Hello!

I am looking for some advice. We have great need of buying a car and have decided to get a loan to get a decent second hand one, we also figure that the loan will help with our credit rating. I guess I am looking for some advice and suggestions on what to do, where to look for a loan, where to look for advice about buying a car. I would love to also hear how people manage the loan on a budget, we are a one income family and this is scaring me in terms of how we are going to manage repayments etc. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Do you have any advice on car loans?

Posted by anon, 17/09/13

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  • Banks are a good place to start. Ring them and ask for interest rates, loan lengths etc. Or try a mortgage broker, they find you the best offers


  • how did you go with your car loan? This question has just come up on my wall, and it is pretty old!!!


  • shop around? take it out of your mortgage?


  • how did you go with getting a loan


  • it is easier to get a car loan from the car yards rather than the bank. use a big name franchise or a reputable dealer – not these little dodgy ones that advertise cheap cars. do your research and read the terms. and get an nrma inspection or similar that will tell you if there is anything wrong with the car. we manage on a single income (plus ftb) with two car loans as I was working before having our last baby – the money comes out of your account by direct debit so you cant miss a payment. we found other things to cut back on like expensive prepackaged foods and leisure activiities


  • ask at the bank where you have existing accounts


  • start off small and take the payments over a 5 year period


  • talk to your bank and then talk to the car yards, they can sometimes offer better interest rates than the banks


  • How did you go with getting a car? I was going to suggest (if you are buying or own your own home) do you have equity in it to purchase a car that way?


  • Make sure you have a solid budget that you can stick to. You will also need to put money away each pay day for repairs, rego and insurance. Before you go to a bank or other lender, make sure you have done a “dry run” on repayments and maintenance for at least a month or two. This will give you more confidence in your ability to repay, and will also show a bank or finance company that you can meet the repayments.


  • I personally would not get a car loan. Simply because the car will probably be dead before it’s paid off! They depreciate way too quickly!


  • hoow did the car loan go


  • Car loan would not be my preference. Try to save up to around $4,000 and you can get a decent 90’s era Mazda or Toyota small hatchbacks. Yes, they won’t be roomy or new or has the mod-cons, but it will provide private transport.


  • How did you go with your car loan?


  • Try and a oid the loans offered by the car dealers. If you have a good relationship with your bank, inquire about a personal loan.


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