Loans Information

Auto Loan Buying Tips


Have you ever felt like you bought an auto and financed it and don't really know if you got the right price or financing arrangements after it was all over? Well, don't feel alone. This is a common experience for many people who make auto purchases.

Guidelines for negotiating the car price can be found elsewhere, but we want to share some helpful tips on getting that vehicle financed at the best rates and terms for you.

The first step is to make sure that you negotiate the car's price separate from the vehicle financing arrangements. Most dealers want to lump it all together because they can hide quite a bit of the actual price of the vehicle in the loan contract, and they will usually just try to meet a monthly payment figure that you can live with rather than disclose all the details about the loan.

So your work actually should begin before you ever visit the dealer lot. Try to determine beforehand what vehicle(s) you are interested in buying and become familiar with the average cost for that vehicle, either online or locally. Then make sure that it will fit your budget. Most financial experts recommend that you shouldn't spend more than 10% of your monthly income on vehicle costs, including the loan, gas, repairs, insurance, etc.

Since you now know the price that you want to pay, you need to find out what the loan will cost, so visit some auto loan websites and/or local banks, and apply for an auto loan. See what rates and terms they offer you. Much of that will be determined by your credit history. If you can get pre-approved for a loan, all the better.

Experts also recommend that you try to put at least 20% of the car price on the loan as a down payment toward the purchase of the vehicle, either in cash or in the trade equity of your current vehicle. Why? Well, so many people are being put into loans these days with longer and longer payback periods and little down payment and the net result is that if they want to trade that car in within the first year or so they find that they actually may owe more on the car than it is even worth. So using sound financial decisions beforehand can prevent this from happening.

Now, using all of this information, the price you are willing to pay for the vehicle you want, the average loan you can get, and the best terms that you can get that will fit within your budget, you are now ready to visit the dealer, find the vehicle you have been thinking about and get the deal that will fit your needs. Remember to negotiate the price of the vehicle without financing first. After you settle on the sales price you can then reveal what finance terms you already have found and see if they can beat it.

Get the particulars in writing too. What is the price for the new vehicle? What is the trade amount for your old vehicle if you have one? If you finance through the dealer, what is the APR, the total amount financed, the total amount paid at the end of the loan, the total number of payments and the monthly payment figure itself? If the dealer will not give this clear, concise information, leave and go somewhere else to buy. If they can compete with your prearranged loan terms, then great. If not, get your auto loan elsewhere.

A word of caution. Keep it to business. It's exciting to buy a new car and it's also easy to get carried away and buy more vehicle than you need or previously wanted just because it looks so good or has so many features that the dealer will try to convince you that you can't live without. Having predetermined what car you want and the price you are willing to pay will keep you safe in these negotiations but only if you stick to your guns and don't give in to being upsold.

Using these strategies keeps you in control of the negotiation process and keeps you informed all along the way so that you can be confident that the vehicle and the auto loan you purchase is indeed the deal that you wanted.

About The Author

Duane Lipham is a senior editor for http://www.loans.dlbws.com which provides free information and resources for auto, personal, mortgage, home equity, and refinance loans.


MORE RESOURCES:

Wall Street Journal Blogs

December 22 Is Deadline to Apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster ...
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
The deadline to file applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) is December 22, 2008. Small businesses and small agricultural cooperatives that ...
Wells Fargo named top small-business lender in Texas Bizjournals.com
Businesses May Receive Loans Marshall County Journal
Loans tougher to get but still available Salt Lake Tribune
Chicago Tribune - MLive.com
all 262 news articles


Los Angeles Times

Free counseling Saturday for troubled IndyMac borrowers
Los Angeles Times, CA - 3 hours ago
The savings and loan, a specialist in "stated income" loans that was seized by federal regulators in July, is now hoping the borrowers will be more willing ...
Hiccups appear in bank loans Burnet Bulletin
CORRECT: Modified mortgages often re-default MarketWatch
Loan Modifications For Banks Could Mask Future Losses CNNMoney.com
New York Times - The Associated Press
all 979 news articles


Citizens Bancorp Announces Third Quarter 2008 Earnings
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
Total loans for the Company as of September 30, 2008 were $321.1 million, an increase of $26.6 million, or 9% compared to $294.5 million as of September 30, ...
First Keystone Financial Announces Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results MarketWatch
Seattle Bank Announces Third Quarter 2008 Financial Results MarketWatch
Alaska Pacific Bancshares, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results for ... MarketWatch
MarketWatch - MarketWatch
all 54 news articles


CMBS Market Begins to Show Fissures
Wall Street Journal - 4 hours ago
The rapid deterioration of these loans fed worries that the weakening economy and higher unemployment rate would drag down the $800 billion market for ...
Big CMBS Loans Near Default; CMBX Soars, REITs Tank Seeking Alpha
UPDATE 1-Big CMBS loans seen near default, index yields soar Reuters
Westin, Promenade Commercial Mortgages Near Default (Update2) Bloomberg
Reuters - Wall Street Journal
all 31 news articles


Boston Globe

Ailing automakers plead for $25b in loans
Boston Globe, United States - 17 hours ago
The chief executives of Chrysler and Ford also pleaded for the loans, which would come on top of a $25 billion package approved in September to help the ...
Auto Execs Reset Bailout Pitch; Republicans to Rewrite CAFE for Loans Ward's Auto (subscription)
Republican Leader Presses Compromise as Auto Chiefs Renew Plea Bloomberg
Big Three press bailout case for second day MarketWatch
Philadelphia Inquirer - Oakland Press
all 1,525 news articles


Pr. William Board Wants To Help Provide Loans
Washington Post, United States - 21 hours ago
The Board of County Supervisors agreed in principle to make loans available to county employees, many of whom drive long distances to work because they ...


Wachovia, Golden West Loans Probed by US Prosecutor (Update1)
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
His office and SEC investigators in San Francisco are also scrutinizing whether the banks misled investors about the quality of Golden West's loans, ...


Housing agency loosens foreclosure aid rules
Reuters - 5 hours ago
The Hope for Homeowners program will now insure home loans that have had as little as 3.5 percent of their value erased by the original lender. ...
Government To Let More Homeowners Swap For More Affordable Loans KWTX
Mortgage aid falls short, Bush admin official says BusinessWeek
Gov’t expanding rules for mortgage help program Boston Herald
CNNMoney.com - Seattle Post Intelligencer
all 56 news articles


Loan Prices Fall as Funds Sell Amid Slowing Economy (Update2)
Bloomberg - 4 hours ago
19 (Bloomberg) -- Prices of high-risk, high-yield loans fell after funds were forced to sell debt and expectations rose that more companies would default as ...


3rd UPDATE: DOE Secretary: May Have Loans For Auto Cos By Year End
CNNMoney.com - 1 hour ago
By Ian Talley WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The US Energy Secretary on Wednesday urged Congress to modify rules for $25 billion in plant-retooling loans for ...
UPDATE: DOE Bodman: May Have Loans For Auto Cos By Year End CNNMoney.com
all 8 news articles

Loans - Google News

home | site map
© 2008 RMB.ORG.UK