As the competition in this field is quite tough, every lender wants to create a niche of its own. Here the creative edge comes into play, for you have to stand out from the herd.

How to increase your chances on getting auto credit:

- Only apply for auto credit at least three years after a bankruptcy.

- Only apply after being in your first job for at least six months; it suggests stability.

- Have a stable occupation. No self employment.

- Previous auto credit or home mortgage on record helps.

- Only apply when you've been at your current address for at least six months. Lenders verify address and income.

- Keep your available credit low. Having a £15000 limit on your credit card is worrying to a lender.

- Pay off your debts.

When buying consumer of financial products, be wary of offers of insurance. Refuse to take it on, unless you've no other choice. It's just a way for auto credit lenders to get more cash out of you. With some, you are often talking to an operator in a cubicle farm. He has no power to deviate from the script his older, fatter boss has set for him. So don't waste your breath.

BUT: Some callers need help in a hurry, but won't pay to get it. I suppose the more you lust after money, the meaner you get, and the internet conditions people to expect things for free. A man could get very poor and very tired dealing with such auto credit vampires.

Another way to winnow out the best lender is to contact them via email, and see what they send back. Call them on the telephone as well. This, coupled with your impression of their internet site, will give a good clue as to whether they're a 'sound', active company or on the way out. ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR GUT INSTINCT. The mind has doubts, the heart has yearnings, but the guts don't lie!

You should ask yourself if you truly need auto credit. Can you manage without? While financiers might make it easy for you, they're not your friends. They're in venture to make a mint for themselves. That's just business.

They also make money on things like fees and insurance. You need to focus on the total cost, and watch your personal finances. Too many people are skating on thin ice for too long.

Before you even think about going to the showroom, do you know how much you can truly afford?  Do a budget. You should have a spreadsheet with your expenses and income clearly and accurately represented, including your automobile payments. If you don't know how much money you owe your creditors, you have a credit problem.

Credit unions can help you establish a credit rating.  Put down as much as you can in cash, then the rest on the loan. Pay off some of your debts and work on cleaning up your credit rating before applying for auto credit.

I don't offer auto credits out of my own pocket; this site is a one man band, and time is limited(!). I may have one good associate financier I pass enquiries on to, for each of the three main types finance I deal with. What does this mean?

It means you'll get one lender getting in touch with you about your auto credit needs. And that's it. No phone ringing off the hook, with calls from Dodgyautocredit4U.co.uk and its ilk, for the next two weeks. Unless you've given your contact data to a few other sites before you found TigerTom.Com. Oh dear!

I get enquiries all the time from guys based in India looking to sell me 'leads' (customer data) gleaned by them from their internet sites. A nice little business for them, but a pain in the queer place for the customer.

If you call your lender about your auto credit, make sure you get the full name of the person with whom you speak.

It's very easy to set up as an auto credit lender on the internet, without any qualifications, or even having an office. This makes it very easy for crooks and fools to gip the needy. A 'substantial site' is one with a postal address, telephone number, named personnel and preferably a member of, or regulated by, the relevant authority.

Having many open accounts does just as much damage to your credit score, as there is potential for you to run up your credit limit on all your accounts. lenders view that as a risk. Cancel unused credit cards. Keep the oldest one, and pay it off on time.

It makes me chuckle when I hear potential clients seeking auto credit lenders sing the 'cheap-cheap' song. You see the trend in international pricing is down, down, down; eventually, any auto credit-related good that can be reproduced by someone else will cost the same price everywhere. But you won't get the same value, especially if that good is a service.