How Much Car Loan Can I Be Approved For

My Recommendation For Car Shoppers

Each week, I’ll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes…

• Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
• Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
• The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
• Which Cars You Should Avoid

Organize The Necessary Documents

Gather the following documents before you start your search.

• Personal information, like your name, Social Security number, drivers license, contact information and home address.
• Income, including your employer, its contact information and your annual income.
• The amount you want to finance and the preferred auto loan term.
• Information about the age and mileage of the vehicle if youre buying used.
• Trade-in information, if applicable.

Shop For Car Insurance

Keeping your monthly payment under 10% of your gross income is the most important thing. Thats whats going to keep you from feeling pinched and stretched. Here are some of the top insurance providers on the market today that are operating in your local area. Find the policy that best suits your needs.

If you prefer to work with an agent, can help you save money. If youre an excellent driver, this insurer may be a great option for you. Sign up for Drivewise and earn as much as 25% back for every six months you go without an accident.

Those who have multiple types of insurance may want to look at . You can save big by bundling your auto policy with your renters, homeowners, or condo insurance. Their website makes it easy to get a quick quote to find out if you can save money by switching to them.

Related: Tips for Saving on Your Car Loan

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Why Is My Amount So Low

Cars may be necessary transportation, but their quick depreciation means spending more than you have to on a car is a fast way to make your hard-earned money disappear unnecessarily.

A bank or car dealer will likely approve you for much more than your result on our calculator. But what the dealer says you can afford and what you can actually afford are very different. Remember, if you stop paying your car loan, the bank repossesses the car. Either way, they win.

The result of our car affordability calculator shows you a sensible amount to spend on a car. And yes, it might be far lower than you might think. But remember that the more money you spend on a car, the less money you have available for everything else housing, food, travel, entertainment, paying off debt, and saving.

Your car is one of your largest monthly expenses the lower you can keep that expense, the faster youll be able to build wealth in other areas.

Can You Be Denied A Car Loan After Pre

Certainly, pre-approval is no guarantee that your vehicle loan wont be denied on any number of grounds. Information learned through a credit check may defeat your chances for final credit approval.

For example, if youve been convicted of fraud, a dealer may be unwilling to do business with you unless much time has passed.

Other events that may deep-six your loan include prior delinquencies, repossessions, collections, write-offs, settlements, garnishments, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and legal judgments.

Most derogatory information ages off your credit reports within seven years, although some bankruptcies may remain on your reports for up to 10 years. Therefore, you have cause for hope even if your loan is denied now, it may be approved later on if enough time has passed since your last major financial problem.

Many folks with blemished credit reports hire the services of a that will aggressively work to challenge and remove unverified, incorrect, or misleading information from your credit history. You can attempt to do this yourself, but it requires time, patience, and an understanding of how this process operates.

Not all credit repair companies are reputable, so we urge you to check our recommendations and third-party ratings before signing up.

Keep in mind that there will be little that a credit repair service can accomplish if your credit reports are already clean. Thats why they cant guarantee significant results in terms of lifting your credit scores.

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The Downpayment On Your Car Should Be At Least 20% Of The Purchase Price

If you put any less down, you could be paying more than what the car is worth by the end of the year, it is also known as negative equity. According to Edmunds, a car depreciates in value by 9% as soon as you drive it off the lot. By the end of the year, that same car has lost about 19% of its value.

Think about it, if you buy a $20,000 car with 0% down by the end of the first year your car is worth $16,200 through depreciation. However, assuming 4% annual percentage rate interest on a 5-year loan youâre paying about $370 per month your remaining amount owing is roughly $15,560, but this amount does not include applicable taxes, fees, and finance charges of the loan itself.

However, If you put 20% down, your car payments are $295 per month and your remaining amount owing is $12,460 . Still. you owe less, youâre paying less per month, and youâre nearly halfway to paying off the car completely.

A lower monthly payment makes affording gas, maintenance, and auto insurance a little easier on the pocketbook.

