Are you ready to trade in that old car you have for a newer one? If you are ready to do this, you may want to start shopping around for the right car to buy, but before you start shopping, it might be important to set a budget. The amount that you spend on a car is just one of the top three factors that will affect the amount you must pay each month for your car payments, and here is an explanation of the three factors that affect this and how they affect it.
The amount you borrow
You might assume that trading in your car will help with reducing the loan amount for the car you buy, but you should realize that most trade-ins are not really worth a whole lot. The dealer who accepts your trade-in will likely sell it right away at an auction or have to put a lot of money in the car before selling it themselves. Because of this, trade-in values are not usually that good. This means that you will likely have to finance most of the costs of the car you choose to buy. Higher priced cars will result in borrowing more money and borrowing more money means higher payments for you.
The rate you pay for interest
A second factor that greatly affects your payment amounts is the rate of interest you get on the loan. A higher interest rate means that you will pay more interest for the loan, and this will result in higher payments. One thing to know is that the interest rates on new cars are usually lower than the rates on older cars, so you should keep that in mind when you choose a car to buy because your car choice affects payment amounts.
The number of payments
The other factor to know about is the differences in length of loans. A shorter-term loan will mean paying more money each month, simply because you are repaying your loan in less time, but shorter-term loans might come with lower interest rates. You can always have a lender quote you for different terms of loans so you can see the differences this factor makes in your payment amounts.
Understanding this information can help you make a good decision when choosing a car to buy. If you are ready to make your purchase and need a loan, talk to an auto loan lender today.
