PARKVILLE, Mo. -- Despite the economic downtown and talk of a credit crunch, college students in the Kansas City metropolitan area said they are still able to get college loans and salespeople said car buyers are still able to finance cars.

At Park College in Parkville, college official Valerie Jones said, "Our students continue to apply for loans."

"The lenders may change because of different things that are going on in that industry, but our students are able to get loans like they usually have," she said.

Still, some students said they were worried.

"If those loans went away, I'd have to put off going to school until I'd be able to save enough to pay for it," said Jennifer Braniff, a Park College student.

At car dealers throughout the metro area, salespeople said traffic has been slower on the showroom floors, perhaps because of the public perception that loans are difficult to obtain.

"We can still actually get most people financed. It hasn't really been an issue," said David Hughes, general manager of Conklin Fangman. "We actually got a call from a couple of banks in the last few days. They're looking for business, looking for contracts."