they could get him
financed at 10.9% but not at the special 0% interest rate. When asked how they calculated that score and where they received it from they just mumbled and said he can
only get financed at 10.9%. He pulled out his credit reports and asked them why they were different from theirs. Three out of the four scattered immediately, the last
guy lied and stated that credit agencies like to give better credit scores to consumers than to business that actually lend money. Our friend just started laughing and
got up and left, and bought the car elsewhere with the low 0% advertised APR. But you can see that quite often car buyers are suckered into paying a much higher APR by
dealers because they did not know any better. Don't let this happen to you!
What A Low Credit Score Means To You
Your credit score is the most important factor determining if you'll get approved for a car loan, and what your APR will be. If your score is low, you'll pay extremely
high interest rates on a car loan, up to 23%. If your score is below 750, you can forget about getting that elusive 0% car financing we hear about once in a while. Are
you aware your credit score affects how much you'll pay for car insurance rates? Maintaining your
credit score should be an ongoing process, not a task you rush into when buying a new car. In fact, that's the worst time. The reason is banks will reject you if you
have disputed items on your credit report, until it resolves. It can take 60 days to clean up your credit score, so don't apply for any credit until all disputes are
resolved and you verified your FICO Score. You have been warned! I have seen people get rejected for applying while closing accounts. Right now, you should be asking
yourself "How good is my credit score?"
A dealer shouldn't know more about your FICO Score than you. Get yours now. Where to get your credit score: Online from Experian,
Equifax or
TrueCredit. Now is the time to get your credit report: Don't put it off until later, Do it now before you even finish reading this page, so you can find out what your score is, and begin your first steps to improve it. |
Credit score myths: "I've never missed a payment. My credit score must be high!"
This could not be more wrong. Many people get upset when they get their credit score and find out just how low their credit score is. Sure paying
on time is one of the best things for your FICO score, but it's only one of over 100 variables making up your credit score. Having many open accounts does
just as much damage to your credit score, as there is potential for you to run up your credit limit on all your accounts. People with good credit tend to have
too much credit, and too many old accounts that they no longer use. Lenders view that as a risk. When I got my score it was ok, but needed improving
by closing half a dozen computer store and department store cards which I no longer use, but they were dragging down my score.
A high credit score does not guarantee your car loan approval
Lenders verify if you have had an auto loan before. If not, even with a high credit score,
you may end up paying a higher APR, or you can get rejected. You can have a high score and if your current debt load is high, they might reject you.
How to increase your chances on getting approval on a car loan
Credit card companies say it takes 60 days for a change (such as paying off your credit cards) to show up on your credit report/score, but who wants to wait 2 months before buying a car? One of our visitors filed a request for investigation of her report stating that the balances on these cards were incorrect, and the investigator looks up your correct balances and changes it. She checked 2 weeks later and it was changed. Also, by paying off 2 credit cards from 70% max credit level down to 0%, increased her credit score 100 points. That's the difference between paying 6% APR for a car loan and 21%.
These are the steps to take before you apply for a car loan:
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Benefits Of Car refinancing on the web:
Extended Warranties
As with financing, you must shop for extended warranties before you buy your car so you can compare with the dealer's warranty pricing. For extended an warranty, try
Warranty Direct. I Review both of them in detail in the section on
How To Buy An Extended Warranty And Avoid Scams. You want to get an online warranty quote before you go to the dealer, so you'll have something to compare the
dealer's extended warranty price with. Never show up at a dealer to buy a car without a free quote from an online warranty site.
Credit Unions:
If you're a corporate employee, school district, government agency, college, etc., you probably have a credit union. Credit unions are easier on you than banks, they'll
lend you more money at favorable rates, usually 2% better, but not as good as the car loan sites. Your credit union can approve you over the phone in minutes, printing
your credit report during the call. They'll tell you what you qualify for. I have found more often than not, the online lenders rates usually beat the credit
unions.
Remember, get a copy of your credit report so there's no surprises. The Credit Union can deduct payments from your pay check if you desire. Credit unions also give more favorable benefits than leasing companies. Most don't require a security deposit, down payment, other fees, and are generous with mileage. If you use a credit union, make sure there is no fine print that says they can put a lien on your home if you default on the car loan. The Postal Service credit union has this lien.
Bad Credit Causes You To Pay More For Insurance
Many insurance companies run credit checks on you before the application is signed. Some online companies bypass
this by allowing you to supply a self reported credit rating from a pull down menu. The reason for the credit checks is that there is a higher underwriting
risk not only in terms your ability to make payments and keep policies in force, but the higher claims/loss ratios of folks with bad credit. A 40 year old man
with a couple of late payments and no tickets, accidents or major violations might very well qualify for a preferred policy.
