How much do you save with a zero percent loan?

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you buy a new car for $24,000 and you want a 60 month loan. If you were to get an auto loan at a conventional interest rate of 6.5%, your payments would be $470 a month and your total finance charges would be $4175.

If you bought the same car with a 0% APR loan, you would save the $4175 in finance charges and your monthly payments would only be $400 a month, a savings of $70 a month.

Getting a 0% APR loan sounds like a good deal — and it is — but what if the car dealer/manufacturer is also offering a rebate, which is typically offered as an alternative to the 0% loan. You must select one or the other, but not both. Which is better?

To continue with our example, let’s say the car manufacturer is offering a $4175 rebate (we’ve purposely made it the same as the finance charges above). So, your choice is to take the $4175 cash rebate, which you would use as a down payment to reduce the amount of your loan to $19,925 — OR to take the 0% loan which also saves you $4175 over the life of the loan. Which is best?

We’ve already said that the 0% loan gets you a $400 monthly payment. However, if you accept the $4175 rebate instead (at normal interest rate), your payments are only $388 a month — $12 less than the 0% APR deal.

So, what’s the catch?

In order for the 0% APR deal to be the best deal against a cash rebate, the rebate must be relatively small compared to the savings in finance charges of the zero percent loan. In other words, in our example above, the rebate must be at least $4000 for it to be a better deal. And $4000 is a large rebate that you don’t see very often on new cars.

In conclusion, unless the car manufacturer is offering some very large rebates, a 0% APR loan will be a better deal. If you want to take a look at current 0% APR deals, visit our sister site at Best Car Deals.

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When you buy a car from an individual, you pay with cash, a money order, or a bank cashiers check. The money can come from savings, a checking account, a family loan, or a loan from a bank or financial company. Most sellers do not like personal checks.

Buyers sometimes expect a private seller to “take payments” but any smart seller will not agree to such a plan. It is too risky. As a buyer, it’s better to get your own loan.

Requirements for a car loan

Loans from banks or finance companies require that you have a not-so-bad credit score, have an income sufficient to repay the loan, and have no excessive debts that might interfer with your ability to repay the loan. Loan companies do not want to give money to people who are unable to repay a loan.

Buying a car with bad credit – or no credit

People who have a bad credit history — a history of not making payments on time or of missing payments on other loans – will have problems getting a car loan. The lender will assume that if you have had problems in the past, there is a good chance that you’ll have problems again.

Most first-time car buyers have no credit history. Having no credit history is almost as bad as having a flawed credit history. Loan companies don’t have enough data to make a decision about you, so they often take the safest route and reject your loan application. Building good credit takes time and there is no quick easy solution.

The solution for people with bad credit or no credit is to get a co-signer, who agrees to make payments if you should default. Although the loan is completely in your name, the co-signer would have to pay if you do not. It is a good way not only to get a loan that you might not otherwise be able to get, but it provides a good way to build your own credit history for the next time you need a loan.

Getting a loan

When you buy from an individual, get a complete description of the car, year of manufacture, make, model, and list of options. Also get the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), the price you intend to pay for the vehicle, and take this information to your bank, finance company, or online loan company to apply for a loan. The amount of the loan for which you will be approved will depend on the age of the vehicle, its “black book” value, your income, your debts, and your credit score. If you can’t get approved for the full amount of the price of the vehicle you want, you’ll have to come up with cash to make up the difference.

The bank or loan company will look at your information, get your credit score (and your co-signer’s), and verify your income and debt information. They will come back to you to let you know that you are approved (or disapproved), and the amount of money they are willing to provide to you for the vehicle. The bank or loan company will write you and/or the seller a check.

Write a Bill of Sale

It is good to create a simple legal document called a Bill of Sale. It can be an informal handwritten document, or you can pick up a printed version at any office supply store. It should contain the names and addresses of both buyer and seller, a description of the vehicle, makes/model/year, VIN number, and mileage. A smart seller will also insert a clause stating that he vehicle is being sold “as-is” without warrantees or guarantees. Both buyer and seller should sign and date the document. Make a copy for both buyer and seller.

