One more point... Once you pay off that CRZ, KEEP IT!!!
There's no reason to buy a new car every 4 years just because you've paid it off. That Honda will last you 10 years or more... Life without car payments is much nicer than life with car payments!
That's good advice. It's hard to do, though! So many of us want a shiny new car, and then are stuck in debt forever.
One thing that is very hard to do, but works well if you can do it is to make car payments (to yourself) once your car is paid off. I did that for 7 years the first time, and then I paid cash for my next three vehicles.
And when you walk into a dealership with a TrueCar report that shows the price you should pay, and with your checkbook, you will get the best deal. I just bought another car for my birthday for myself- and I paid 2% under invoice on a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. I also paid -0- in interest charges, and got about .5% on my savings while saving. The interest rates suck on savings accounts right now- but it's still a good deal to save and then pay cash.
I did this via email, as I'm not home right now, so I ordered my Jeep and it should be at the dealership in a week or two for me to pick up.
Then we negotiated the trade-in of my car separate- crucial to keep in mind to do that each and every time you buy a new (or used) car.
Don't let the dealer walk you through everything by hiding the details in "payments" and "financing". Sure, you can get fancy floor mats for only $7/month- but HELLO- over a 60 month loan that's $420- a whole payment! Ask for the total, out the door price- and then talk about financing if you must. Otherwise, go to your own bank or credit union and talk to them first about their rates. You may still decide to go with the dealer's financing- but never, ever, ever at 14%!
Getting there is difficult- it's easy to want a new car, but hard to commit to making $500 payments for years and years. If you can be disciplined and learn from this, you can get there.
One word about refinancing- do it if you can. BUT- don't take out more money when you refi, as then you'll be in worse shape than ever. You never want to owe more on a car than you could sell it for, as if something happens and it breaks down you'll be in serious trouble.
I'd go see a local credit union (love mine!) and see if you can refi this car loan to a lower rate and then suck it up and pay it off. Then you'll be in a better position.