Being upside down on a car loan means you owe more on the loan than your car is worth. Selling your car or paying off the loan early are the two main ways to get out of an upside-down car loan. Trading in your car, refinancing the loan, or surrendering your car will not help you get out of an upside-down car loan.
One way to get out of a car loan is to sell the vehicle privately. If you're not upside down on the loan, meaning the car is more valuable than what you currently owe on it, you can use the proceeds of the sale to pay off the current loan in full. Another term for an upside-down car loan is negative equity.
You can sell your car if you still owe money on it. But you'll need to pay off the debt before you can transfer the title to the car's new owner. The process differs depending on whether you're selling the car to a dealership or a private buyer.
Losing your car can hurt your credit quite a bit unfortunately. Having your car repossessed or surrendering it voluntarily is seen as a major negative event by lenders. They'll view you as high-risk. Expect your credit score to take a big hit, maybe over 100 points or more.
How does voluntary repossession work? Voluntarily surrendering a car involves informing your lender that you can no longer make payments and intend to return it. Empty your car of all personal items and arrange the time and place to drop off your car and hand over the keys.
Though repossession isn't a situation you want to encounter, engaging in the process voluntarily has some advantages, helping you to mitigate the stress, inconvenience, and financial impacts of a sticky situation. Some important benefits include: You avoid the stress and embarrassment of an involuntary 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. Voluntary repossession allows you to return a car you financed without being subject to the full repossession process.
Car loans are secured debts, so the lender can repossess your vehicle if you stop making payments. A surrender is when you as the owner voluntarily gives the vehicle back to the lender when you file for insolvency proceedings.
If you're interested in trading in your upside-down car, some dealerships will offer to pay off the loan for you. Sounds too good to be true? It's because it is. While the dealer will pay for this loan upfront, this balance will get added to the loan of the new vehicle.
Can you return a new car if there's something wrong with it? Yes — most states have lemon laws to protect consumers if their newly purchased car has unforeseen mechanical issues. You may also be able to return a vehicle if your lender didn't approve a loan or the salesperson was dishonest.
CarMax buys vehicles that are not paid off. To sell a car you still owe money on to the retailer, you must provide loan information so CarMax can pay off the lender. If you owe more than your offer, you will need to cover the difference.
A voluntary repossession will remain on your credit report for up to seven years, but it's better than having multiple missed car payments and an involuntary repossession. Unfortunately, while the voluntary repossession remains on your credit report, you'll have a harder time obtaining a new auto loan.
If you want the lender to release the car title to the buyer, you'll need to cover the full loan payoff amount. If you have positive equity, your lender will reimburse the difference. If you still owe money on the loan, you'll need to pay the difference.
Note: If you're selling a car with an active loan, you're still the one responsible for paying it off, so the remaining balance on the loan will likely be subtracted from the price the dealer offers you. So if you owe more than what the dealer offers, you'll need to pay the difference to the lienholder.
Talk to Your Lender
If you're worried that you can't make a payment, contact your lender before you get behind. Tell them you're struggling and ask if they have a relief program available. Some financial institutions are willing to pause payments for a month or so without penalty, especially if you always pay on time.
Church grants are forms of financial aid provided by religious organizations to support individuals and families facing financial hardships. These grants can address various needs, including housing, utility bills, medical expenses, and car payments.
If you can't afford your car payments, you can give the vehicle back to your car loan lender. This option is called a "voluntary repossession." But just because you surrender the car doesn't mean that the creditor has forgiven the debt or that it has to.
A: If you still owe money on the car, you can trade it in for a cheaper one. If, for example, you owe $15,000 and the car is worth $20,000, the dealer can purchase the car as a trade-in, pay off the loan, and put the $5,000 toward your new auto loan as equity.