How to Obtain Your Credit Report for Free
Your credit report lists all of your past borrowing history and whether you paid on time, had any late payments, or declared bankruptcy.
It's important to see your credit report in case there are mistakes which could affect your credit score. Side note: a credit report is not the same thing as a credit score ( See: How to Obtain Your Credit Score for Free )
To get your free credit report, you will need to visit AnnualCreditReport.com
The whole process only takes a couple of minutes and you get access to all 3 of your credit reports. I recommend you look at all three because each one is presented a little differently and they may not all have the same information. It's important that you check each one for mistakes.
Equifax Credit Report
Equifax tracks up to 7 years of credit history and shows specific months you were late on any payments.
TransUnion Credit Report
TransUnion has the nicest presentation, showing a history of each account and highlighting any late payments.
Experian Credit Report
Experian needs to work on their presentation a bit, but they do have credit history going back 10 years and they highlight any problems that may negatively affect your credit score.
Go to AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free credit report.
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).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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