Online car loans

Not all Web sites offering help for bad credit are created equal.

The days of taking advantage of credit-challenged people are numbered -- if not already gone. The Internet has leveled the playing field.

Instead of learning your loan rate in a dealership F-and-I office, you can see them on Web sites such as MyFico.com. You can learn about manufacturer rebates at places such as www.InternetAutoGuide.com. You can learn about sneaky dealer tricks at sites such as www.carbuyingtips.com or the Edmunds.com series "Confessions of a Car Salesman."

Our favorite rant involves car loan sites that will ask you for all your personal information but won't list their own phone number or address (and for the record, we're at 114 Virginia St., Richmond, VA. 23219, 1-800-227-5626).

Most online car loan sites are going to send you to a dealer. We will, too, but we're not going to be sneaky about it. We do that because that's how 80 percent of all cars are sold in the U.S., and that's where banks, credit unions and other lenders feel most comfortable operating. It's not a conspiracy, it's a fact of automotive economics, and never forget that if you apply you are under no obligation to buy.

Our company was founded by a three-generation car-selling family, and while we've grown and become part of a big corporation (Dominion Enterprises), our boss insists on keeping the old-school virtue of treating people right.

So apply today. We'll try to slot you to the best loan rate your credit score will allow. If you don't like the terms or vehicles, you walk away. It won't have cost you a thing.