How Do I Get Pre

All the auto lenders featured in this review offer an instant pre-approval decision when you complete a short loan request form or answer a few online questions. An auto loan pre-approval is a necessary step toward getting you the loan you want, although it doesnt guarantee final approval.

Note that you can also fill out a loan application for a pre-approved loan at a financial institution like your online banking branch or local credit union. You will have to join the credit union before starting the car buying process.

Before receiving your loan, youll have to fill out a more extensive credit application and likely submit to a hard inquiry of your credit. A hard credit pull can temporarily cause your credit score to drop by five to 10 points, but the effect wears off within one year.

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Understanding Your Car Payment

Now you have an estimated auto payment youll have a better sense of what kind of new or used vehicle loan could work for you. Is your payment too high? Do you have more room for an auto payment in your budget? Adjust the terms to see how the figure changes.

While the monthly amount is important, also think carefully about the total cost of the purchase and how much you would pay in total interest charges.

Better Grasp On Expected Cost

The true cost of vehicle ownership tends to be higher than expected for first-time buyers. Having a solid number for what you can borrow will make it that much easier to budget and keep your expectations grounded when shopping. It is recommended you calculate various potential auto loans in advance so you know the amount you can comfortably borrow.

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Car Loan Calculator: How Much Car Can I Afford

David Weliver|

Modified date: Nov. 16, 2021

How much should you spend on a car? Probably not as much as you might think.

You can spend between 10% and 50% of your gross annual income on a car. Thats a big range, we know, so if we had to set a rule, it would be this:

Spend no more than 35% of your pre-tax annual income on a car.

Lower is better, but we recognize personal finance is personal. You might spend more only if you can securely pay cash for your vehicle and the kind of car you drive is important to you. You can explore how much car you can accord in our car affordability calculator below.

You can limit how much money you spend on your car by:

• Saving up and paying cash.
• Buying used.

If you do both of these things, youll save thousands of dollars compared to financing or leasing a new vehicle.

That said, sometimes you need transportation before you have cash saved to buy a car. So there are some additional rules to consider when you get an auto loan.

Whats Ahead:

Get An Initial Figure By Using A Car Loan Calculator

The interest rate you receive on an auto loan plays a big part in calculating your monthly payment amount. A higher credit score will score you a lower interest rate, which will ultimately lower your monthly payment and your total overall loan cost.

You can use a car loan calculator to determine how different interest rates will affect your monthly payment. Heres how:

• Pull a copy of your credit report and find out your .
• Get prequalified with a few lenders to determine the average interest rate you could be offered.
• Plug in your interest rate, desired repayment term length and car price to the calculator.

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There’s More To A Loan Than A Monthly Payment

That same wise shopper will look not only at the interest rate but also the length of the loan. The longer you stretch out the payments, the more expensive the loan will be. Let’s take that same $20,000 loan above at 5% at 5 years and see how much we can save by paying it off in 3 years. So, $20,000 at 5% for 36 months will cost $21,579.05 saving you $1,066.43. Using the calculator above you will see that the monthly payment for the 5 year loan is $377.42 and the monthly payment for the 3 year loan is $599.42. If you can easily handle the higher payment the savings are well worth it.

If your credit drastically improves & your initial loan was at a higher interest rate, it may be worth looking into refinancing at a lower rate.

Factors That Will Be Considered And Evaluated

For starters, subprime lenders have basic minimum requirements that must be met for an applicant to be considered. While they vary from lender to lender, Auto Credit Express lists these five that typically must be met:

• A monthly income of at least $1,500 gross
• Are employed full time or have a guaranteed fixed income
• Are 18 years of age or older
• Are a current resident of the United States or Canada
• Are a current legal American or Canadian citizen or legal resident

Additionally, many other factors will be considered and evaluated. Specifically, these factors can be grouped under three basic categories:

As you can see from all of the factors in play, we cannot tell you a dollar amount that you will be approved for. Ultimately, that decision will be in the hands of a lender.

