Kiplinger.com
Tools
Columns
E-mail Alerts
Online Forum
Quizzes
Site Map
The Kiplinger Letter
Kiplinger Store
Customer Service
Corporate Sales
About Kiplinger
Give A Gift

SPENDING WISELY

 | 

BEST VALUES IN CARS, TECH, TRAVEL & ENTERTAINMENT

Home > Spending Wisely > Cars > Column

Slideshow Videos Slideshow
FEATURED SLIDE SHOW
What Can You Buy for $300K?
We went in search of housing values using our top ten best cities for 2008 as a guide.
KIPLINGER'S MONEY POLL
The unemployment rate hit a five-year high in August. How worried are you about your job?
Very worried
Somewhat worried
Not worried
Not sure
       View Results!
ASK KIM
Refinancing a Car Loan

I still owe about $10,000 on a car loan at 7.5% interest, but I see new car loans going for 2.9% or less. Is there any way to refinance my car loan to a lower rate?


You won't find nearly as many ads for car-loan refinancing as you will for mortgage refinancing, but it's worthwhile to look into it. Only a handful of lenders refinance car loans, and the rates are higher than new-car interest rates. But you still could save quite a bit of money by trading in your old loan for a new one.

Check out E-Loan, which is offering car-loan refinancing for as low as 4.39%. PeopleFirst's rates are similar: 4.39% for 12- to 36-month loans, 4.75% for 37- to 60-month loans and 5.49% for 61- to 72-month loans. You'll qualify for these low rates only if you have excellent credit.

Or, if you have equity in your home, you may get a better deal by exchanging your car loan for a home-equity loan. The rates are low and the interest on up to $100,000 in home-equity debt is tax deductible. Check out BankRate.com for rates. Be careful of fees, though, and of spreading out your loan for a much longer time period than you currently have.


ASK KIM:
Send Kim your questions. She can't answer every one, but she'll answer as many as she can. If your question isn't published within a few weeks, scan the archives to see if Kim has covered the issue before, or start a discussion in the Kiplinger.com Community.
Name:
E-mail address:
Subject (optional):

Question/Comments:

SAVE, SHARE & DISCUSS:    |   |   |   |   |    
ADD HEADLINES:          
SPONSORED LINKS