Get a clear title

Make sure the seller has a clear title that he can hand over to your at the same time you hand him your money. If he still has a lien (loan) on the vehicle, you should conduct the transaction with the seller at his bank. That way, you can see that his loan gets paid off with your money and that the bank gives you the title directly. Accept no promises from a seller about sending the title to you later.

Inspect the vehicle

It is also good to have had a mechanic inspect the vehicle before the sale to make sure you understand the car’s condition. It is not a good idea to simply accept the seller’s word about the condition of a car. Not that sellers are dishonest (although some are) but he may not know about some hidden problems, and therefore can’t tell you about them.

Also get an AutoCheck® Vehicle History Report. so that you’ll know if the car has been wrecked, flooded, or has been involved in accidents. Although these reports can have incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information, they are very valuable when buying a used car.

Where to find cars from private sellers

They are everywhere. Newspaper classified ads. In free “auto trader” magazines at your local auto parts stores and supermarkets, and at online classified web sites. We also suggest you check out eBays list of  where more used cars are sold every day than from any other source. Just take caution and ask a lot of questions.

Summary

Buying a car from an individual is not difficult, but there are precautions you need to take to make sure you don’t have problems. Remember, used cars are nearly always sold “as-is” which means you can’t take it back if you find problems later. Furthermore, lemon laws don’t apply to used cars and there are no “3-day right of return” laws as many people believe.

For additional information and advice about buying used cars, see the Used Car Buyers Guide.

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In normal years, we would tell you that the best time to buy a car is when sales are slow at the end of the month, end or the year, or during vacation season. We would tell you that you might still have to negotiate your prices because dealers aren’t just going to give you a good deal because they like you.

BUT……..things are much different now. Sales have been slow for over a year and are still slow right now. As a result, we are now seeing some of the biggest and best car incentives on new cars that we’ve seen in years. Nearly every car manufacturer is now offering a combination of large factory-to-customer rebates, low-interest loan deals, 0% APR loans (even on long 72 month loans), special lease deals, free maintenance, and “secret” factory-to-dealer rebates that dealers usually give to customers.

Why has 2010 become such a good time to buy a car?

For a number of reasons.

First, the economy seems to be improving, if every so slowly, and car makers and dealers are anxious to give things a little push. They are offering attractive incentives as a way of convincing potential buyers to take action.

Second, even though there are people buying new cars, the market is smaller than a few years ago. This means there’s fewer cars to be sold and the competition among dealers and car makers is tremendous — to the benefit of automobile consumers.

This is a good time to buy because many of the deals are the about as good as they can possibly be. You can’t get lower than zero percent interest on a loan. You can’t get lower than a manufacturer’s cost to build a car and expect them to stay in business. You can’t much better on special car lease deals that give you a deeply discounted price, combined with a low money factor and high residual. Some even kick in free scheduled maintenance for a couple of years.

Another factor creating the outstanding car-buying opportunities right now is the “Toyota Situation.” Toyota’s unfortunate highly-publicized problems have caused a big slowdown in Toyota car sales. Most other car makers have tried to capitalize on the situation by offering some very attractive incentives. It’s like a feeding frenzy. Now Totoya, who is solving their problems, is offering some of the best incentives in their entire history in attempting to restore customer confidence and recover sales.

If you are looking for 0% APR loan deals, nearly every manufacturer has them on at least some of their models and styles. Even if 0% is not available, other very low-interest loans are being offered.  Furthermore, the deals are being offered even on long-term loans, which has been rare until now.

If you’re looking for great lease deals, Honda and Toyota come to mind. In fact, nearly all non-American brands have special car lease deals now. American brands (Chrysler, Ford, GM) haven’t quite come back to leasing after losing so much money on leases in the last few years.

Big rebates, however, are available on many brands, including American brands, and especially on leftover 2009 vehicles. Chrysler, Ford, and GM rebates are very attractive, as are those from Hyundai/Kia, Mazda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi.

