
How To Get Out Of Car Loan With Negative Equity – Depending on your situation, you may consider negotiating with your lender, refinancing your loan, selling the car, or voluntarily giving it away to avoid repossession.
For many people, a car provides the necessary transportation for work, school, or other daily needs. But with an average car loan balance of $22,612, owning a car can get expensive.
How To Get Out Of Car Loan With Negative Equity
If you are having trouble making your payments, you may consider selling the vehicle, working with your current lender, refinancing your car loan, or voluntarily surrendering the car to your lender. Before you decide which path to take, understand how each one works and how it can affect your finances as well as your credit.
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A car loan is a secured installment loan that you can use to purchase a vehicle, which serves as collateral for the loan. You will make equal monthly payments throughout the term of the loan and can benefit from a loan term ranging from 12 to 84 months.
The interest rate on your loan depends on a variety of factors, including your credit score, income, repayment term and the vehicle you purchase. If you do not repay your loan as agreed, the lender can repossess the vehicle to recover the remaining loan amount.
You can get a car loan from several places, including banks, credit unions, and car manufacturers. In some cases you can apply for a loan directly from a lender and in others your lender can arrange financing on your behalf.
During the financing process, it’s crucial to ensure that paying for a new vehicle fits within your budget without requiring you to sacrifice other financial goals or necessities. But if your circumstances have changed or you’ve misjudged your ability to repay your loan, here are some potential steps you can take to get rid of the car payment.
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Getting rid of your transportation isn’t ideal, but if you fail to meet your repayment schedule, you risk losing the vehicle anyway. By selling it, you can control the process and get enough money at the sale for a down payment on a cheaper car.
You can also visit a dealership and see if you can trade in your car to cover part of the purchase price for a less expensive vehicle. Just keep in mind that you’ll generally make less money with a trade-in than selling your car privately.
If you don’t want to get rid of your car, call and discuss your situation with your lender and see if you can work out a deal.
For example, if your financial hardship is temporary, you may be able to negotiate a forbearance, which suspends your payments for a short period of time. Your lender may also offer to change your monthly payment amounts to make them more affordable until you can get back on your feet financially.
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Refinancing your car loan involves replacing your current loan with a new one. Depending on your situation, you may be able to benefit from a lower interest rate or longer repayment term on the new loan, which can help lower your monthly payment.
But even if a lower monthly payment is the main goal, also consider how much more you’ll pay in interest over the life of the new loan compared to your current loan. Also check to see if there is a prepayment penalty on your current loan to understand all potential costs.
Before applying for refinancing, you’ll want to shop around for the best interest rate to ensure the biggest savings on your finance payments.
If you have defaulted on your car loan, the lender may choose to repossess the car. The process is not pleasant and can seriously harm your credit score. If you want to avoid repossession and have no other options, you can voluntarily surrender the vehicle to your lender.
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A voluntary buyout allows you to return the vehicle to your lender on your terms, and while it may hurt your credit, it won’t have as big an impact as a repossession. You’ll also be able to avoid some repossession fees, which lenders may choose to add to what you owe.
The ways that getting out of a car loan can affect your credit largely depends on the route you choose.
Being upside down on a car loan, also called being underwater or having negative equity, occurs when you owe more on your loan than the car is worth.

If you’re in trouble with your car loan, selling the car, refinancing the loan, or voluntarily abandoning the vehicle can become more complicated. In particular, you may have to pay the lender to make up the difference between the value of the car and the outstanding loan amount. If you are already struggling with your payments, this extra payment may make your situation worse.
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There may not be much you can do to avoid being overwhelmed by a car loan if you’re already there. But here are some ways to avoid it:
If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford your car payment, your main concern may naturally be about your current situation and needs. But it’s also important to think about the potential long-term consequences of returning the car or repossessing it.
When considering your options for getting car loan relief, make sure you understand how they can affect your credit and how you can minimize that impact. You can monitor your credit for free to understand the impact of your actions on your credit and take action if necessary to avoid significant damage to your score.
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Visit websites like NADA or Kelly Blue Book to find out how much your car is worth. Make sure to be as detailed as possible to get the true value of your car.
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After assessing the value and determining how much your car is worth, you can try to close the gap. The amount between what you owe and the value of your car will be the amount
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