Buying a car with an auto loan is probably one of the biggest financial transactions one makes in life along with purchasing a home. Thus, it is important to plan ahead in order to save as much money as possible. Car loans can be really expensive if you close on a bad deal and that's the reason why you should shop for the right lender and the right loan prior to deciding to buy a car.

As experts appear to do with any subject, they disagree when it comes to car purchase budgeting. Taking all the different views into consideration, the general consensus seems to be that car payments should not cost more than ten percent of one's earnings. The cost is inclusive of gas, insurance and maintenance.

Financing

After deciding on a price range, the next decision one has to make is to what extent the car should be financed on auto loans, whether in part or entirely. Buyers frequently opt for long repayment plans just to be able to lower the down payment. However in case a situation should arise where they want to trade the car in after just one year, the subsequent debt could even exceed the total value of the car.

This is not in the least bit desirable. In order to avoid this possibility, a useful and quick rule to keep in mind is to always finance less than 80 percent of the actual cost, or the dealer's invoice. As for the remaining 20 percent, it should be paid either in cash or equity that you can get from trading in an old vehicle in your possession.

Dealers Are Good At Selling Cars, Not Loans

All too often one hears of scams involving car purchases. Thus, you need a cautious approach when purchasing your car. You may be suspicious of dealers in second-hand vehicles and prefer to look around for the best value and integrity. The very same extent of caution should be maintained for auto loan agreements for purchasing cars. The usual procedure involves the dealer directing the buyer to the financing department of the business to work out an auto loan deal.

Dealers mostly offer more flexible credit requirements than banks and at times push cut-rate financing deals. These auto loan options may seem attractive with 3 percent interest rates, but they may only be for particular car models or short-term auto loans. Caution is also advised for dealers selling auto loan options as they mostly make great profits on financing, whether or not it involves the manufacturer of the vehicle.

Double Negotiation

When making a car purchase, always be sure to negotiate the price of the vehicle prior to letting out that you plan to finance the cost of the car. Dealers may also try to confuse you with lower financing rates for higher priced vehicles or offer a car at a lower price but with a higher finance rate.

It is absolutely acceptable to negotiate for better auto loans due to dealerships mostly involving a number of different loan sources including the manufacturer's credit company and local banks. Each of them may offer different rates to the dealer. Therefore it is always better to examine your options for auto loan rates and other financing options rather than purchasing a car and then deciding the rate at the dealers.