So if you are in the market for a new car, NOW is a good time to buy. It might get a little better later in the year — and maybe not.

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Car payment calculation is not simple math. It requires a rather complex business math formula that is not easily done by hand and most people are not capable, or not willing, to take it on. It’s not as simple as dividing loan amount by the number of months in the loan. Finance charges (interest), which change every month, must be accounted for.

It’s much easier to use a hand-held business calculator, such as the HP 12c or HP 17b, or, even better, use an easy online auto loan calculator which does the math for you.

To use a car loan calculator, you must know the amount being financed, the number of months you want to finance, and the interest rate. You’ll also need to know the down payment amount, if any, and the value of your trade-in vehicle, if any. You also need to know the sales tax rate that applies to your home location, not where you buy your car.

How Car Payments Work

It’s a fact of life. Anytime you borrow money for a car, a house, or for credit card purchases, the lender wants you to pay an extra amount (interest) for your use of his money. The more money you use (borrow), and the longer your payoff term, the more you pay.

The way in which car loan payments are calculated sets a fixed monthly payment figure that includes two parts: 1) a part that repays some of the principal ( the amount you borrow), and 2) a part that pays interest (finance charges) on your outstanding balance.

Since your loan balance (principal) decreases with each monthly payment, the amount of interest in your payment also decreases and the amount going towards your loan balance increases. 

This means that in the early months of your loan, you pay a lot of interest and less principal. As you move toward the end of your loan, you pay less interest and more principal. In other words, you pay off your loan faster at the end than at the beginning. 

No two month’s payments are exactly the same in the amounts of the two parts, although the total payment is always the same (except for possibly the last payment which is usually less).

One possible problem with the way that car loans are structured is that the small amount of principal being paid in the beginning of the loan term may not pay the loan balance down as fast as the value of the vehicle depreciates.

This means you may be “upside down” — you owe more on your loan than your car is worth — during much of your loan term, which can be a problem if you decide to sell or trade before your loan is paid off, or nearly paid off. It can also be a problem if your car is stolen or totaled in an accident. Insurance companies pay you what the car is worth, not the amount you still owe on your loan. 

If you decide on a long-term loan (more than 48 months), or have a high interest rate, or make little or no down payment, or roll over negative equity from a previous car loan, you are almost assured of being upside down for most of your new loan term.

Some banks and loan companies allow you to make extra payments or pay more each month toward principle, which ends your loan sooner, lowers total finance costs, and reduces the chance of being upside down. Contact your bank or loan company to make arrangements.

Calculating car loan payments is easy if you use an online car loan calculator.

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New or first-time car buyers are often surprised at being turned down for a car loan because they have no credit history, which unfortunately has about the same effect as having bad credit.

Lenders want to see that a borrower has a good record with previous loans and credit cards. Without a history of credit, a borrower represents a risk to lenders. If they don’t know a borrower’s history, they take the low road and assume the worst.

It’s a familiar “catch-22″ situation in that you can’t get a loan to establish credit without already having credit. So what is the answer?

What is the answer?

The most common solution is to have someone “co-sign” your loan contract. Typicallly, it’s family member who has a good credit score. A co-signer plays no part in the loan unless the primary borrower fails to make payments. In that case, the loan company would have the right to seek payment from the co-signer.

A co-signer does not share ownership of your vehicle. If you pay off your loan on time and without problems, the co-signer has no further role, rights, or responsiblities. Their job is finished.

Even if you default on your loan and the co-signer has to step in and make payments, he/she still has no owership rights. The car would still be in your name. Many people who co-sign do not understand this important point.

Another point important for co-signers to understand is that a co-signed loan or lease shows up on both the borrower’s credit report and the co-signer’s as a financial obligation or debt. This may affect the co-signer’s ability to get a new loan or lease for themselves. It increases their “debt load” which is a factor that is considered when one applies for new credit.

