How do I Find a Cheap Car Loan?

QUESTION

Hi John,

Just watched your video on 2014 Finance forecast which was very informative.

Can you please let me know the lenders who you reckon are offering best deals on car loans? And secondly, I'm looking at a few compact SUVs and from the research I have done so far Mazda CX5 seems to be a good choice (criteria's being sporty performance, Fuel economy, safety and latest technology). Akera Diesel current price in Victoria is $53k, as you know there is always some room for negotiations with car dealers but just wanted to get your thoughts on how much are they usually willing to drop the prices by in terms of $ or %?

Thanks,

Andy

ANSWER

Hi Andy,

Glad you enjoyed the 2014 Car Finance Forecast video.

The CX-5 is an excellent choice. I did a video comparison of the CX-5 Akera versus Audi Q3 - dollar for dollar and spec for spec. If there was ever any doubt the Akera is excellent value for money, the video puts paid to that.

The finance and discount answers are related. Finance is a commodity - money is money. The only thing that matters is the price (cost) of it. I'd be shopping reputable lenders against each other there.

CX-5 Akeras are also commodities - they all come out of the same factory in Japan. Therefore the only determining factor in the purchasing equation is the price. So I'd be shopping dealers against each other for the lowest possible price. See my video on how to beat a car dealer for some tips there.

The extent to which a dealer will drop the price is determined by a range of factors that affects their motivation to sell a particular car now, as well as your own skill as a negotiator.

In practise the easiest way to do both aspects of this comparative shopping is simply to contact a car broker and get them to do the legwork. They can shop dozens of dealers against each other in the way you can't, and they also have contacts with multiple reputable Australian lenders which they can approach for comparative finance quotes.

I use a particular brokerage for this purpose and I will put David or Ben in touch with you. They'll e-mail you to get the ball rolling.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

JC