Found the Perfect New Car – Now Find the Perfect New Car Loan!

If you are lucky enough to be looking for a new car then make sure that before signing up for the new car and the new car finance you check out the price competitiveness and the options available for a new car loan.

While most buyers believe they are in the box seat when negotiating the purchase price of a new car and the terms of a new car loan the reality is that more often than not a better deal can be had if you step back and check out your options thoroughly. Purchasing a new car is an emotional experience and unfortunately all too many people set their sights on a new car, are not too concerned about the new car finance, thinking that a new car loan from one source will be much the same as the terms of a new car loan from another source.

Let’s consider the new car price. If you are negotiating with a dealer you obviously hope that you will do better than the marked price on the car. This may be so, but you are not negotiating from a position of power because you do not have any inside knowledge about the dealership and its sales volume. Why is this a factor when purchasing a new car? Most if not all dealerships operate on a bonus system whereby significant large bonuses kick in from the car manufacturer once a target monthly sales figure is reached. You may well get a better sale price on that new car if you purchase towards the end of the month when the dealership knows that your car sale will be critical in its achieving its targeted sales volume. Experience also demonstrates that if you negotiate your new car finance through a broker you may also be able to negotiate a better price on the new car. A good lease or mortgage broker (mortgage brokers almost always operate in the new car loan space as well) will have connections with the motor trade through which they may well be able to secure a better price on your new car and also provide you with as good or better terms on your new car finance. I recently purchased a new car and saved myself $2000 on the best price I could negotiate with a dealer by using a mortgage broker who also had access to competitively priced new car finance.

I won on both counts. I obtained a new car loan that was at a better rate than the new car finance offered by the dealer. What I found interesting is that with many new car loans the actual interest rate is not disclosed. The monthly repayment amount on the new car loan is but this can be manipulated to suit your means. The monthly repayment amount depends on the term of the new car loan and the residual value on the new car loan as well. Financiers invariably work on what you can afford and then tailor the repayments on any new car loan accordingly. This may make sense but want you may not realize is that the interest rate applicable on the new car finance may not be competitive.

Every dollar that goes out of your pocket is important – don’t put yourself in a position where you pay more for your new car than you need to or find that your monthly repayment on your new car loan means that you are paying say $40 per month more than you might have, had you checked alternative funding sources for your new car finance.