However, on the postive side, if you pay off your loan with no problems, both you and the co-signer benefit from the good credit report.

You should take care in selecting a co-signer. Since approval of your loan will depend on their credit worthiness, the person should have a strong and healthy credit history, a steady source of income, and not have excessive debt. For most new car buyers, this will probably be a close family member.

If you have already shown a history of financial irresponsibility, you may have difficulty finding someone who is willing to assume responsibility for your new obligations. Like the banks or loan companies, your potential co-signers may not want to take on the added responsibility and credit debt load. If the co-signer is not able to take over payment when the primary borrower defaults, both the borrower’s and the co-signer’s credit score are damaged.

If you can’t find a co-signer

If you can’t find someone who will co-sign for you, you have few other options. You may have to work out your transportation needs another way while you save enough money to get started with an inexpensive used car, while building your credit history so that you won’t need a co-signer the next time. Get a couple of credit cards or department store cards, use them often, and pay them off each month.

You could also try a used car dealer who specializes in working with people with bad credit, such as Drivetime.com. They have 78 locations around the country and offer a wide selection of used cars. This type of dealer its their own loans, which means it won’t help — or hurt — your credit.

Summary

Getting a co-signer is a great way to start building your own credit history. If you make your payments on time, don’t skip payments, and don’t default on your loan, you’ll be in great shape for your next loan — without a co-signer.

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This is a very common question with car buyers and owners.

The answer is yes, you can sell the car, but you must get enough money in the sale to pay off your loan, so that your bank can give you a “clear” title to give to the new buyer. This is where problems often arise. Let’s see how.

If you are upside down

If you are still paying on your loan, you still have an outstanding balance, which might be more than your car is actually worth. This means you are “upside down” and would need additional cash, after the sale, to fully pay off your loan. Loan companies want to be paid in full immediately after the sale. They won’t allow you to continue to make payments on a car you no longer have.

If you are not upside down

If your loan balance is less than the outstanding balance on your loan, then there’s no problem. You get the money from the buyer, use part of the money to pay off your loan and get the title, and put the remainder of the money in your pocket — possibly as part of a down payment on another car.

 How does it work?

Generally, a smart buyer will insist that he go with you to your bank so that he can write his check directly to the bank, have you add your additional cash if you are upside down, get the title immediately, have you sign over the title to him right then and there, and give him the car keys. That way, there are no delays and no mess. Nice and clean and quick.

Summary

So if you want to sell your car when you are still making payments, yes, it can be done. However, if you still owe more than your car is worth, it is much more difficult — and sometimes impossible.

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David, 17, recently graduated from high school, landed a good paying job, and wanted to buy a new car.

His thought was that he would go to his neighborhood Ford dealer where he had been admiring a bright red Focus model that he felt he could afford, and arrange for a convenient loan to pay for it. He could easily get approved for the loan because his father knows the owner of the dealership. 

The car cost $12,000 with discounts and rebates. He thought a 5 year (60 months) loan would be about right because he figured payments to be $200 a month ($12,000 divided by 60 months), which he could easily afford.

David was wrong — in many ways. Let’s see why.

So what’s wrong with David’s thinking?

Age Requirement
First, he must be at least 18 years old  to be legally responsible to sign contracts, including sales contracts and car loan agreements. He would have to show proof of age before signing.

Loan Approval
Second, ignoring the age problem for a moment, car dealers don’t approve loans or make loans, so it doesn’t matter that David’s dad knows the owner of the dealership. Dealers work with banks and finance companies to arrange loans for customers. It’s the bank or finance company who approves loan applications and grants loans. Dealers sometimes “screen” customers as preliminary way to weed out customers who have impossible credit. 

Credit History
Next, having recently graduated and just getting a new job, David does not have an established credit history. He has never had a credit card, department store account, or a loan. The fact that he has a new job doesn’t help if he’s been working less than 6 months.

If he was old enough (18 or older, see above), he could get a family member to co-sign the loan agreement, which would help him get approved. A co-signer would be responsible only if David fails to pay on his loan.

