Car Loan – What you should know before securing an auto interest rate loan

July 2, 2018

Just like the requirements for taking any other personal or business loan, your credit score or credit standing will determine your chances of securing an interest rate loan. There are certain information you need to know when preparing for a credit card loan for your automobile;

Your credit history

Credit cards score is the ultimate requirement to get your auto loan approved. You need to consider your credit score whether you are extending your auto debit or taking your first auto loans. Having a good credit score will not only improve your chances of securing the auto loan quickly, it will also lower your payable interest rates.

Aside from your credit standing, a lender will like to know whether you don’t have a huge burden of other debts on you. If you have other debts, there is a likelihood that you will default on repaying your bank loan, if you opt for bank financing. The lender will likely calculate your debt-to-income ratio which is simply the percentage of your income that is being taken by your debt. If you have substantial bank savings, that may boost your chances of securing auto loans- this means your bank statements will also be considered.  Most lenders will likely approve your auto loans if other debts do not take more than 40% of your income.

Auto loan down payment

Making a down payment is compulsory when taking auto loans, and this is simply the amount of initial capital you want to pay upfront on the car. One of the benefits of a down payment is that it will reduce the principal repayment on your auto loan. Down payment requirement may vary from one lender to another, for instance, most lenders will ask for 5-20% down payment before your auto loan is approved.

The bigger the down payment you make, the better, it will ensure that you don’t eventually pay more than what the car is actually worth. Experts suggest that you should aim at no less than 10% when taking an auto loan, because cars can depreciate by as much as 25% in value, during their first year of purchase. If you are purchasing a used car, you should also aim at making at least a 10% down payment. In most cases, you may be required to make a bigger down payment if your credit card score is poor or average, credit card score.

Consider the auto loan terms

The loan term is actually the duration at which you will repay your bank loan along with the interest rate. Generally, the longer the terms, the higher interest payable on the loan. In most cases, the term for the loan interest and capital may extend between three to six years. The only benefit with longer terms is that you will end up making lower monthly payment. Experts suggest that the shorter term is a better auto loan deal as long as you can afford a higher monthly repayment.

The type of car you are buying

Your principal repayment on an auto loan will surely be lower for a used vehicle than a brand vehicle, but you can actually secure a lower interest rate when purchasing a new car. The reason for this is that a lender may not find it convenient to resell a used car especially when your car is repossessed as a result of your inability to repay your auto loan. Most lenders will tend to encourage you to take an auto loan on a pricier new car because they will make more returns on higher interest rates, and a new car can be resold easily when you don’t meet up with the repayment of your loan. If your credit card score is low, you may end up taking an auto loan for a used car instead of a new car and a lender may be forced to impose higher interest rates.

Make sure you get pre-approved, regardless of your final decision

One of the reasons why you should get pre-approved for your car loan is that it will make your car purchase much less stressful. If you don’t like negotiating, buying a new car may be more stressful than you envisaged. When you get pre-approved, you will be able to take away most of these stress of negotiating, and that will help you to have more focus on striking a better deal on the purchase price of the car and the repayment of the capital and interest rates.

You may want to consider your payable auto insurance premium before you choose whether to go for a new or used car. If your monthly insurance premium will make your monthly auto loan repayment more difficult, then you may want to find a cheaper brand of vehicle. Aside from this, experts suggest that you do not use your personal assets as vehicle collateral, if your lender demands such – in most cases, your car will be repossessed if you fail to make repayments when due.

You need to know that you have a strong bargaining power when it comes to auto loans. You wouldn’t probably need a dealer financing, but a dealer may want to retain your loan by offering you better auto loan terms because of the profits he will generate.

Only make a repayment plan where you can stick to your budget. Some dealers will like to know how much you want to pay each month towards your debt, hence they may help you plan your budget so that you can apply for a more expensive car, they will do this by stretching your repayment over a longer period of time. Do not fall for this trick especially when you have a fixed income and you have a fixed budget from month to month.

You may want to look out for some 0% financing for car purchase, though these deals usually come with shorter repayment periods they do not come with discounts, especially if you are going for a used car. It makes more sense to go for a low-interest rate auto loan.