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How to Find and Join a Credit Union

In the past, joining a credit union meant you had to be part of a company or organization in order to qualify as a member.

These days, there are countless credit unions with the sole eligibility requirement being that you live within a local geographic area.

The best resources for finding a credit union are ASmarterChoice.org and FindACreditUnion.com.

You simply fill in your zip code or enter any organization you're affiliated with, and you see all the credit unions available within your area. Many credit unions have web sites where they list their car loan rates.

Joining a credit union is very simple. In most cases, you just have to open a savings or checking account with a $10 minimum balance.

Example of a Credit Union web site showing their auto loan rates
Credit Unions

3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money

The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:

Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network

Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).

Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing

Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect

TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.

Step 3 Complete my Checklist

Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.
- Gregg Fidan

Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...

Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
Which Cars You Should Avoid

About The Author

Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.

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