With new models of cars coming out every month, temptation is easy. The desire of owning your own vehicle may reach a peak even when you know you don’t have the money to buy it. Getting an auto loan is not an easy task and there are various things that are considered by a lender before your loan is sanctioned. Even if you do get a loan, a too high interest rate can cause trouble in your monthly budget. The factors that affect the Auto Loan Rate are as follows.
>> There are basically two different kinds of car loans, secured and unsecured. In normal cases, the rate of interest for an unsecured loan is higher than a secured loan.
>> Deciding on a used car will get you a higher rate of interest than a new one, though it may only be by a margin.
>> You can decide on a fixed or a flexible interest rate. A fixed rate is where you have to pay the same interest throughout your loan term. In case of a flexible loan, the interest rate depends on the rate prevalent in the market at that moment. The latter may get you a lower interest if you are bold enough to take a risk.
>> Usually you will have to pay a down payment when you get the loan. It is usually about 25% of the total amount of the loan. If you can increase that amount, your interest rate will automatically go down.
>> The rate of interest is also dependant on the actual price of the car. The higher it is, the higher the rate of interest.
>> The credit score of a person is perhaps the single most important factor that decides the rate of interest. A person with a stellar credit history will be able to enjoy a much lower interest than a person with bad credit. This is because the auto lender presumes that the latter may again default in payments which lead him to increase the rate to cover his risks. If you have bad credit, its better to wait for sometime to apply for an auto loan and clean up.
>> You can choose to pay back your auto loan in 36, 48, 60 or 72 months. The lower the time period you choose, the lower the interest you will be offered.
>> Lenders also look at the location the person is residing in while deciding the rate.
>> If you are a person with a bad credit history, ways to offset it would be to make a big down payment upfront for your auto loan, showing large cash reserves and increasing your income to debt ratio. Making regular payments on your credit liabilities will also reflect well on your credit score.
Shopping online for your auto loan is a very good idea. You will not only find many options from which to choose from, you will also find tips on how to get low rate auto loans.
