According to an article recently posted at Philadelphia’s news portal Philly.com, even though the American economy is improving, getting a car loan is till a difficult prospect.

Last year, when the market was at its worst, consumers were largely unable to buy cars, either because they couldn’t qualify for auto loans at all, or because the loans they could qualify for came with frighteningly high rates. This year, the situation has improved somewhat, but credit is still an issue.

So how tough is it to get a car loan in today’s market?

John Murphy, lead U.S. auto analyst for Bank of America-Merrill Lynch told reporter Susan Tompor of the Detroit Free Press, “It’ll be tougher than it was three years ago, but it will be easier than it was in the first half of last year.” According to Tompor’s article, he also said that car sales may do better this year because of growing consumer confidence and cars that need to be replaced.

With car loan rates at record lows, it could be an excellent time to finance a new ride, but with loan qualification remaining difficult, it’s vital to do some homework before you ever test drive the new car or truck of your dreams.

Here’s some advice to help you through the process:

• Before you begin to shop, use a car loan calculator to determine how much you can afford.
• Consider many different sources of funds. While you can get financing at the dealership, you’ll probably get a better rate, a bigger loan, or both if you go through a credit union or bank.
• Always compare prices and deals before you commit. If you’re not certain a price is fair, consider visiting Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds to check prices.
• Be prepared to walk away if you think you’re not being offered the best deal possible.

Buying a car shouldn’t be scary; be proactive about maintaining good credit, get prequalified, and research the cars you like before you test drive, for the best buying experience.

If you’re on the road a lot, car insurance scams, where a criminal driver causes an accident in order to collect damages or medical expenses, are a significant risk. Here are the three most common scenarios, and what do to if you’re a victim:

1. Panic Stop: In this scenario, the culprit is a car with many passenger, which moves in front of the target. One of the passengers will watch to see when the target driver seems distracted (tell-tale signs are repeatedly checking the rear-view mirror, dealing with a small child, adjusting the radio, or talking on a cell phone). Once that happens, they’ll signal the driver to slam the brakes in a sudden stop, forcing the target to hit them from behind. In almost every case the victim in the target car will be found at-fault, and end up being responsible for any damages and injuries incurred by the criminal driver and his or her passengers.
2. Side Swipe: This scam generally happens in busy intersections with dual left-turn lanes. The scamming driver will position their car in the outer-left lane, and wait for their target to shift into the lane. As that happens, the scamming driver will side-swipe their target, causing not only an accident, but hours worth of paperwork, and he-said/she-said arguments, and the victim will usually end up paying for everything.
3. Swoop and Squat: This scam is essentially a tag-team hit-and-run, except it’s done intentionally. Culprit A drives the “squat” vehicle, putting their car in front of the target. Culprit B drives the “swoop” vehicle, and pulls ahead to intentionally cut off the squatter. Culprit A, in the squat car, has to slam on the brakes for a sudden stop, leaving the target car without enough time to adjust before crashing into the squatter. At that point, the swooper speeds away, leaving the target driver to attempt to explain that an apparently non-existent driver caused the whole thing.

So what do you do if you’re a victim? Always follow normal post-accident protocols – take pictures with a film camera kept in your glove box, draw a sketch of the scene, cooperate calmly and rationally with highway patrol or police officers, and with youstr insurance company.

Be aware, however, that the reasons these scams work is because the burden of proof is on the victim. Your best bet, then, is to drive pro-actively in order to prevent such scenarios from ever happening to you. Be alert, stay focused, and keep your driving record clean – all of these things will help you avoid accidents in general, and make you look more credible when pleading your case to insurance investigators or law enforcement.