Buying a car can be a grueling process. It usually goes something like this: You go to a dealership and find an automobile that suits your tastes and/or needs. You discuss it with the salesperson, take it for a test drive, and decide whether to pursue it or keep looking. If you’re still interested, you discuss the price and apply for financing. Then the salesperson goes back and forth with the sales manager until a workable price and financing plan is reached.

But sometimes it’s not that simple. Buyers often choose a vehicle that is beyond their price range, and the dealer will not finance it. Or worse, the buyer may be turned down for credit completely. But much of this hassle can be avoided by getting a preapproved car loan through a bank.

Getting preapproved for a car loan is a fairly simple process. The buyer simply goes to the bank before setting foot on a car lot and requests preapproval. The loan officer takes an application and runs the buyer’s credit report, and informs him how much money he qualifies to borrow. The buyer may then start looking at cars, and when he finds one in his price range, the bank sets up the loan. …read more