Sell the vehicle.
If your car is worth as much as or close to the balance on your account, selling it could enable you to pay off the loan without harming your credit.
Can I sell my car before paying it off?
It is possible to sell a car even if you still owe money on the loan. This merely adds a step to the sales transaction: closing the loan with your lender. Your best course of action will depend on how you plan to sell the car and whether you have positive or negative equity in the vehicle.
Can I sell my car if I still owe on the loan?
The short answer: yes. You can absolutely sell a car you’re still making payments on. All the outstanding loan does is add some extra steps to the sale process. When you owe money on your vehicle, ownership technically belongs to your lender, even if you totaled the car.
Will a dealership buy my car if I still owe?
What happens if I still owe money on my trade in car? It’s important that you know the pay-off amount – how much you still owe – and the trade value of the car – how much the dealer is willing to offer you. A dealer will then pay off your old loan and give you a credit for the value of your trade vehicle.
Does selling a financed car hurt your credit? – Related Questions
How can I get rid of my financed car?
Pay off the car
The best way to get rid of a car loan is to pay off the balance of the loan. Check with your lender to see if a prepayment penalty will apply. If not, you can make extra principal payments to pay off the loan balance early. Then you will own the car outright and can keep it, sell it or trade it in.
Can I sell my car to CarMax if I still owe on it?
Will CarMax buy my car if I owe on it? Yes. You’ll need to provide loan information so CarMax can pay off the lender. If you owe more than your offer, you will need to cover the difference.
Can I sell my car to Carvana if I still owe on it?
Yes. Until the sale of your car to Carvana is final, continue to make your normal loan payments to avoid late payment penalties with your lender. Any overpayments will be reimbursed to you.
How soon can you trade in a financed car?
How soon can you trade in a financed car? You can trade in a financed car any time, but you may want to wait a year or more — especially if you bought a new car. Cars depreciate over time.
How do I sell my car with negative equity?
Private sale with negative equity
You pay the difference. For example, if you still owe $10,000 and your buyer will pay $9,000 for your car, you would pay the lender the $1,000 difference. Then you and a representative of the lender sign the title and give it to the buyer so they can get a new title and registration.
Will dealerships pay off negative equity?
If you have negative equity on the car (as in it’s worth less than what you currently owe), the dealer may still buy the car and pay off the loan, but the difference will be rolled into your new car loan — meaning you’ll still need to pay it off eventually.
How much is too much negative equity on a car?
How much negative equity is too much? The best way to determine if the negative equity is too much is to calculate the Loan-to-Value ratio (LTV). Ideally, the loan amount should not exceed 125% of the resale value.
How do I return a car I can’t afford?
If you simply can’t afford your car payments any longer, you could ask the dealer to agree to voluntary repossession. In this scenario, you tell the lender you can no longer make payments ask them to take the car back. You hand over the keys and you may also have to hand over money to make up the value of the loan.
What happens if I return my financed car?
If you return the car to the lender, the lender will likely sell it. It will apply the proceeds of the sale to your car loan balance, after reimbursing itself for the costs of sale and certain fees.
Is it possible to return a financed car?
Voluntary repossession is the last resort option.
If you can’t sell the vehicle to a private party, a dealer won’t buy it, and you don’t have the option to roll over your auto loan, then you may have to consider voluntarily surrendering the car to the dealership. This is commonly called voluntary repossession.
Can you transfer car loan to someone else?
To complete the car loan transfer, the potential new owner will need to file a new loan application with the current lender. They’ll need to go through the loan approval process (including a credit check) before they can be approved to assume your car loan. Transfer ownership.