Instead the debt has been converted into a syndicated four-year loan.

The Ford Motor Company said it would offer four-year loans at 4.8 percent on selected car lines and $1,000 cash rebates on others.

Here is a table that shows average rates and costs of a $10,000 four-year fixed-rate loan from three different types of lending institution.

In the case of the silver, the proposal also calls for the objects to be made available again to the museum in 2012 for a four-year loan.

They continue to boom, although auto loan rates are up half a percentage point, to more than 9 percent on average for a four-year loan.

So most buyers can reasonably expect 50,000 or so cost-free miles after paying off a three- or four-year loan.

Monthly payments equal $552 on a two-year loan, $298 on a four-year loan carrying a 4.8 percent interest rate.

Someone who chooses a four-year loan and sells the car three years later comes out $115 ahead.

G.M. and Chrysler offer identical terms, except for four-year loans, which carry 4.8 percent financing.

The car you own also is paid for, but the new one will be financed with a four-year loan.