Best Autos For Bad Credit

If you're like most people with a credit ding or two, you can expect to be offered a bad credit car loan with a monthly payment between $250 and $300, or, roughly, $10,000 to $12,000.

That's why we constantly scour the Web for bargains in -- or near -- that price range. For instance:

ESCALADE BLING!

Sure, the newest cost more than $50,000, but the first ones (2000 models) can now be found for less than $15,000 used -- and you can spiff it up from there.

SUZUKI POWER:

The king of new cars for bad credit. Suzuki has five models BRAND NEW that list for under $15,000, including a small SUV. Thing is, according to the experts, they hold up real well, too.

HYUNDAI & KIA BLUES

Years ago, loans for iffy credit drove the sales of these two companies. Now both are making

pretty solid cars and striving for a bigger market. The Kia Rio (around $10,000) is the highest rated subcompact by J.D. Power.

THINK AMERICAN

You can find a brand new Chevy Aveo at 07 closeout prices for under $9,000 -- and it's unbelievably good on gas. Some of the small Fords are not only fuel-efficient, but highly rated by folks such as Consumer Reports.

OVERBUILT TRUCKS!

For the first time in maybe forever, Toyota overbuilt for the U.S. truck market this year, and you can get a new Tundra for under $15,000. Most at this price are two-wheel drive instead of four-wheel, but it's an amazing price for a truck known as indestructible.

To research more:

We suggest the cars.com article on Best Used Cars for $10,000 , or the autoloan.com feature on best cars for bad credit car customers.

Loan Rates

Every loan
is different,
thanks to your
credit score,
whether you are
buying new or used,
and how long you
will take to repay.

It is no surprise
that the lower your
credit score, the more
you'll pay.

What is a surprise is that it's not as expensive as you might think. Turns out the difference between a $10,000 loan at 9 percent and the same loan at 18 percent is only $1.49 a day. You can spend that much on your morning coffee -- and that coffee stop isn't going to fix your credit like a car loan will.

So before you go car shopping:
• learn your credit score (you can do it for free at www.annualcreditreport.com
• visit www.myfico.com to see what kind of interest rate you can expect to pay.
• use an auto loan payment calculator to set your monthly budget.