 TITLE: How to Get a Car Loan With Bad Credit CONTENT: How a Car Loan Impacts Your Credit\n----------------------------------\nGetting a car loan will impact your credit, and it could ultimately help or hurt your credit depending on how you handle your repayment.\nFirst, when you apply for an auto loan (or multiple loans if you try with several lenders), a record of your application (called a hard credit inquiry) will be listed in your reports. This shows that a lender checked your credit reports as part of the application process. This record remains in a credit report for up to two years, but might not have any impact on your scores after just a few months.\nLenders often report your payment history to one or more of the three major credit bureaus. This information will remain in your credit reports for many years, so it is important to make all your payments on time.\nPayment history accounts for 35% of your FICO® Score, and missing even one payment could negatively impact your scores. Too many missed payments could also result in your car getting repossessed by the lender, which has a devastating effect on your credit.\nIf you make all your payments on time, this positive information will be recorded in your file and will contribute to the overall health of your payment history—helping your scores over time. If you don't know what your credit score is, you can see your FICO® Score for free through Experian. END