Is it better to finance through the dealer or a credit union?

A credit union, almost every time — if one will approve you. The interest is dramatically lower, and on a car loan that difference is the largest single amount of money on the table.

So try there first, even if you're sure you'll be declined. Credit unions are member-owned rather than profit-driven, they lend to people banks won't, and many run second-chance auto programmes specifically for damaged credit. In the Upstate, SC Telco, Greenville Federal and Founders all serve this area. Applying costs nothing but a form.

Get pre-approved before you shop, not after. Walking onto a lot with financing already arranged changes the conversation entirely — you're negotiating the price of a car rather than the size of a payment, which is the negotiation the lot would prefer to have.

There's one real advantage on the other side. A credit union can decline you and a buy-here-pay-here lot can't, because there's no third party involved. If your credit is badly damaged, your job is new, or you need a car this week rather than next, the lot is the option that actually exists. That's a legitimate reason to use one.

The honest order: credit union first, then a bank, then buy-here-pay-here. But an approval you can act on today beats a better rate you can't get — and no car at all is the most expensive option of the three.