Car Loans ? Navigating The Maze

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

It?s too bad many people don?t know about how to get the best auto loans. Businesses make a lot of money on what consumers don?t know. These days no one has enough money that they can afford to get locked into a bad loan. In this article I hope to be able to help you pick the right loan for you.

Just going to a car lot and asking them to put together your loan for you is not the best way to do this. Let?s start with that right away. Their job is to sell you a car and whatever loan they can get you that will achieve their purpose is the one they will try to get you to take. They want you to drive out with the car today.

You should negotiate your car loan before you make the actual deal to buy the car. Many people think these two things must occur simultaneously. Wrong. There are a lot of things you must decide before buying a car. One of those is how you are going to finance it, but let?s explore all of things you will need to decide first.

Are you sure you know how much you can afford to pay for your new or used car? When you arrive at that figure, remember, you cannot spend all of what you can afford on the car payment. What I mean is this; say you can pay only $400 per month for your new or used car. That is your budget. How much of that goes to auto insurance? Subtract the cost of insuring your car. How much do you have left?

Now think about the interest on your car loan. How much of that will you be paying. You can estimate that based on the amount of car payment you are aiming at. Now how much is left of the original $400 per month you allotted for your new car?

If your budget for a new or used car was $400 per month, you really can?t agree to payments of more than about $250 per month. The other charges and incidentals will bring you back up near the $400 mark you started with.

Now, if you are looking at new cars, is buying or leasing a better option for you? You will need to read up on both options before deciding what is right for you. Don?t let the car salesman decide for you and pressure you into something that isn?t what you need or want.

Loan calculators can be a big help. There are many on the internet, so be sure to find a reputable one. You can experiment with several options, and using a calculator will help you understand the whole process a little better.

They will even help you figure out how much you can afford to pay for a car. You may think you can pay more than you really can. This little tool will give you a reality check of sorts so that you do not get into a deal that is over your head.

So many people think they can afford more car than their budget allows and let it get them into credit and debt trouble. Doing your homework ahead of time and having a little discipline to stay within your means will keep you from having these problems.

You can use that tool over and over again, until you are comfortable making the decisions you will need to make when it comes time to negotiate with someone for the purchase of your car.

Remember, when you are the buyer, you are in charge, not the seller. If you have done your homework, you know how much you can afford, what type of loan you want, what terms you need, and all of the other details. It?s their job to sell you a car that fits within the parameters you set.

The bottom line is do not buy more car than you can afford. Do not accept a car loan that is going to put you in a financial bind. Don?t agree to a car loan just because the salesman tells you it?s the only one he can get you. Do your homework before you choose the car. Too many people choose the car they want, then go out and try to find a way to afford it. That?s putting the cart before the horse and a sure way to get you into debt trouble.

I hope this helps you open your eyes and prepare for a positive car buying experience. Buying a new car should be fun, just don?t let the fun turn into worry down the road. I hope you find this article useful!