getting my first car loan-any advice/

i have bad credit - any advice to stop me from being ripped off?

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/

It covers everything, from financing to the actual car buying. Pretty good info here.

or should i avoid it?

them, but since I was shopping for a new Honda, I had the dealer try Honda Financial, they approved me at almost 2 points less than Capital One (still a high rate, but lower than Capital One).

As to them being legit? Yes, Capital One is legit. Of the big sub-prime lenders, they're one of the better ones.

Is your job secure? How far do you need to drive to work. I kinda agree that I would buy an old car, get a reliable honest mechanic and stay away from sub-prime loans unless you have to have a new car for your job.

so i need something rewliable that will last a while

I get a good used car around $7,000 and rebuild your credit. They are going to charge big interest rates. If you pay off with good payment history you can buy a new one in 2 years

that you get as someone who doesn't drive regularly. Once you get the feel of car ownership, then I'd look at a more expensive, or new model.

buying a car on bad credit...

My credit sucked cuz i defaulted on a 10k loan...so I went to buy a used car, and ended up buying a new one instead, because the apr was the same...and because of the credit, alot of banks are more inclined to loan if you get a new car rather than an old one...if i got a used one that cost 14k, id have to put 9k down, but with the new one i only had to put 2k...the apr was the same...

So overall I got a better deal with a new car...but i did pick one that depreciated pretty fast(mitsubishi eclipse), which was a mistake...so when i traded it in i took a major hit(about 4k), but I made back 1k when I traded in my next car(bmw z4), so now my current car(toyota camry) is about 3k to the negative...but once i sell it i think i'll break even.