I want to apply for the Schwab Invest First card around the middle of May. At that point all my cards will be reporting a $0 balance except AMEX at exactly 1% of my AMEX credit limit. Taking a stab at EX score, should be around 750-770. The only hitch is that I really want to trade in my car for a Toyota Prius. I'm hoping to qualify for the 0% financing, 2.9% at the worst. My experience with Toyota tells me that they report pretty much immediately, so I'm anticipating that I'll have the new Toyota loan and a loan for my other car reporting as open. Should I wait on the Prius and take the chance that the financing rates will go up and the one I'm interested in will sell? Or should I go for it on the Prius, and apply for Schwab on the phone to explain the circumstances. The prius payment should be about $350 less than my payment now, so that could also be a positive for my Schwab app, but that's only if they take my word for it on the loan being closed. Should I risk getting the Prius before applying for the Schwab?
