Almost every bank and finance company has introduced stricter lending standards since late 2007, according to the New York Times.

One big reason is that more borrowers have been missing their payments. Between three and four of every 100 auto loans are now in default, a 30% increase in the delinquency rate from 2002.

Other factors are at work as well, including the mortgage crisis.

Here's what the changes mean for anyone financing a car this year:

Qualifying for a loan will be more difficult, even for buyers with good credit. You may need a bigger down payment or be asked to document your income more fully than the last time you bought.

A loan will be especially hard to get if you have bad credit. AmeriCredit, a major subprime credit company, will fund about $3 billion in new auto loans this year, down from $9.2 billion in 2007.

Your home equity line of credit may not be available. Consumers depended on HELOCs to buy about one in every nine new cars and trucks in 2007. But with home prices falling in most cities, banks have frozen 600,000 lines of credit this year, cutting off borrowers from that money.

Car buyers in California and Florida will be affected the most.

Nearly 30% or all new cars and trucks bought in California, and 20% of those purchased in Florida, were paid for with a home equity line of credit last year. Now they're among the states where banks have been most aggressive about freezing accounts.

That's too bad, because interest rates on home equity lines of credit are at a four-year low.

If you have a HELOC, it's probably the cheapest way to finance a new car purchase right now, if you can't qualify for a discount loan from the automaker.

Whatever kind of loan you plan to use, take advantage of our auto loan calculator to determine your monthly payments.