The obvious problem with car auto financing with a credit card would be the interest rate. You can usually get a much lower interest rate on an auto financing loan than you can get with your credit card. Unless you have cash on hand enough to immediately pay off the credit card, it’s probably not a good idea to use it to buy a car.

On the other hand, if you have cash to pay for a car and get a points reward or a cash reward for every dollar you use on your credit card, it might seem like an attractive option.

Unfortunately, many dealerships won’t let you put a car on a credit card. There are a number of reasons for this, but usually the dealer has to pay a fee, sometimes as much as 2% of the transaction. This may make the dealer less likely to offer a lower price to begin with.

There’s also the risk, of course, that you’ll be tempted not to pay the entire car off. Then, you’re stuck with a high-rate credit card bill that will almost surely cost you more than if you had financed, and will definitely cost more than if you’d paid cash.

If you are thinking about buying a car with your credit card, make sure you weigh your choice carefully.

• 100 percent financing deals are scarce. Many lenders now want a down payment of between 10 and 15 percent, even from people with good credit.
• Fewer consumers will qualify for zero percent financing promotions. Unless your credit rating is extremely high, you may have to pay a regular interest rate between 7 and 10 percent.
• Lower trade-in values. Dealers are more cash strapped than before, and less willing to take a risk on whether they can sell your car after you trade it in.
• Smaller inventories. In the same way that lenders have put restrictions on consumer loans, they’re clamping down on dealer loans that let dealers get inventory.
• Fewer dealers. Even some of the largest dealerships in the country have been wiped from the map due to the economic crisis.
• Harder credit requirements. Unless your credit rating is way above average, you will probably have to pay a higher interest rate than before.