Getting a good deal on auto insurance is hard enough. When you compare car insurance you will need to look at important factors such as financial stability, reputation, customer service, claims handling, licensing and of course, rate quotes.
When making calls or visiting different online insurance sites, take note of several things:

* One of the most important factor for many people are the car insurance quotes because it is important for rates to fall within one’s budget in order to work. The rates are a good starting point because it’s a quick way to narrow down your choices.
* Check out the financial stability of the car insurance companies by visiting rating agencies who assign a letter grade to each carrier as follows:
- A+ or A++ (Superior Rating) – 1 in over 1600 companies is expected to go out of business.
- A or A- (Excellent Rating) – 1 in about 500 are expected to go out of business
- B++ or B+ (Good Rating) – 1 in 133 expected to go out of business
- B or B- (Fair) – 1 in 48 can be expected to go out of business
- C++ and beyond – companies in these categories are marginal, week and poor.
- Other – If you see a rating beginning in NR it may mean that the company has not been classified, look up on the legend to see the reason why.
* Try to determine the quality of an insurer’s customer service, pick up the phone and call the customer service number to get a feel of they’re assistance methods, if the hold times get out of hand, it might be a sign of understaffing or their service could be bad. Feel free to ask a question you may have.
* Check on the company¡¯s reputation. Reputation comes from a combination of the customer service and claims handling experience of customers and its great too if any current policyholder you may know or who has posted a comment online provides feedback. Another great way of analyzing the reputation of an insurer is via complaint records gathered by government agencies or forums. Keep in mind that it is likely that all companies have at least one complaint. It’s the companies that stand out from so many complaints that must be reconsidered
* Check whether they are licensed. Licensing is important. In the event the insurer becomes unable to pay out the claims, there could be a back up source to fund it.

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Doing your homework before buying a used car can save you an incredible amount of money, especially since cars are one of the most expensive consumer items anyway. But many are not as well prepared as they should be when they get used car auto loans. For some reason, buyers seem to often let their guard down when it comes time to finance the car that they want, and here is where you can lose more money than almost anywhere else in the deal. So here are the top 5 mistakes that you want to avoid when getting used car auto loans:

Mistake #1. Not knowing what your credit score is – Before you even begin shopping for your car, get a copy of your credit report and go over it very carefully. Your credit score will determine to a very large degree how much interest you will have to pay on your car loan. Unfortunately, it’s common to find errors in your credit report that do not work in your favor, so keep up to date on your credit report and get all errors removed immediately to get your best finance deals.

Mistake #2. Not getting auto financing in advance – Once you have your credit score and know what kind of interest rate you can qualify for, shop around and line up used car auto loan financing before you visit the dealer or go shopping at all. You may want to visit your local bank that you do business with, or even your credit union as they tend to offer very good loan rates to their members. But don’t forget using the internet to get auto loan approval too. Many of the loan sites on the web are able to give you credit authorization within the same day so it’s quick and easy, and often saves money since you are dealing directly with the lender. Once you have advance financing in place you are now in position to bargain with the dealer on financing instead of just blindly accepting what they offer.

Mistake #3. Allowing the dealer to obscure details of the car deal – Car dealers often want to mix up the numbers from all segments of the deal so it becomes confusing and hard to pin down exactly what kind of deal you are getting. Do not let them separate out the three distinct parts of most car deals, (1) the actual cost of the car being bought, (2) the actual amount being allowed for trade-in, and (3) the details of the finance contract if you decide to finance the car through them. Don’t let them get you focused on your monthly payment early in the buying process. Keep financing totally separate until the end and watch everything carefully.

Mistake #4. Not going over the finance contract carefully before signing – If you decide to finance through the dealer it’s usually the last step in the process and it’s easy to be tired by this point and just want to get things over. But actually you need to be even more vigilant and review the loan contract thoroughly to be sure that you are getting the finance arrangements that you have bargained for and that no additional items were inserted into the deal that you did not already approve.

