Buying a car is a big financial investment. Most people are not able to pay cash for their new vehicle and must rely instead on car loans to make their purchase. In order to be able to make lower monthly payments, many people are now taking out loans that can take up to five years to pay off. The interest charges on these loans are quite high. By the time the car is finally paid off it will have cost many thousands more than if cash had been used to make the purchase.
In order to avoid the large outlay of money involved in buying a new vehicle, many individuals instead choose to buy a used car. This is certainly an option for some, but people who wish to own a new car can save money by following a few rules that make car financing less costly.
1. The first thing to remember is that cars are depreciating assets. As soon as a car leaves the lot it has lost several thousand dollars in value. Every year the car is worth less and those financing their car for five years are left with an asset that does not have much value. The best policy is to save as much cash as possible to pay for the car. Not only will this save a lot of money in interest over the years, it also puts the buyer in a position of power when negotiating car prices.
2. Decide on your budget before going to look at cars. Avoiding emotional buying is easier when you know how much you can realistically afford. Determine how much of a cash down payment you can afford without having to make sacrifices. There are websites that have loans calculators that allow you to check how much loan payments will be for various car prices.
3. Do comparison shopping of loans online. There are many websites that offer car loans at affordable rates. Getting a car loan at the dealership is not always the best option since every warranty or add-on that is purchased with the car will be added onto the loan and result in extra interest charges. Obtaining a loan before going to the dealership allows you to negotiate for a better deal. Do not immediately offer to pay the full price of the car. Car dealers expect to negotiate and the given price is never set in stone.
4. Car dealers love to up-sell their customers. Typical up-sells include extended warranties, rustproofing and fabric protection. Warranties can be purchased directly from the warranty provider. Car dealerships are only the ‘middlemen’ and stand to make a profit by selling them. Rustproofing is only necessary if you live in a place where a lot of salt is used on icy roads in the winter. Fabric protection is a personal choice but not generally necessary given the depreciating nature of vehicles.
5. Avoid negotiating ‘packed payments’. If the dealer tries to sell you a car based on the monthly payment you have to make, rather than the whole purchase price, be aware that this can add up to much more than the amount needed to cover the cost of the car.
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