Came upon some cash: Pay off auto loans or HELOC?

[Ralph Nacca]

I just came upon some cash and was wondering if it would be better to pay off my 2 auto loans ($55K @ 3.00%) to decrease my debt/income ratio and therefore allowing me to borrow more money. Or, take that $55K and pay down on my HELOC (Balance on the HELOC is $280K @2.74%) so I have more buying power? Any suggestions?

[Matt Devincenzo]

Higher interest, and higher DTI impact makes this a no brainer; pay off the cars. There may be other resons to do different things with the funds, but if you are deciding between those two choices that's what I'd do.