What should my credit score be in order to get a good APR on a new vehicle?
I am looking to buy a small SUV sometime in the fall/winter but know that I need to improve my credit score in order to get a better APR than I have now. What credit score are most vehicle lenders looking for?
Public Comments
- I challenge you to view this before ever buying a new vehicle. http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/lms/drive_free/
- Anything above a 650 should get you a decent APR and is considered a "good credit" score by most banks and lenders.
- Auto finance is what I do for a living and auto loans are based on the following factors; 1. LTV (loan to value). 2. Term requested. 3. Age of vehicle. 4. Miles on vehicle. 5. Down payment amount. 6. Time on job. 7. Time at residence. 8. Monthly income before taxes. 9. Credit score/profile. Depending on how the above are submitted to the lenders anyone with a score from 500 up can be approved with a decent rate. As far as your question, 680 is the cut off for the best rate from Chrysler, anything below 640 is considered sub-prime. Far more important then score is your credit profile. You need at least 3 credit card accounts (revolving) with balances below 30% of your credit limit and 2 cars, boats, homes, furniture or personal loans (installment) all with good long payment history's for the best rates. I look at credit all day and see people every month with 700 scores that can not buy cars because their score is made up of 1 credit card with a $500.00 limit paid 15-times and a couple of student loans. While this profile generates a great score it doe's not show the willingness or the ability to actually pay anybody.
- Anything above a 650, however, it depends on your job and down payment. When I bought my car I had a 590 credit score, I had my job for 6 years, made over 3500 per month, but had to leave $3200.00 down and was given a 9% loan. I thought that was good considering my last loan was at 18%. If you have a credit card. Make sure you pay off the entire balance each month or at the very least keep it under 50% of your credit limit. If you don't have a card get a secured credit card and do the same thing. I did the same thing a it boosted my score by 90 points in a few months.
