You usually can get your car back after repossession takes place. Depending on what state you live in, you typically have the right to either reinstate your loan or redeem your vehicle. But, it’s not always easy to get your car back, and if you don’t have the financial means, you may find yourself in trouble.

Redemption vs. Reinstate

If you want to get your car back after repossession, you normally have two options: to reinstate your loan or redeem the vehicle. It can be tricky, but depending on the state you live in and how much you owe, you may be able to get your vehicle back and avoid a repossession being listed on your credit reports.

Redemption

The most common course of action is to redeem your car. To do this, you must pay the balance due on the auto loan plus any repossession, storage, and attorney fees. Your lender is required to send you a notice of your right to redemption within five days of repossessing the vehicle. The notice includes the total amount due, as well as how long you have to complete the process. If you miss the time frame to redeem the car, you probably won’t be able to get it back.

Reinstating

Reinstate Your Car Loan After RepossessionReinstating a vehicle works for those buyers who aren’t able to fully pay off their car loans. Instead, you make the missed payments plus repossession fees in one lump sum. In order to be able to reinstate your vehicle, the right to reinstatement must be stated in your loan agreement, and/or your state must have laws in place that let you reinstate a loan. This is tricky, though, because not all states have a right to reinstatement and some banks may not allow it – even if the state does.

In order to reinstate your car loan, you need to get a reinstatement quote from your lender. Once you request a quote, your lender must send a written notice of your right to reinstate back to you. Listed on the notice is the amount needed to make the loan current, and you’re typically given 15 days to pay the lender. If you don’t complete the process during the specific time frame to reinstate your auto loan, you typically won’t get your car back, and it’ll be sent to auction to pay off your debt.

Finding a Dealer to Work With

You can prevent repossession from occurring by keeping up with your monthly payments. If you think you won’t be able to make a payment, contact your lender to see if they can help you before it’s too late.

If you weren’t able to get your car back and need help finding a lender that can work through credit issues such as repossession, Auto Credit Express wants to help. We work with special finance dealerships all across the country that are signed up with subprime lenders and have helped thousands of people with bad credit find financing. Start the process by submitting our online auto loan request form today.