There are alot of hotels within a mile or so of the fairgrounds... All the top chain hotels, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Comfort Inn, etc... I believe there is a link to various hotels right from the Carlisle website... as far as which one is "the nicest", I wouldn't be a good judge, as I spent many a night in a tent on the grounds, and even spent a weekend sleeping in the trunk of a Nova once, so all the hotels in Carlisle seem pretty darn "nice" to me now!
There is a place on-site where you can get a cash-advance on a credit card, and there are also several banks in town... I have found from experience though that the "best" way to make sure you don't end up in a money situation where the seller won't accept a cashier's check, etc. is to just take a fistfull of cash with you... I also know that the banks will NOT cash a certified check on the spot for you if your seller wants cash... (tried that once.) As far as on-site financing, I don't know of anything like that at Carlisle.
In regards to transporting your car, there are many transport services on-site, who can load your car and probably beat you home with it. Unless you plan on hiring someone to guard your car, there isn't any miracle solution for leaving it and going somewhere to eat, etc. If you plan to use a U-haul trailer, I would probably say rent one at or near Carlisle if you find your dream car... I hate to rain on your parade, but theres a very good chance you will not find what you are looking for, in the price range you are looking to spend at Carlisle...Would be easier if you weren't lugging around an empty trailer just in case your dream Camaro is not on the fairgrounds. I've always found that the best way to guarantee you don't find any good deals is to go there planning to buy... in contrast, the less prepared you are to buy something, the better the deals, and the nicer the cars... at least that just how my luck has always been!
Carlisle is a fun place to go, I've been attending at least 3 events a year there since I was 8 years old. Good luck in your search!
-JB
