Small And Cheap, Or Older And Cheaper?

In our research of best cars for bad credit history car loan customers, we found:

-- from AOL Autos, a recommendation of a Lexus from 97-02. Consumer Reports noted in its 07 buying guide that a 98 Lexus will have fewer reported problems than an 06 Mercedes.

-- Edmunds.com puts out an annual report of Used Car Best Bets. The 07 list included, among others, the Hyundai Elantra (01-05), the Mazda Miata (00-05), the Pontiac Vibe (03-05) and the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

-- at autos.msn.com, you can find all kinds of useful information on vehicle reliability (which is a big deal when searching for a car). Their 07 story on Most Reliable Vehicles mentioned, among others, the Scion XA, the Buick Century, the Toyota Rav4 and the Oldsmobile Silhouette.

-- and finally, look at award wnners from a few years back, and then look for vechicles that have dropped into our $8,000 to $15,000 target range. You can find a complete list of Car and Driver's Top 10 cars of the year at this Wikipedia page. For a start, may we suggest the 02 Subaru Impreza.

 

An Original Escalade? Why Not?

Here's a stat for you. One fifth of all used Mercedes are sold to people with credit scores under 550. In fact, one third of all cars sold to bad credit history customers are upscale vehicles.

So what's going on here? At 1-800-Car-Loan we understand the psychology of the credit-challenged customer. We know the people who don't want the car of their dreams, they just want to be approved. We know the people who used to have great credit and don't want to settle for less. And we know the young people trying to build credit. Apply today and you'll be in good hands for a bad credit car loan.

Learn About Platform Cars -- And Save

Did you know the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are nearly identical cars, built on the same platform? And did you know you can find a used Vibe for about $2,500 less than a Matrix?

Finding cars that share essentially the same chassis, drive train and engine is a great way to save money. There are Fords that are the same as more expensive imports (Focus versus Mazda 3); the Chevrolet Trailblazer is thousands less than its mechanical twin, the Saab 9-7X; the Mazda B-series truck is usually cheaper than the Ford Ranger.