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Car Shopping
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Check out our car-buying
information to save time and money.____________________________________
Car Shopping
Apply Online or Over the Phone
We’re here to make it easy for you to shop for and finance your new car! Check out our car-buying information to save time and money.
Have questions? Give us a call. We’re happy to help.
Good luck with your car shopping!
Purchase Your Vehicle
You can apply online whether or not you’ve found your new car.
If you’re still shopping, we’ll let you know the maximum loan amount for which you qualify. Shop with confidence knowing that your financing is ready when you are!
Refinance Your Auto Loan
Whether you want to lower your monthly payment or pay less in interest, we can help!
When your monthly payments and your budget aren't getting along, let us see if we can help find a lower monthly payment. Want to reduce the interest you pay? Lower rates and shorter terms will help reduce your total interest payments on a loan. Whatever your goal, we’ll review your situation with you and come up with the best refinance options.
Call us to Purchase or Refinance
To apply for an auto loan, please call our Loan Center at 800.966.8200. We’ll take your application right over the phone.
Monday–Friday — 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday — 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Special Services
Exclusively for Direct Financial Car Buyers
Vehicle Service Program
Direct Financial and our partner CU Certified Automotive offer members the chance to purchase coverage through our Vehicle Service Program. You pick the level of coverage for mechanical breakdown, roadside assistance, and more: Powertrain, Standard, High-Tech, or Comprehensive.
Car Buying Answers & Resources
Basic FAQs
- Will most Dealers or sellers accept a cashier's check?
Almost everyone accepts a cashier’s check as it is as good as cash.
- What is the easiest way to apply?
You'll get an immediate answer.
You can also visit any of our conveniently located branches or call us at 866-80-LOANS. - What if I am buying on Craig's list?
We cannot give you advice about the integrity of items sold on Craig’s list. We can tell you the transaction from our point of view is the same as a used auto sale.
- Learn What Others are Paying
Before you go into the dealership, find out what other people have paid for similar models. This information is available (usually for a fee) from several websites, including Edmunds.com and ConsumerReports.org. You can also get an approximate idea for free from TrueCar. If you are a serious researcher, there are online forums where other shoppers share the details of the deals they’ve gotten. - If I have bad credit can I still get a loan?
Yes, if you have a reasonable explanation for credit and have the ability to pay and job stability you can usually get a loan. - What rate will I get?
The rate you receive is based upon your credit. - Break The Deal Down
Dealers have several profit centers in each car deal: price, rebates, trade-in value, interest/lease rate, bank fee, maintenance, warranties, extra features, and any other products the dealer is offering. By separating each of these costs, you can drive down the overall price by eliminating any "padding" the dealer may try to tuck into the deal. - Pricing -- "Invoice" vs. "Internet" vs. MSRP
For new cars, "invoice price" is what the dealer pays to get the car onto the lot. This is the cost the dealer has to cover, plus profit, and it's always lower than the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) shown on the vehicle. You can find the invoice price online for a modest fee, and some dealers will tell you if you ask. It's perfectly reasonable to use this price as your starting point for negotiations.Many dealers offer "Internet" pricing. This number is often closer to their best price because it's based on working with buyers online, which reduces dealer overhead costs. A good strategy can be to contact several dealers by email and ask for their "best internet price" on the make and model you want. This is a good way to find the "no-nonsense" dealers that will negotiate in a straightforward fashion.
- Don't Go on Emotion
Take your time to find out the exact car you want and research the available options. You can find all the model information online, including feature packages, reliability ratings and more. Try to create a short list of cars you’re considering so you can you use your visit to the dealership to compare specific models and features. This strategy signals to the salesperson that you know what you’re doing.
Negotiating Tips FAQs
- End of the Month Is Good, But...
The end of the month is not the only time to get a great deal. Dealerships are always motivated to sell cars. If you do want to take advantage of the dealer's urgency to meet his monthly goal or quota, start your negotiation a few days before. - Call Ahead
Call the dealership before going there and ask the salesman to have the car you want to drive ready. If you don't, it could have a dead battery, be buried behind other cars or even be stored off-site. - Set yourself up to be in a good position to get your next car
If you are going to purchase a car with little or no money down and you plan to replace it within 36 months, you will likely end up owing more money on the car than it's worth. This could create a cycle of taking negative equity from one car to another, further burying yourself in a negative trade cycle.Instead, lease it for a 36-month term, and you'll end up with a paid contract at the end of the lease.
- The Early Bird Gets Rolled
If you're the type who has to be the first on your block with the new Mustang, fine, but you probably won't get a good deal. The hype surrounding a new model (or a new version of an existing model) tilts the supply-demand ratio in the dealers' favor, allowing them to charge retail or even more when the new car hits the showroom. If you wait a few months for the actual inventory to arrive at the dealer, you'll usually get a better price. - Lower Payment Isn't Lower Price
If a salesman offers to lower your monthly payment by changing the terms of a loan or lease, he may not be offering much of anything. This is a common way to present a more comfortable payment for you without having to lower his price and profit. - Check the Switch
If a dealer proposes to switch you from a new car to a used car, or vice versa, get all the information on the second car. Then go home and research its market value. Take any false urgency such as, "This pre-owned car is a very special, rare, low-mileage car that may be impossible to replace," with two grains of salt.Sometimes these pitches are at least partially true. If you feel that the car the dealer is showing you really is special, leave and gather your information quickly. You can always ask the dealer to hold the car for a while.
- Don't Waste Your Time
Before you start negotiating, make sure the dealer has the particular car you want in stock. If he doesn't, he can usually trade for it with another dealer. This can take a few days, and there is no guarantee that the dealer that can get the car for you. If not, you've wasted your time. Moreover, dealers typically offer better deals on cars they have in stock. - Don't Fall for False Urgency
Nine times out of 10, a deal the salesman quotes you will be available the next day (unless it's the last day of a special program). Prepare yourself to walk out of the dealership if you are being pressured and are uncomfortable.