But since David is not yet 18, he can either wait until he becomes of legal age, or he could have his parents buy a car in their name and add him to their insurance policy as the regular driver.

Calculating Payments
Finally, David doesn’t understand how car loan payments are calculated. It’s not a simple matter of dividing the car’s cost by the number of months in the loan.

In fact, it’s a rather complex business math calculation that takes into account a monthly finance charge (interest), that will significantly increase his total cost, especially for loans 60 months long that have higher interest rates than shorter loans. The calculation must be performed with a business calculator or online auto loan calculator.

Length of Loan
Furthermore, even if David were to be able to get the car loan, a 60-month loan is too long for a teenager  who will become tired of his car long before 5 years is up. More than likely, his tastes will change and he’ll get future pay raises that will allow him to afford (want) better, more expensive cars. 

Unfortunately, with such a long-term loan, he’ll be “upside down” for most of the term of the loan, making it financially troublesome to try to sell or trade before the loan is paid off. He may be tempted to trade and have the dealer roll his “negative equity” into a new car, which is not usually a good thing to do.

Other Costs
Further still, we wonder if David has considered the other costs of owning and driving a car. A car’s purchase cost is only a part of the overall cost of ownership. As a young male driver, his monthly insurance costs could easily exceed his loan payment amount. Then there’s gas, maintenance, repairs, tires, taxes, and license fees.

Summary
Unless someone buys a car for David, he should wait until he is at least 18 years old, has a stable income, has an established credit history, and understands how car buying and financing works.

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Until relatively recent times, it was standard for car dealers and finance companies to require at least 20% down payment on the purchase of a car. It was for a good reason.

Because cars depreciate in value from the moment they are driven off a dealer’s lot, a down payment helps offset that rapid decrease in value, which may keep the loan from becoming “upside down.”  It also protects the loan company or bank because, if they have to repossess the vehicle, they have a smaller risk of losing money.

Things are different now
Auto manufacturers and dealers are now very competitive and business must be fought for. They are willing to take risks that were unheard of just a few years ago. In many cases, down payment requirements have been reduced or eliminated altogether, primarily for customers with good credit.

Even if you have good credit, accepting a “no down payment” deal is not wise. Because your vehicle will depreciate in value faster than your monthly payments pay down your loan, you will be upside down for most of your loan term.

So, what is the problem with being upside down?
First, if you decide to sell or trade your vehicle before your loan is paid off, or nearly paid off, you’ll get a nasty surprise. You’ll find that you still owe more on your loan than your vehicle is worth. Maybe thousands of dollars more. You’ll have to find the extra money to pay off your loan.

Second, if your car is stolen or totaled in an accident, your insurance pays only what the car is worth, not what you still owe on your loan, which again, could be thousands of dollars difference. In order to pay off your loan after the accident, you must come up with the additional cash on your own.

How much down payment?
A down payment not only helps you avoid the problems of being upside down, but it also serves to lower your monthly payment. The amount by which it reduces your payment depends on the amount of the loan, the amount of the down payment, the length (term) of the loan, and the interest rate. You can use an auto loan calculator to play around with the numbers to find out the effect of different down payment amounts.

A good rule of thumb is 20% for a down payment. You can take advantage of manufacturers’ rebates, which can be used as a down payment. If you can’t do 20 percent,  do the best you can.

In some cases, especially if you have poor credit, the bank or finance company will dictate how much down payment you must make to get a car loan from them. It’s usually not negotiable. If it’s more than you can pay, try other banks, credit unions, or loan companies.

If you have poor credit, you might consider looking for your car at a dealer such as Drivetime.com, who specializes in working with buyers who have less-than-perfect credit. They have dealerships all over the country.

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You may still be able to buy another car if you are upside down on your previous loan.

There are two ways to go about it.

One way to buy with an upside down loan
You could sell your old car but you will have to add extra cash to fully pay off your old loan. You’ll need to pay off your loan so that you can give a clear title to your buyer. However, coming up with extra cash might be a problem, especially if you are upside down by a large amount. For many people, this solution is not possible.

