Thomas Jefferson once advised, “Never spend your money before you have it.” Maybe that advice was easier to follow in Tom’s day — but in today’s world, most people need to borrow money on occasion. And one of the more common occasions for borrowing is a car purchase.

Over 1/3 of people today have bad credit, and even more are unaware of how it will affect purchases, especially something as important as a new or used car loan. The truth is that a lot of good people have less-than-perfect credit scores for very understandable reasons, like medical bills and student loans, but a bad credit score doesn’t stop you from getting the family or commuter vehicle that’s perfect for you. If you’ve believed one of the following common credit myths, it’s time you gave us a call…