Get Pre Approved

I don’t ever recommend leaving a dealership with a vehicle unless you have been approved for the loan and you know your rate.  A common practice with dealerships it to “roll” a vehicle before getting an approval from a lending institution.  You will be asked to sign documents that will have you agree to a certain rate and term, even though that term and rate have not been guaranteed.  You will also be asked to initial and/or sign another document stating you understand that is what you are doing.  The bad news is that if you are not approved at the rate you have been promised you will be asked to go back to the dealership and sign new documents with a higher payment.  The other bad news is that if you are approved at a lower rate, the dealership just made more money on your purchase.  The other, other bad news is that if you cannot get financing you have to give the vehicle back and you just wasted a whole bunch of your time!  If you have a pre approval before you enter the dealer’s showroom, there will not be any unexpected surprises!  You can also often use your pre approval to leverage a better rate from the dealership!