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If you're considering a car title loan, chances are good that you've come across some unexpected bills. Maybe your car broke down and you need it fixed quickly to keep your job. Or your roof started to leak after a storm and you can't wait on your insurance adjuster to take months to get the claim paid. Many Americans find themselves in trouble and don't have many options for getting money fast. That's where car title loans come in.
How does this type of loan work? If you own a vehicle free and clear, you can use its title as collateral to secure a short-term loan. The good thing is, you don't have to stop using your car: continue to drive it as you usually would, until the loan is repaid in full and you get the title returned to you.
Saturday, December 2nd
Max Cash Title Loans is the biggest lender in our review, with more than a million customers served nationwide. You won't find another car title loan service that operates in 49 out of 50 states: most of Max Cash's competitors only work in a small handful of locations. With competitive interest rates, easy options for getting your funds, and a fantastic customer service team, Max Cash is the obvious choice for most people looking for a car title loan.
LoanMart is an excellent choice for getting a car title loan - if you happen to live in one of the eight states where they do business. They make it very easy to apply for a loan and get your money, 100% online if you prefer and without having to bring your title into a brick-and-mortar office. "A+" rated by the BBB and with lots of positive feedback from clients, LoanMart is one of our top picks for car title loans.
Loan Center offers car title loans in eight states. Their interest rates are competitive on loans up to $30,000, and aside from a phone call to complete your application you can get your loan 100% online. The BBB gives Loan Center's parent company an "A+" rating, making this a service to look at if you live in one of the states where they offer car title loans.
American Auto Title Loan is the little engine...that couldn't. The site gives every impression of being a good place to get a loan, until you actually try to apply. No one was home at their toll-free number either. If you can get through to a loan specialist, you might get a great car title loan here; almost 400 people gave the company a 5-star rating. But, if you prefer an experience that's less of a toss-up, use a lender with a better (or more current!) reputation.
TitleMax has a 14-state service area that includes Texas, Arizona and Kansas for car title loans up to $10,000. The lender doesn't come right out and tell you how much you'll pay in interest, and their "F" grade from the BBB should be enough to convince you to go somewhere better for your car title loan.
Auto Cash USA provides title loans through licensed vendor locations in under a dozen states. Loans can be made from $300 to $15,000 and funds are available within 30 minutes. But, this service has an extremely limited service area, and worse yet the BBB gives them - and all of the additional car title websites their parent company owns - a rock-bottom "F" rating. Go somewhere else to get a car title loan you can feel good about.
Car title loans are also attractive because they rarely require you to have a great credit history: you're guaranteeing that you'll repay the loan by borrowing against your car's value, so credit isn't really a factor. Of course, that's one of the downsides too: if you don't pay the loan back, you stand to lose your transportation, and you can't borrow more than your car is worth. That's cool if you're driving a Porsche, but if you drive a 20-year-old beater you might not get much out of a title loan.
Another thing to keep in mind is that car title loans usually have really high interest rates: in the triple digits isn't unheard of. You'd be wise to see if other, lower-interest rate personal loans are a possibility before you turn to a car title loan for your cash needs.
So, all that being said, how can you tell which car title loan provider to use? There are a lot of them out there, and some of them are less-than-reputable in the way they treat customers. Here are a couple of factors to check out before you commit to a car title loan:
TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the best options among providers of car title loans today. We're confident that this information will help you get the money you need with loan terms you can afford!
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