While car purchases might seem very straightforward, it’s worth doing some thinking ahead when planning for a big purchase like a vehicle. The decision of whether to finance or pay in cash will have a significant effect on the amount of money you will be spending. This article will discuss the pros and cons of each choice.
Car Financing Pros
Car financing can be expensive. You will end up paying more for your car than you would if you were to just pay cash upfront, as you will also pay back the interest on the loan. However, in certain cases, it is worth it because it can allow you to purchase a better car with repayments that suit your lifestyle n, and sometimes the vehicle comes with added perks such as warranties or upgrades which you may have otherwise skipped over.
Having a car payment also means you have a set amount of money that goes towards something that will last years after you’ve bought the car. And once your car is paid off, you can easily reallocate the money you’re used to repaying elsewhere!
Car Financing Cons
Car loans usually have a set amount of time to make payments. If you want to upgrade your car sooner or your circumstances change, you’ll need to get in touch with your lender to navigate the situation.
Interest rates are sometimes higher on car loans, depending on a number of factors. . This means you will pay more monthly and work harder to pay off your loan.
If you end up having to use your car as a trade-in for a new vehicle, you will have to pay extra money for the resale value of your old car.
If you don’t pay your car loan off on time, you could be fined by the lender for being late or having an account in collections. This may affect your credit score and make it harder for you to find a new job or buy a car sometime in the future.
Another disadvantage of financing a new car is that you will be tied to the loan terms. If something changes between making payments, you could end up paying higher fees for late fees or interest charges. With cash purchases, the buyer is not tied to any terms of the loan and can do whatever they wish with the car.
Benefits Of Cash
The procedure of purchasing a car with cash is easy and simple: you choose the vehicle, visit the dealer or private seller, and hand over your cash. You can drive off in your new vehicle without making any additional payments. There is no need to be concerned about a credit check or a mileage cap.
Instead of paying a monthly payment to a finance company, cash payment allows you to save money each month for your future projects. In many ways, you are saving money since you won’t be paying interest.
Disadvantages Of Cash
Unless you purchase a rare car model, all automobiles will lose value over time. In most cases, cars lose up to 50 percent of their value in the first year. Therefore, if you decide to buy your car in cash, you will lose a lot of money on your investment.
When paying cash, you might not be able to acquire the car you want because your options will be constrained by the amount of money you have saved.
Is It Better to Finance a Car or Pay for It in Cash?
The answer to this is a little more nuanced than the question might suggest. On the one hand, if you have excellent credit, then financing a car can be beneficial when it comes to paying down the debt by reducing your monthly payments. If you can hold on to the vehicle and make full payments until it’s paid off, then financing could save you quite a bit of money compared with paying for that same car in cash. On the other hand, you may want to consider paying for that vehicle in cash if you don’t have a good credit score.
For some people, paying for a vehicle in cash may provide less credit-related stress than financing. For others, it’s a simple math problem of whether or not they can afford to pay off their car. This is more of a call you have to make on an individual basis rather than one easy answer that fits all
By: Raymond James
About the Author:
Ray is a sought-after thought leader and an expert in financial and money management. He has been published and featured in over 50 leading sites and aims to contribute articles to help novice financial planners. One of his goals is to impart his knowledge in finance to educate and help ordinary people create and achieve their financial goals.
