It's a wonderful time of the year, and a potentially dangerous time of the year. Many people are spending more time on the road and engaged in festivities. Unfortunately, these are two things that often don't go very well together. Be proactive in making plans to keep yourself and your loved ones safe on the roads this season.

It may seem that financing your furniture is a good, reasonable way to build credit. Unfortunately, the credit bureaus may not see it that way. Get the facts before doing unnecessary damage to your credit score.

Due to a recent VW campaign, more people are talking positively about diesel engines. As diesel technology improves, is it possible that more buyers will choose this alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles?

Lexus is introducing a new way of doing business to select dealerships. They have eliminated any opportunity for negotiation, and are going with absolutely set prices. Is this a better way to buy a car?

Managing an auto loan is a great way to repair and rebuild damaged credit, while meeting a need for reliable transportation. With timely repayment, your credit situation can improve enough so that refinancing is an option. Refinancing is when you apply for a new loan, typically with lower interest rates. The question isn't if you should refinance, but when.

It would be great if a wave of a magic wand could fix your credit overnight. And while that can't happen, there are steps that you can take to accelerate the recovery of your good credit.

Negative equity, or being upside-down in a loan, can cause quite a predicament if you decide that you want to sell a car that has a lower value than what you still owe on the loan. The best way to deal with negative equity is to take preventive measures right in the beginning. However, if you find that you are upside-down in your loan, there are still actions that you can take.

Having a cosigner can improve your loan approval chances, but if you either don't have a cosigner or wish to avoid using one, there are other actions that you can take to ensure your success in acquiring auto loan financing. If you have time to improve your credit before buying the car, this will be beneficial both now and in the long term.

Going through a bankruptcy can leave you feeling like you will be cursed with high interest rates for life, due to the damage that has been done to your credit score. This simply isn't true because time really does heal all wounds, even financial ones. And under the right circumstances, you may start to qualify for better loan terms sooner than you think.

Sometimes your decision to buy a car is based on immediate necessity, and if this is the case, you're going to want the process to go as quickly as possible. You're looking for an expedited loan approval, and you may very well be able to get just that. Everything is just going to depend on the current state of your credit and how well you are prepared.