Mistake #5. Going ahead with a financing deal even when you feel uncomfortable – If you ever start to feel uncomfortable with any part of the sales or financing part of buying your car, just walk away right then. Don’t let yourself be pressured into doing anything that you don’t feel totally comfortable with. Many consumers have been hounded into buying a car that they later regretted because of not heeding this advice.

When getting used car loans, if you avoid the mistakes listed above you will be able to go a long way toward making sure that you get the right loan at the right price.

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You’ve just learned that your request for an auto loan with the Bank has been denied. The loan officer explains that the decision has to do with your credit. Banks lend only to prime borrowers; your credit situation places you squarely in non-prime territory.

Non-Prime. You’re not sure exactly what it means, but it sounds like a condemnation that will forever brand you as being somehow deficient to lenders.

However, being deemed Non-Prime doesn’t necessarily mean that your borrowing days are over. It may still be possible for you to get that sought-after car loan.

But first you need to understand the term that defines you. A Non-Prime borrower is one with No Credit or Bad Credit. Each lender has its own definition of what constitutes a Non-Prime borrower, but typically, a credit score of less than 620 lands you in this less-than-desirable category. For more information on credit scores, and what sort of factors cause them to suffer, please see Getting Credit in Canada .

There are four credit grantors specializing in Non-Prime lending who are eager and willing to loan money to those with bad credit. Naturally, though, there’s a catch. The interest rates for Non-Prime borrowers are frequently quite steep — significantly steeper than those paid by their more credit-worthy?

So, now that you understand what your options are here are a few tips:

• Check your credit report. Make sure that everything on your report is accurate; it could be that information has been entered in error, and that your credit history is a lot less blemished than you’ve been led to believe. If you do find information on your report that is inaccurate, you need to address it right away. Contact the credit bureaus in writing, listing your name and address and clearly detailing the nature of the error.

• Access your credit score. For a long time, credit scores were available only to prospective lenders, who used them to evaluate those seeking loans. That has changed; it’s now possible for consumers to access this all-important number. Your score is available online from the credit bureaus: Equifax. If you’ve got bad credit, it’s helpful to know it beforehand. Knowing your credit score will help give you a sense of exactly where you stand in your search for an auto loan.

• Don’t rely on the Dealers. Dealers take a cut of all car financing deals they land; as a result, any loan that they’re able to get you with a bank or financing company is likely to wind up being more costly to you than if you had contacted the lending institution on your own. Ideally, you’ll want to secure your auto loan before setting foot inside the dealership. Auto Source Financial can get you Pre-Qualified for your Vehicle Loan and help you find the Car you’re looking for at a far cheaper price.

• Shop around. Rates will vary from lender to lender; take the time to look around and see what deals are available. Lenders typically define their business according to credit tiers (A, A- and so on.); speak with loan officers regarding how each tier is linked to credit score and interest rate. Ask for a matrix detailing the tiers and their implications; having something in writing from each lender will make it easier to compare your options effectively. If you have a checking account, make sure to include your bank in your search for a loan. Many banks have entire departments dedicated to providing loans to those with flawed credit, and they tend to look more favourably upon applicants who are current clients. Your credit union is also a good place to turn. For years, credit unions have had a reputation of lending only to members with good credit, but that’s begun to change. Many are now beginning to expand their business to include those with less-than-perfect credit.

• Remember that your credit score is malleable and ever-changing. When it comes to your credit history, the ball is entirely in your court. You can improve your bad credit by paying your bills on time, and not overextending yourself when it comes to loans and credit cards. With proper attention paid to the state of your credit, you could conceivably hoist yourself out of Non-Prime territory in as few as two or three years. Going forward, check your credit score at least once annually. You may have to pay more than you’d like for the auto loan you’re about to receive, but in a couple of years, if your credit score has improved, you’ll probably be able to refinance your loan at a much lower rate.

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