I’m looking to buy my first car and I know I’m going to need a loan. I’m very new to the process, though. If my credit score is 761, how do I get a car loan?
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Congratulations on your first adventure in car buying!
You’ll be happy to hear, getting a car loan can be very straightforward—especially with a good credit score like yours. Yes, 761 is a good credit score for a car loan. In fact, many lenders approve borrowers with much lower scores.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Research your options—A good rule of thumb is to look into loans from at least three sources to make sure the one you choose best suits your needs
Decide on a lender—This will usually be either the dealership itself, a bank, or a credit union
Negotiate your down payment, loan term, and interest rate with your lender
Make monthly payments until you’ve paid off the principal and interest
Generally, you’ll want an interest rate between 3–5% and a loan term, or repayment period, that is less than 72 months. A good rule of thumb is to pay as much as you can manage per month so that you don’t end up
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