Meredith Dietz is Lifehacker’s Senior Staff Writer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from Northeastern University, where she graduated as valedictorian of her college.

There’s never been a worse time to buy a car. List prices are still inflated well above pre-pandemic levels, and anyone who locks in a loan is locking in a high interest rate—leading to larger car ...

For one Redditor, having a preapproval on a car loan is creating some concern about how to negotiate best. There is no reason for this Redditor to be nervous, the odds are actually in his favor. The ...

Navy Federal Credit Union authored and paid for the placement of this article. If you polled the entire population of American servicemembers and their families about car-buying experiences, very few ...

A pre-approved loan feels flattering and urgent, but it’s rarely about doing you a favour. It’s about risk, timing and ...

In an ideal world, we could pay for cars and never be faced with monthly payments or debts. And with cash in the pocket, we could negotiate the price of a car more aggressively because the salesperson ...

New data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that auto loan approval rates are dropping for U.S. buyers. Of those who applied for auto loans in October 2025, 15.2% — or more than 1 in 10 — ...

Matt Webber is an experienced personal finance writer, researcher, and editor. He has published widely on personal finance, marketing, and the impact of technology on contemporary arts and culture.

Discover how pre-approved credit offers affect your credit score, including the difference between soft and hard inquiries ...