Upside Down Car Loans: Eight Simple Steps To Get Out Fast

By Staff

Let’s face it; most Americans love cars. Unfortunately, most Americans also have way too much car debt.

In an article from Auto Blog posted just a few months ago, they cited increases in new car pricing, and the effect those prices are having on family finances.

A study by Comerica Bank shows that the average purchase price of a new vehicle went up $300 in the second quarter versus the Q1, bringing the average transaction price to $26,300. The upward swing in prices came at a time when the average household income remained stagnant. The average family needs 22.1 weeks of median family income to pay for their new vehicle purchase…

It’s true; cars typically represent one of the largest expenses in a household budget. Only housing costs the average family more each month. Factor in gas, maintenance, taxes, repairs and car insurance, and the cost of owning a car pushes even higher.

The most significant expense most people neglect to factor is depreciation.  New cars go down in value like a rock. Some new cars can lose as much as 20% of their original value when you drive it off the car lot. This quick depreciation, and the accelerated depreciation that often follows, leaves people owing much more in car loans than their car is worth.

If you find yourself in an upside down car loan, it is a safe bet your situation could be improved if you sell that “new” car and buy a much cheaper used one for your work commute. You may still owe money, but you’ll owe much less money, and that is almost always a good thing.

How to Get Out of An Upside Down Car Loan

1. The very first step to getting rid of an upside down car is to evaluate how much your current car is worth. Using sites like Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds, try to determine the amount of your current car’s private sale value (not trade-in, which is often much lower). Be sure to be honest about the condition of your car, and enter the exact mileage to get a good valuation.

2. Save $2,000 to buy a “beater” to get back and forth to work. If you really want to get out of your upside down car loan, now is the time to swallow your pride, and put aside your love of shiny cars. Over the next couple months, try to scrape up a couple thousand dollars to buy an old, ugly (but mechanically reliable) car to get you to work. That’s the only requirements. No sex appeal; no bells and whistles (and no car payment!).

3. Get an updated loan balance on upside down car. Contact your bank or auto finance company and get the current “pay off” balance on your car. Compare this figure to the estimated sale price from step one. Often times car owners discover that they are not really upside down after all. However, if you bought new with nothing down, and/or rolled the balance of your previous car loan into your new one, chances are you are in fact in an upside down car.

4. Contact local bank or credit union to pre-qualify loan for the difference. Let’s assume you owe $22,000 on a car estimated to be worth $17,000. Unless you have $5,000 sitting around, you are going to need help paying off the car loan when you sell the car (this is a required step to clear the title for the new owner).  Discuss options for a personal loan in the upside down amount. This step is a lot easier if your loan is already financed at a local bank or credit union. Simply explain to the loan officer that they are already exposed to $5,000 in unsecured liability based on the figures you’ve obtained.

5. Consider alternate sources of funding. If your bank or credit union won’t budge, or your car is financed through the manufacturer, you will have to look for other ways to fund the difference. If you have good credit, Lending Club is a potential source of financing. Tell your story as part of the borrower profile and ask for help in dumping your upside down car loan.

6. Get your car detailed, inside and out. Back when I was in the market for a car I was amazed to find so many dirty cars for sale. It doesn’t take a lot of money or time to give a car a thorough cleaning, and clean cars bring more cash, so there is definitely a return on your investment.

7. Advertise your car is for sale in every legal place you can think of – and include pictures. Pick up a “For Sale” sign at an office supply store and stick it in the windshield with your cell phone number. Place a flyer with color pics (take a couple good photos, design your own flyer in Microsoft Word or Photoshop, and get a few color copies made) on your gym’s bulletin board, at work (where allowable), and post on Craigslist, community classified sites, etc. Tell your Twitter followers, friends on Facebook, email distribution…everyone you know that you are trying to sell your car.

8. Create a bill of sale to provide buyer, and immediately drop your insurance coverage on old car. Since it might take a while to deposit the money from the buyer, and close out the financing on your loan for the difference owed to pay off your car, prepare a bill of sale for the new owner to show proof of transfer of ownership. Bill of Sale forms for your state can be found online at places like LegalZoom.com. Be sure to also get new owner’s mailing address (if different than listed on the bill of sale) so you can forward the title to them when the finance company returns it to you after loan is paid in full. Also, be sure to contact your car insurance company immediately following the sale to update your policy.

With your upside down car gone, and the huge car payment replaced by a smaller loan payment, start a car replacement fund to prepare to buy your next car with cash. Over time, you will eventually be able to trade up in car, but only do so when you are able to pay cash for a car. Who knows; you might even find yourself driving a million mile car one day and skipping car payments forever.

Photo by ozjimbob