car loans

Payment Late? Lenders Can Remotely Disable Your Car

Payment Late? Lenders Can Remotely Disable Your Car

Repossessing cars is so old-fashioned. All that driving, locating people’s houses, towing the cars away… with the mess credit markets are currently in, who has time for that? Car lenders don’t.

Toyota: Bad Economy, Bad Car Sales, Cheap Financing

Toyota: Bad Economy, Bad Car Sales, Cheap Financing

Toyota, long resistant to the sort of interest-free financing deals that their domestic counterparts survive on, is offering 0% interest financing on 11 of their vehicles, including Corolla and Camry, the Tundra full-size pickup truck, Matrix; RAV4, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner and Sequoia SUVs; Sienna minivan; and Tacoma pickup truck.

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In an effort to spur sales, General Motors is offering no-interest, six-year loans on new vehicle purchases through June 30th. Unfortunately, only the slow-selling models (i.e., not very fuel efficient) are included in the sale. Oh, also they’re raising prices on 2009 models. [New York Times]

Will Car Loans Be The Next Credit Meltdown?

Will Car Loans Be The Next Credit Meltdown?

Gone are the days of the three-year car loan. The length of the average automobile loan hit five years, four months in October, up more than six months from 2002, according to the Federal Reserve. And nearly 45% of loans written today are for longer than six years. Even some staid lenders owned by the carmakers, such as Toyota Financial Services and Ford Credit, are offering seven-year financing. And a few credit unions, particularly in the West, are tinkering with the eight-year note.

The Subprime Meltdown Is The Tip Of The Credit Iceberg

The Subprime Meltdown Is The Tip Of The Credit Iceberg

The ongoing subprime meltdown is merely the first destructive wave of credit catastrophe to wash over Wall Street, according to Slate’s resident explainer. Americans drunkenly bandy credit around in several forms: mortgages are the most prevalent loans turning sour, but credit card debt, student loans, and auto loans are silently conspiring to threaten our macroeconomic well-being.

Don't Finance Your Car With Your Home Equity Loan

Don't Finance Your Car With Your Home Equity Loan

Maryland consumer attorney Sonya Smith-Valentine warns not to use a home equity loan to purchase a car. Her reasoning makes sense. When you use a home equity loan, you pay for the for many years longer than you would with a regular car loan, multiplying the interest you end up paying.