It is very important that you be pretty cautious when applying for a car loan.
Financing questions
There are some important financing questions that have to be asked on applying for a car loan; and make sure that you get the answers for these questions before obliging for a car loan. Anything looking vague or confusing should be clarified and if you find any claim made by the sales person that seems to be too good to be true, make sure it is written on the contract so that the manager can approve of it.
First find out what the interest rate you will be paying. This is displayed through the APR which is the actual interest rate you will be expected to pay every year on the unpaid portion of the loan. Your credit score has a great impact on your interest rate; the higher the credit score, the lower will be the interest rate.
loan penalties
Ask the financier if there are any possible penalties on the loan. Find out if there will be any penalties for clearing the loan earlier than expected. Find out if there are any possible hidden charges that may occur during the term period and if there are any hidden charges too. Enquire about the amount that has to be paid as down payment; it is usually 10% of the loan, or $1,000 depending on the financier and car dealer.
Make enquiries about the exact price you will be paying for the vehicle. This means that they have to include all and any extra charges you will be paying for the vehicle. This way, you can find out how much you have to actually seek as finance for the car loan. Ask the car loan financier how much you will be expected to pay as monthly payments and how many monthly payments you will be expected to make. On a different subject for a second, you may be interested in a franchise tips for a buying opportunity
Third party loans
Be wary of financiers who get third parties involved in your car loan financing. In such situations what happens is that the car dealer provides you with a car, only to call you again in a few days’ time saying that no finance was available at their quoted rate. So to make up for this, they claim that they have another lender who will provide the same loan, but at a higher payment. Never oblige to this scam. So to avoid any complications, find out who the lender of your loan is going to be, and confirm that the deal is fixed before taking the car with you. And if the dealer says that there are some clarifications to be made, tell them that you will be back when everything is settled, and take the car only then.
Find out if there is any credit insurance offered in the deal. This is because the lender may demand, or offer credit insurance for your car. So find out how much this will actually cost you. Then confirm if any of your existing insurance policies cover the same clause, make a comparison. Credit insurance is basically not needed by federal law; but if your lender says it is needed, check the state’s requirement.
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