Archive for the "Automotive" Category

Auto Loan: Tips On How To Save On Car Financing

loan tips
Alex Baumm asked:


Are you planning to purchase an auto at the soonest possible time? You might be looking at getting into an auto loan deal so that you would not have to fully carry the burden of purchasing a vehicle, which is almost always expensive these days.

Car financing is a strategy on how you could acquire a car on a pre-determined and arranged installment setting.

Usually, auto loan contracts last about five years on the average. However, there are some companies that allow more flexible terms. For example, you can opt to lower the tenor to about three to four years instead of five. Why would you do that? Basically, doing so would certainly help you save on costs.

As you know, the longer the loan gets, the more likely it would incur interest charges. That is one way on how you could save on costs when getting into an auto loan contract for auto purchase.

It would also help if you would do the usual practical process when purchasing a car. First, do the planning. In this stage, you should decide on what type, brand and model of auto you would purchase. In doing so, of course, you need to make a comparison based on price tags.

You could easily determine which car would fit your needs, your preferences, and most importantly, your spending capacity or your budget. After you have decided which type, brand and model to buy, you would now enter the phase wherein you would have to decide over the actual buying process.

Go to car dealerships when aiming to buy through auto loan schemes. You could actually generate a lot of savings simply by choosing the right and most practical car dealer. To do so, it would be imperative that you do an actual and practical comparison shop. Simply collect quotes and pricing schemes from four or more car financing businesses.

After you have collected information about price tags and regular financing dues, you could clearly compare and determine which dealer is offering the most reasonable price scheme. Of course, choosing to transact on the least expensive among them would equate and translate to significant savings.

When purchasing an auto through auto loan programs, you still have to shed out and pay in cash a fraction of the total vehicle price. Usually, 20% to 30% of total vehicle cost is asked by dealers as an amount of initial payment or what is commonly called in the financing business as down payment. The greater the down payment is, the lower your regular payment dues with interest become.

Whether taking an auto loan or not, of course, you would be able to realize a lot of savings if you would opt to purchase the less expensive autos. You should prepare and be responsible to pay more if you have chosen a premium or luxury car model or brand. Otherwise, you have a higher chance of making the total acquisition expense significantly lower.

These days, it is just practical and logical that any car buyer aim to acquire a vehicle at a huge discount.



 

Car Loan Tips Every Car Buyer Must Know

loan tips
Neil Teasdale asked:


If you really want or need a new car, but you don’t have the capital up front you can consider taking out a loan especially for the purchase of your car. I’ve taked to many people who have always paid up front or have kept their car until it falls apart because they either didn’t want to have to pay for something that would depreciate so fast or they thought they didn’t qualify to get a loan. There’s a good chance that paying the monthly rate might be cheaper than continually fixing up the old heap.

There are so many different financial companies that specialize in issuing loans specifically for the purchase of automobiles. Even more conveniently, they’re all pretty well setup online for easy access. This is a blessing in disguise, fleeting are the days when you had to go to the nearest bank and get denied or take on a heavy payment due to the lack of options. With online loans you have the option to really shop around and be much more confident that you’re not getting “taken to the cleaners” on the first stop.

Often, this type of loan for the purchase of a car is known as an “unsecured car loan” and you can search for specialist companies online that provide them. A good car loan company should be able to give you an instant free quote, and many of these companies will provide between 90% to 100% of the purchase value of the car.

Typically the car loan is repaid over a period of three to eight years – five being the most popular. What’s particularly interesting is that even people with poor credit, bankruptcy or CCJ (County Court Judgment) are eligible to take out an unsecured car loan. Now going into debt is never a good thing but if you need a car and have to go the loan route then always work within your means.

Understanding what your credit situation before starting your quest for a new car loan, is very important. You should seriously get your credit check done to ensure you know going in what issues you have if any. As stated earlier an Equifax Credit Report will cost about $15 but is well worth it. You can also try FreeCreditReport.com, but either way it’s a small price to pay to ensure you know where you stand, especially if you’re planning on going car and loan shopping in person.

As always, it’s good to visit as many car loan online websites as you can – many online websites will offer you a free quote for your car loan, and it’s a good idea to get as many of these as you can prior to making a final choice. Try to get at least 3 and even 4 quotes to compare and ensure you’re getting the best deal out there. Getting quotes usually only takes a few minutes to fill out a form but doesn’t cost a dime, so take advantage of them. The worst thing when buying anything on impulse is seeing it cheaper right after you’ve paid.