Let’s look at some other ways.

Another way to buy if you are upside down
You can trade your old car at a dealer and let the dealer pay off the old loan. Sounds easy, but there’s a catch. If your old car is not worth as much as the amount remaining on your old loan, the dealer takes the difference and adds it to the price of your new car. If you are upside down by a large amount, this can significantly raise the cost of your new car. In some cases, a dealer will not allow the entire amount to be rolled into a new loan, which means you must come up with some cash as a down payment.

When you roll part of an old loan into a new loan, it usually puts you right back into an upside down situation, which is usually worse than your old situation. It is a vicious cycle that you would be best to avoid.

The best way to get out of an upside down loan is to simply keep your old car, keep making payments, until you are no longer upside down. Then, you have the option to do anything you want.

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Most car dealers do not directly finance loans on cars they sell. They work with outside banks and finance companies to provide loans for their customers. It’s up to those banks and finance companies, not the dealer, to approve and provide customers car loans.

However, a different breed of used car dealer, called  ”buy-here-pay-here” dealers,  do provide their own financing without an outside bank or loan company. They primarily function to sell used cars to people who have bad credit and cannot get approved for loans from conventional sources.

Buy-here-pay-here (BHPH) dealers can be recognized by their promotional ads or storefront signs. They use the terms “easy finance” or “no credit checks” or “we finance anybody” or “in-house financing” or “fast loan approval” or “we approve you regardless of your credit.”  They are sometimes called “tote the note” dealers.

How do buy-here-pay-here dealers work?
BHPH dealers typically sell older used cars for higher-than-market prices. They may ask for a down payment that essentially covers their investment in the car. Then the customer pays off the rest of the amount with a high-interest loan, which is the dealer’s profit.  There is no credit check because the interest rate charged is the highest allowed by the usury laws in that state.

The loan might be divided into 12-18 months of payments that are set up on a strict weekly or bi-weekly schedule. In many cases, the payments must be made at the dealership in cash or money-order. Personal checks are often not accepted.

Many BHPH dealers use special devices on the cars to make sure that customers pay on time and don’t skip town. One device is a starter interrupter. If a customer is late with one payment by even a day, the car will not start, and cannot be reenabled until the payment is made and a special code is punched into the device. If a payment is missed (late by more than a couple of days), the car will be immediately repossessed — no 30 day grace period. A GPS locator device hidden on the car tells the dealer where the car can be found.

If a car is repossessed, it is usually placed back on the sales lot to be sold to the next customer. BHPH dealers normally do not report repossessions to credit agencies. In some cases, a repossessed car might be sold at wholesale auction and the customer billed for the balance of his loan. This can happen if the car has been damaged or wrecked.

Should you use a buy-here-pay-here dealer?
Buying a car from a buy-here-pay-here dealer is an expensive option, but if it is your only option, and you know how it works, then you can use it.

Make your loan as short as possible to reduce the effects of the high interest rate. Have the car inspected by a qualified mechanic before you buy because such cars are sold “as-is” without warranties or guarantees. The dealer is not obligated to fix problems after the sale. Check out the dealer at your local Better Business Bureau (find their web site or call them on the phone).

Don’t expect your credit to improve if you make all your payments on time. Just as BHPH dealers don’t check your credit when you buy, they also do not report your good (or bad) payment record to the credit agencies. Unless your credit score improves for other reasons, you’ll end your loan with the same bad credit as when you started.

Summary
In summary, buy-here-pay-here dealers exist for a reason: to sell cars to people who have bad credit or no credit and are not able to buy a car any other way. On the other hand, they are often viewed as predatory, taking advantage of people’s misfortune with high prices and maximum-allowed interest rates.

You may be able to get a better deal from conventional discount used car dealers in your area. You can get free prices quotes from these dealers from the UsedCars.com web site. These dealers may also be able to find you a loan source.

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