Q: I’m looking into getting refinanced at one of the BMW dealerships in Houston.

A: Last time I bought a car I had bad credit and did it anyway, so I got a terrible deal from one of the BMW dealerships in Houston. And then a year later I refinanced, so I know what you’re about to go through. Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

• Paying off ahead of time.

If you get a lower monthly payment then you might be able to pay the loan off to your BMW dealerships in Houston ahead of time, but sometimes the contract will have a clause penalizing this and making you pay more for it. Make sure that this isn’t part of the refinanced loan that you get, because as an inclusion it will just hurt you later on.

• Shop around.

You don’t have to get your financing from the same one of the BMW dealerships in Houston that you did before. Look around at different banks and credit unions. If they finance, chance is that they refinance as well. If you’re a member of a credit union, take advantage of the services there. Always look for the best deal.

• Log on.

You don’t have to limit yourself to BMW dealerships in Houston or banks and credit unions. There are a lot of places on the internet that will finance you. I recently financed a new car for one of the BMW dealerships in Houston through road loans.com and got a pretty good deal. If you have bad credit but it has been getting better, then you have a good chance of getting refinanced through an online lender. The response time is pretty fast as well, and you can take your check in hand to the BMW dealerships in Houston.

• Switching.

If you refinance your loan, then instead of paying your monthly car note to the BMW dealerships in Houston, you’re going to be making the payments to your new lender instead. This might take a little getting used to, but just get all of the new information from your lender and you’ll be fine.