Actually your car loan is most probably an installment account. With an installment account you are paying a fixed monthly payment and your debt balance is decreasing each month. With a revolving account such as a credit card then the creditor sets a limit on what you can borrow and you may charge up to that amount and pay in full or pay only the minimum amount due. As you make payments your available credit opens up for new charges.
In order to offer any real help or advice as to how to handle your delinquent accounts then people are going to need a lot more information such as the amount of the debt, how old is the debt, who is the original creditor, who is the collection agency, is it a charge off or collection account, etc. Your best bet is to head over to the rebuilding your credit forum and start reading a lot and figuring out what questions you need to ask for your personal situation.
The only other thing you can do at this moment is to not let yourself be late or accumulate any new collection or charge off accounts. In that case time will heal past credit mistakes. You have found a friendly group of people who are for the most part committed to rebuilding from past credit mistakes and / or maintaining good credit practices into the future. Good luck in your journey.
