What you need to look for before availing your car loan

Going in for a car loan? Working out your financial options for your car? There are a few things you need to check out before "buying" your car. Here are a few pointers which will help you prepare for your "buy":

• Financing your new car

Unless you're paying hard cash, you need to undertake a crash course on becoming a quasi "loans expert" if you’re planning to buy a car in the near future and don’t have an expert to handle your loan repayments. It makes no difference about the type of car you desire; the basic remains the same for all car types – cars, sedans, SUVs, pickups, mini vans, jeeps etc. You "borrow" once and "repay" on a monthly basis. Since you don’t have enough cash to fund your vehicle, or maybe you do have cash but still prefer to go in for a car loan (you pay a "down payment" - a fraction of the car’s cost), you are going to need financers. Different financers provide loans for different purposes. And the loan criteria also changes with the type of loan you need. So do your homework and research the financers – "what person" or "company" is providing "what", and what are the criteria for availing the credit. It’s important to avail loan options that offer affordable car loan rates.

• Get pre-approved

It’s possible to buy your car if you end up getting the required credit. So the ownership of your car depends upon the availability of your car loan. Therefore it makes sense to "shop" for a "loan" first and once you get the approval, you "shop" for your car. The process of "approving" or "arranging" for your "loan" before actually deciding upon the vehicle is referred to as "pre-approval". Getting your "pre-approval" is important since you are sure you have a source of finance for your car and your efforts put in while selecting or deciding your vehicle won’t go to waste.

• Find the right financing company

All creditors are not alike. You can save a significant amount of money by selecting the right kind of finance providing car loan rates which suits your needs. Creditors follow a common pattern for charging the interest rates; however their monthly repayment schedule can vary. It’s the creditor’s discretion to decide how he or she wants the debt to be paid off. Finding the most cost effective loan will help you save a lot of money in the end - when you totally pay off your loan.

• Borrowing money against some investments or savings

There’s another option available. If you’ve saved some money and invested the same in bonds or deposits in banks, chances are you might be eligible for "overdraft" facility against your investments. In such cases the car loan option works out to be very much in your favor as a lot of latitude is given in repaying the loan back. And you end up paying the difference of your savings rate minus the "borrow" or "interest" rate.

• The quicker you payback, the more you save in the end

Creditors charge their interest on the duration of the "borrowings" i.e. for how long you need to avail the car loan facility. It means your net payable interest amount is in direct relation to the time you avail the credit facility. So if you make plans to pay off your debt within a short span to time, you end up paying lesser interest and end up saving money.