Is it easier to get a car loan from a bank or dealership?

If you have a credit union you may get a better rate or at least have something to use to get a lower rate or better deal from the dealer. If you have bad credit its much easier to get the loan from the dealer as they will shop your file around first.

It could be that you don't have enough of a credit history since you've used so much cash.

A dealer cant give you a loan and your credit is just under 700? Something is wrong with that. Someone is BS'ing you. Maybe you cannot get fincanced through the brand of the vehicle like Toyota Financial or something like that.

Even then upper 600s is pretty easy. Dealerships generally use a program like dealertrack to send your file to a host of banks and return the requirements and rate of the loan. Either someone is royally fricking with you or the guy at the dealership cant do his fricking job right.

I had zero credit history and no money to put down. I was a fresh college grad with a good starting salary though which I could provide proof of. The bank didn't approve for me a loan. But Toyota did (recent grad rebates for down payment). The one downside was that I lost a bit of negotiating leverage by not being able to put anything down. I got "0% financing" but it's more like the interest was built in to the price since I didn't get as great of a deal as others might have. It probably cost me a $1,000 or possibly 2 based off what the car I got usually goes for. So pretty much I paid the usually negotiated price plus ~3% interest that I can't pay off quicker.

And the reason I had to deal in this environment is because my car died in the move for my new job. I had no cash because the job hunt sunk it all. And a used car is harder to get financing for with my credentials. I don't regret it.

skip the dealer- go to a credit union or bank

and RUN Your own credit score and credit report before you go shopping for a car