 

Car Loan Tips. Stretching Your Car Loan to 7 Years is a Bad Idea

loan tips
Jeffrey Taylor asked:


When you walk onto the car dealers lot the salesperson after making small talk will ask, what type of monthly payment are you looking for. In view of the fact that most car shoppers are payment oriented the salesperson needs a number to work with. He will never discuss the actual selling price of the car because that does not allow him to work the payment numbers in his favor. When he comes back with the payment you agree on, check the length of the loan. If you need a 6+ year loan to get the payment you need, you are probably getting in over your head. A lot of things can happen in six years, marriage, children, divorce, job transfers, layoffs, promotions, injuries. Try to purchase something that allows 2-4 years on the loan. DO NOT TEST DRIVE VEHICLES YOU CAN’T AFFORD AND THEN STRETCH OUT THE LOAN TERM SO YOU CAN! Stretching out the years will lower the payment but it will cost you more over the long run. You are buying a car not a house, so 3-4 years later when you are ready for another vehicle you will still owe 2-3 more years on your 4 year old vehicle. Scary thought, isn’t it? Look at it this way. After the third or fourth year you may want to trade it in for another car and still owe more on it than it is worth.

Here is the reality. Cars depreciate fast, usually about half their price in three years. If you take out a 2-4 year loan and trade it in after 3-4 years you probably have a little equity in your car for a down payment on another one. If you are buried in a 6-8 year loan you still owe a lot more than it is worth and must roll the balance into a new loan and you now have no equity in your new car. According to the Power Information Network a unit of J.D. Powers and Associates, nearly 82 percent of car loans made in 2007 were 5-6.5 years. That is quite a large number of people buried in their car. If you are one of the very few people that will actually keep your car that long you still must consider the excess interest you will pay over the course of the loan.

Here are some numbers.A loan for 25,000 dollars at 6 percent over 48 months will cost you 28,176 dollars. The same loan stretched out to 84 months will cost you 30,660 dollars. The payment went from 587 dollars to 306 dollars, but it cost you more over the long haul.

If you are upside-down in your car meaning you owe more on it than it is worth, be careful. The options are simple; try to sell it yourself and avoid the wholesale price at the dealer. To do this you must have cash available to pay off the lien. Or you can put a larger down payment on your new car to offset the imbalance. Another way is to look for large cash rebates that can offset the purchase price of your new car. If none of the above will work you should consider keeping the car longer until the negative balance disappears. If you allow the dealer to pay off your loan and put the negative equity on the selling price of your new car you will be even further upside down on your new car and the next time you buy it will be worse. Whenever a dealer advertises that he will pay off your loan no matter what you owe, he will but you will pay the difference. Don’t be fooled into thinking he is doing you a big favor. To avoid being upside down on a new car purchase you should always try to put at least 20 percent down.

It is plan and simple! Do not get ****** into a long term car loan to keep your payment low. When the dealer brings you the loan papers at the payment you want, check the length of the loan. If it is higher than 48 months don’t sign it. When the dealer asks you what payment you are looking for, tell him the number, but also tell him you do not want a loan over 48 months. Focus on the selling price of the vehicle and if it is too high, consider a less expensive new car or a slightly used car that fits your budget. Another option is to increase your down payment on the vehicle to bring the payment down. Do not sign that 6+ year loan because you will regret it. You can find tons of information about car buying and car loans at carbuyinghelponline.com



 

Top Car Insurance Tips for 2007

Insurance tips
Craig Rad asked:


Following some vehicle insurance tips will surely help you in deciding what is best for you, from a financial point of view. The new drivers are especially concerned with avoiding investing too much in their car insurance. As it is natural and totally explicable, the majority of the learner drivers are looking for the cheapest care insurance in order to avoid investing too much in something that is not very stable and sure.

Here are some auto insurance tips that will help you avoid spending a great amount of money on motor insurance.

First of all, choose to pay a relatively high excess in case you are forced to pay for an insurance claim. After you have successfully passed the driving test, you should get some advice in order to establish whether it is worthwhile to complete a program that can get discounts for your vehicle insurance.

Second of all, think of some non-traditional means of buying car insurance, such as, for instance, the online purchasing of car insurances because you might be surprised by the discounts that some of the major automobile insurance companies offer when buying car insurance by using the internet.

Another tip when wanting to get a cheaper car insurance is to provide your car with an approved immobilizer because, in most cases, the car insurance is much cheaper when the car is endowed with such a system. Another trick that you can use when dealing with a car insurance company is to tell them the approximate number of miles that you drive each year. But be careful not to lie them about this fact because a highly used vehicle shows erosion.

The students seem to be privileged when it comes to paying their car insurance. There are specialized firms that work to the benefit of the students in order to obtain for them cheap vehicle insurance. But since the price of the car insurance depends a lot on the type of engine that your car has, it is very important, if you wish to lower the cost of your car insurance to drive a automobile that is cheap and that has a small engine. It is equally important not to modify or to customize your ride before you make the car insurance because any improvements might increase the cost of the insurance.

Security is another important aspect of the auto insurance in the sense that the car owners have to park their cars in a locked place or garage, away from the street if possible because the car insurance might not be able to help them recuperate the value of the vehicle.