New Car Loans – How Much Can You Afford To Borrow?
By Carrie Reeder
Before you start car shopping, first figure out what you can afford for a car payment. Look at your budget, research auto loans, and investigate lenders. Once armed with this information, you can choose a car that you can both enjoy and afford.

Expense Of A Car

According to the FCIC, a car payment should be less than 20% of your after living expenses budget. While this is a good number to start with, you will want to look at your own budget numbers. Be sure to include other miscellaneous car costs, including fuel, insurance, and licensing fees.

You will also want to plan on a down payment and enough cash for the initial license, registration, and sales tax.

Terms Of Auto Loans

Auto loans vary with their terms rather than financing options. With a down payment of at least 10%, you can expect to find reasonable rates. While you can find auto loans with zero down, rates will be much higher. In fact if you can put down more than 10%, you will save more money in interest charges than if you get a lower rate.

Another way to pay less for your auto loan is to opt for a shorter term. You can get a seven year loan, but you are adding hundreds of dollars for those lower monthly payments. However, base your decision on what you can afford with your budget.

Auto Loan Lenders

Auto loans

Article continued below...