Detroit has tried everything from zero percent financing to heavily subsidized lease deals to keep the metal moving during the economic downturn. Now, comes perhaps the most unusual approach: a car loan that might outlast your

car, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Traditionally, car loans extended three or four years. But they've been gradually lengthening as buyers stretch to afford cars and sport utility vehicles that can top $30,000 or even $40,000. Now, loans are going to lengths that would have unthinkable a few years ago, the Journal reported. The most extreme example: a loan that lasts 96 months -- or eight years.

Longer loans tend to have higher interest rates than shorter options, but lower monthly payments. So far, only a handful of banks and credit unions are offering eight-year loans, but many are offering seven-year loans, the Journal said.

Not to be outdone, manufacturers are getting into the game as well. Eight-year auto loans will account for less than 2 percent of car loans this year, estimates Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), headquartered in McLean, Va. Taylor sees them making up no more than 5 percent of new loans within five years, according to the Journal.

Already, six-year loans now account for 28 percent of new car loans, up from 19 percent two years ago, according to the Consumer Bankers Association. "People who are attracted to this loan are looking at high-end luxury vehicles," says Maureen Maddox, vice president of marketing at Summit Credit Union, which made the loan to Brunker.

For consumers, there are a number of downsides to longer loans, according to the Journal. For one thing, they usually carry higher interest rates. While the average rate on a four-year loan is about 5.5 percent, consumers can expect to pay more like 8 percent to 9 percent on a 96-month loan. Higher rates, combined with longer terms, mean that borrowers pay substantially higher interest costs with an eight-year loan, the Journal said.