Question from newbie: Save Cash or Payoff Debt?

[Richard Washington]

I have successfully paid down all of my remaining debts except for my $8000 car loan. 

I want to purchase my first rental property next year, mid-2021 and was advised to save roughly 35K to 40K to get started. MY QUESTION: Should I payoff the car loan now (putting a large dent in my savings) OR continue to work aggressively towards my 35K goal while making the monthly minimum car payments?

My thought process is since I don't earn much annually (less than 40K) I need to reduce my debt to zero to improve my debt ratio. However, the fear is that if I pay off the car and a rebuild my savings account from zero, I'll miss the opportunity to purchase something next year. Thanks in advance for you help!