Posts Tagged ‘Auto Financing’

What Exactly is Auto Financing?

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

Auto financing is a generic term. It means, in essence, how a vehicle is paid for. Generally, a car is paid for by taking a loan or a lease for the car. It usually involves a credit check, where the financing institution looks at your financial history and tries to determine how creditworthy you are. This determines the type of financing that you get, including the sorts of service charges and financing terms that are offered to you.

You may get auto financing from a bank, financial institution or the dealership. Banks and other financial institutions offer a number of amenities when it comes to auto financing, including things like special rates for customers that have other types of accounts.

Dealerships also offer incentives to get auto financing. Because dealerships work with a large volume of sales and a number of different financial institutions, they’re often able to find the best rate for you without you having to shop around for it.

To be prepared to finance a car, you’ll want to get a copy of your own credit report. Check it for errors, or for things that don’t belong. The more current you are on your bills and the lower your overall debt, the better auto financing you’ll find.

Facts About Auto Financing at the Dealership

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Many people choose to use dealership auto financing when they are buying a new or used car. In fact, most auto financing done today is done at a dealership. It is estimated that more than 40 million car loans occurred at dealerships just last year. It seems that dealership auto financing is what most people prefer.

Why is dealer financing so popular? Well, to start with, dealers are able to have access to multiple sources of financing, and their volume of transactions helps them to get more competitive deals. This is good for the consumer, as the dealer has already shopped around for the best rates.

In addition, a dealer can get auto financing for customers will all sorts of credit histories, from those with perfect credit to those with damaged credit. Some dealers even work with lenders that specialize in financing customers with bankruptcy.

Financing at the dealer also makes the dealership a one-stop shop. You can find your car, arrange financing, and find the best rate for your auto financing all in one place.

Ultimately, it seems that auto financing at the dealer not only provides the best value on your auto loan, but it is also simply convenient.

How to Understand Your Credit Score

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

When it’s time to look at auto financing, you want to have some idea of how your credit score stands. Your credit score is a simple, three digit number that can determine whether or not you can get the auto financing for the car you want.

In some cases, an auto financing lender may not dig too deeply into your full credit report once they see your credit score. While it’s also important to know what’s in your credit report, knowing your credit score and knowing how to interpret it will give you an edge when it comes to auto financing.

Your credit score is a number somewhere between 300 and 850. This number represents the likelihood that you are to pay your loan and to pay it on time, according to the lending industry.

Most people have a credit score more than 700. The best credit ratings fall above 720, and a credit score of 720 is considered to be a safe risk. With a credit score of 720, you are considered to be a safe risk and should get a relatively low interest rate on your auto financing.

Your credit score is made up of several components. First off, it’s made up of your actual payment history. This is your history of payments to creditors over time, and makes up more than one third of your credit score.

Another third or so of your credit score has to do with your debt ratio. This is how much money you owe versus what is available. If you’ve maxed out all of your credit, you are considered to be a higher risk.

The last three components to your credit score have to do with the length of your credit history, new credit and type of credit. History has to do with how long your accounts have been open. The number of new credit accounts you’ve opened in the recent past can affect your score. Finally, the type of credit you have is considered.