What's on your credit report
Some sites give you your credit report free, but you must sign up to their credit monitoring service to get it. You are allowed one free copy of your
credit report by a creditor who rejects you, otherwise it's $7.95 from most sites. Your credit report appears online, and shows who has checked your credit
history too. You'll see many inquiries with no credit issued and this hurts your chances of qualifying. You must have all these unauthorized inquiries removed
from your credit report, especially from car dealers who checked your credit while you were out on a test drive. Usually credit bureaus want to know your
address, previous address, SS#, employer, the usual, to get your credit report. Many errors can be quickly removed with
a phone call to your creditor. You MUST have a copy of your credit report if you've never seen it before. Show up at a dealer before obtaining your credit report, and
you are in big trouble. You might as well just give them your checkbook. A car dealer should never know more about your finances than you do, and besides, you
might find an error in your report. This puts you at a disadvantage when the dealer calls 2 weeks after the sale to say "financing fell through, we need more
cash" and they blame some black mark on your credit history.
TIP: When filling out the forms for your credit report or anything else online, remember to enter your full email address properly! If your email address is forgetful@aol.com, don't just put "forgetful", you must add the full "forgetful@aol.com" or your request will be denied. They need to be able to email your report to you as a backup. Also, you will need your Drivers License #.
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People With Bad Credit Or No Credit
How does bad credit hurt you? Dealers charge you 18% interest or more, while the rest of us enjoy 2% to 8%. Bad credit keeps you from opening a checking account!
Banks run a credit check because they know people with bad credit bounce checks. The fact that you shafted all of your creditors is coming back to get you.
Most cases of bad debt are from pure ignorance. Don't live beyond your means! Plan your life with a budget that has a reasonable and sustainable car payment built
into it. If you have bad credit, please don't email me asking what to do, I am not a credit consultant. Go check out the free consumer credit info site
DebtWizards.Com instead.
Restoring Your Credit
There's only one way to restore your tainted credit: Pay back what you owe. If you have credit card balances, transfer them to your lowest APR card. Pay off debt
before you buy a new car, high balances hurt your chances of qualifying. Stop spending. Pay more to cards with high APR, send more than the minimum payment, or
it will take 10 years to pay it off. If you have cash in the bank earning 2%, it's losing you more to income taxes, so be smart and use it to pay off 18% debt. If you
have equity in your home, consider a home equity loan to pay off credit cards, close the accounts, and write off the interest on your taxes.
The Proper Way To Consolidate Your Debt
Consolidation loans are not for everyone and can be dangerous if you aren't careful. There's a lot of people out there who aren't paying attention
when they consolidate their loans. Sometimes the interest rate can be higher than the rate you currently have on your debt. If the loan's APR is higher than your
credit cards, you'll lose money and should not close on the loan.
You Cannot Borrow Your Way Out of Debt!
Consolidation loans are DANGEROUS for impulsive people because all you are really doing is shifting all your debt from one place to
another, effectively OPENING ANOTHER CHANNEL OF CREDIT, while freeing up your credit cards. Some idiots then proceed to fill up their credit cards again, now they
have double the debt they started with, and they are paying up to 22% on their consolidation loan because they weren't paying attention to the APR when they
signed up. Some Loan companies are very unscrupulous and make it look like they are eliminating your debt or they hide the APR from you.
Don't Forget Auto Insurance
Don't overlook this important part of car buying, you'll be in for a shock later. Get a quote on the car you want. You'll be surprised how much some new cars cost to
insure. Some cars are very difficult to insure. Know your insurance costs before you buy a car, and plan your budget accordingly. My 25 year old friend pays
$2400 a year for insurance on his 2008 Mustang, and the GT is even more (Shelby
GT 500 - Forget about it!). That's $200 per month! This is where people
make a big mistake, forgetting to include insurance in their budget. If you're buying a car on the hairy edge of what you can afford, insurance payments will drag you
under. Insurance payments are part of your monthly cost of ownership. Read up on how to buy insurance, definitions of coverage and how to avoid scams in our insurance
chapter All About Auto Insurance. Auto insurance sites Comparison Market, Allstate
and GEICO give you free online auto insurance quotes, so be sure to get pricing from them too.
Extended Warranties
For extended an warranty, try Warranty Direct. I talk much more about
them in detail in our online guide for warranties called How To Buy An Extended Warranty And Avoid Scams.
You want to get an online warranty quote before you go to the dealer, so you'll have something to compare the dealer's extended warranty price with.
Never show up at a dealer to buy a car without a free quote from an online warranty site.
Go On to Chapter 2: Discount Car Buying & Car Pricing On The Internet
| Jump to any chapter. I suggest you read each chapter in order. | |||
| Chapter 1 Get your credit report, how to get a car loan, scams, online car loans, first time car loans, budget & loan excel spreadsheets, credit repair. |
Chapter 2 Reviews of internet discount car buying sites, new car prices, find dealer's invoice cost. Get a new car quote. |
Chapter 3 What to bring to a dealership, what to say, how to act, what not to do, what to look for at the dealership and a glossary of all dealer fees. |
Chapter 4 How to read dealer invoices, finding dealer's cost, how much to offer the dealer, buyers offer spreadsheet, examples, trade-ins. |
| Chapter 5 Negotiating tips, dealer scams & tricks to watch out for, dealing with aggressive salespeople, choosing between rebates or low APR loans. |
Chapter 6 Close the deal, avoid needless extras, scams in the business office, extended warranty scams, options, buying warranties online. |
Chapter 7 Actual misleading dealer ads, and what to do when you've been ripped off, customer satisfaction surveys, how I bought my Lexus. |
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