Trying to get a loan ... bad credit rating

Hi

I bought a house last year and due to very bad advise by a very unhelpful and unprofessional mortgage broker, I was left with a lot of debt. 30K. Basically, he advised me to borrow deposit etc and would all be paid back with extra money from the mortgage.

Anyways, I am a year in my house now, have one month mortgage arrears and PTSB have been fantastic in this regard and I've made arrangements with them, to pay so much a month until I get arrears cleared.

I am a public servant and the credit union kindly gave me a loan to clear the 30k debt and pay a certain amount from my salary every week (before I get it), they have also taken my mortgage repayment from my salary and are paying my mortgage for now.

My dilema is my car has fallen apart, its a Fiat Punto and what can go wrong, has gone wrong with it, and its costing me a fortune to try to keep it on the road.

i have applied to several institutions for a small car loan, nothing major, just want to get a small car that will keep me going for a few years as I do a lot of mileage. I have been turned down by everyone assuming my credit rating is bad. I had no intentions of changing the car until now, and now it seems like I don't have a choice.

Any advise would be very helpful.

Thanks

Esme

How much is a small loan ?

Does your credit union do special rate car loans? My CU offers car loans at a lower % rate than their regular loans. As they're aware of your financial circumstances, they might be approachable at this time?

I just took a quick look on and Carzone for Fiat Punto's and there are a few options under €1000 with car dealerships and a selection of other car models for under €1000 euro. I know that this can be a large number if things are tight but it might be possible to talk to your credit union for this one.