Anyone that’s ever tried buying something rather expensive knows that you need good credit to get by. With bad credit, it seems like all doors are slamming in your face and it can feel quite daunting. However, just because you have bad credit doesn’t mean that you suddenly don’t need a car anymore, so here are some useful tips for getting an auto loan bad credit owners will surely appreciate.
Fixing your act
This might sound very obvious, but the first thing you need to focus on is fixing your credit as much as possible. This means that you should start looking into how well you can do this, even months ahead of going to the dealer to look at cars. There are a couple of ways in which you can get your credit on its feet again, or at least repair a lot of the damage done. This implies paying off any debt that you might still have, checking for and resolving report errors, and trying to add “notes” that will bring something positive to your credit report.
Stay clear of further trouble
In the period leading up to you buying a car, it’s important that you don’t even look the wrong way at items that might cause your credit to sink further. Make sure to stay clear of any credit harming items so that you have all the best chances to still get an auto loan. Every little bit helps, and being reckless just because you no longer have a perfect credit is the exact opposite of what you should do.
Say no to the bonus facilities
Buying a car with bad credit means that you can’t afford to throw a bunch of extra features on top. While under different circumstances you might have been safe to get the sunroof option, your current context dictates that it’s better to just forget about all of that since you don’t want to be adding even more to your already large payments.
Say no to huge rates
When you have bad credit, the going rates on cars will go up. That’s to be expected and shouldn’t surprise you. However, keep in mind that agreeing to any interest rate that’s more than twice as big as what’s considered average is usually a mistake. If it’s your only option, then perhaps you should hold off on getting a car just yet, until you manage to fix your credit up some more. Higher rates do not just increase your payments, but also the price on the car you’re looking to buy.
Counteract high rates with a large downpayment
Consider making a fairly large downpayment as this will counteract the effects of your interest rate as well as your credit. It won’t magically erase all the problems, but making a bigger down payment will give you more options regarding how big your pool of car choices is, based on the kind of loan you can get with your current situation.