However, we do have a calculator tool on our website that can analyze your situation and give you a rough estimate of what your approval amount could be. Remember that this is only a ballpark figure, you personally may qualify for more or less.

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Limit Your Car Loans To 4 Years Or Less

The longer your term, the more interest youâll pay. Itâs also important to know that your lender may require more expensive car insurance than your budget allows when borrowing money to protect their investment.

For instance, the minimum required third-party liability coverage for Ontario car insurance quotes is $200,000. In Quebec, the minimum is $50,000.

A financial lender will often require you to carry more than the minimum, or $1-2 million, in third-party liability coverage which translates to a more expensive monthly premium. You can shop around for the best car insurance quotes to reduce your rate but the extra added endorsements like collision, comprehensive, and extra third-party liability will cost more than a no-frills policy.

Financial experts tend to agree on a car loan being 48 months, or if you can afford it, go to 36 months. If 48 months is too hard, you can stretch to 60 months but never further. If you canât make the payments work within these timeframes, you should probably be looking at a less expensive car.

How Do I Calculate A Car Loan

Need to calculate payments for your car loan? It is simple. Simply, enter the following numbers into the car loan calculator:

• The price of the automobile
• The down payment
• The length of the loan
• The sales tax in your province
• The total interest rate

Our car loan calculator will determine your monthly instalments with interest.

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What Will I Need To Get An Auto Loan Preapproval

Application requirements for car loan preapproval are often the same or looser than a regular car loan application.

• Loan information: How much you want to borrow and the loan term
• Personal information: Name, contact details, date of birth, Social Security number
• Residence information: Address, length of residency, whether you rent or own, rent or mortgage payment
• Income information: Gross annual income, employer name and contact details

The lender may ask about the car you want to purchase. You could always change the vehicle by contacting the lender if you change your mind after test driving.

Preapproval vs. prequalification

An auto loan preapproval is a firm offer from a lender. When you finalize the loan, your actual APR will be very similar, if not the same, as your preapproval rate. On the other hand, a prequalification is not an official offer, but an estimate of the car loan you may receive. Because a prequalification is not firm, its much harder to use it when negotiating at a dealership.

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How Much Can I Afford To Borrow

Its important to find a payment that works within your budget. Take into account your typical weekly or monthly expenses when deciding on a payment youre comfortable with. The down payment, interest rate, and term of your loan will determine how much you can afford to buy. Use this calculator to help determine how much you might be able to spend on a vehicle.

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What Is A Good Interest Rate On A Car Loan

Currently, under 6% is considered a good interest rate for borrowers with a credit score in the mid 600s.

If you have an excellent credit score, you may be eligible for lower interest rates ranging from 2 to 3%. Occasionally dealerships may offer a 0% interest car loan as a special promotion.

The interest rates could exceed 10 or 15% if you have a bad credit score. Interest rates are often lower on new cars than on used ones.

In the market for a new car? Our quick and anonymous car loan comparison tool will help you find a match:

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The Term Of Your Car Loan Should Be No More Than Four Years

The longer the term of your loan, the more interest you pay. The longer your loan term, the longer youll have to meet your lenders insurance requirements, which often means higher rates.

Plus, by the end of four years, your car will have lost a lot of its value, and you wont want to still be paying it off.

Four years is the maximum most personal finance experts recommend. If you can swing paying off your car in three years, thats even better. If you feel you absolutely must stretch your payments further, you could get a five-year loan, but never longer.

Beware These Car Loan Mistakes

Regardless of whether you have excellent credit, terrible credit, or you’re somewhere in between, there are a few potentially-costly mistakes that are important to avoid.

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Put At Least 20% Down

According to Edmunds, a new car loses 9% of its value the second you drive it off the lot. By the end of the first year, its lost 19%. If you put less than 20% down, you risk becoming underwater on your car loan meaning you owe more on the car than its worth almost immediately.

If you need to sell the car before the loans paid off, youll have to come up with the difference between the cars value and the balance on your car loan. Ditto if you get into an accident and the car gets totaled.