"Take cars, as another example. Say you put $4,000 down to buy a new car worth $24,000. You finance $20.000. Say you are charged 10 percent interest for 48 months. Your monthly payments are $507.20. You have paid not $20,000, but over $24,000. Plus, you probably have zero in your bank account. So now you have a shiny new car with which to drive yourself to the job you'd like to leave but can't, because you have no money saved.
Source: The Simple Living Guide, a book, by Janet Luhrs page 34.
By Carol from Wyoming, PA
This page contains the following solutions.
Realize how big a purchase a car is. It's the second-largest purchase most people make after buying a home. When you buy a home, you have so much help: a broker to help you find the home, and a mortgage broker for financing. An inspector, an attorney, a title search, a mover, and more.
One way that car sales people try to rope you into a quick sell is by creating the impression that you NEED to buy now to take advantage of some deal. Or if you wait a day, the car won't be available. Dealerships and salespeople are out to make a profit off your purchase, not find you the best deal.
This is the best time of year (Dec.) to buy a car! With sales being slow and the salespeople needing to meet the end of the year quotas, you'll probably be able to save thousands...
Many dealerships will try to encourage you to trade in an unpaid for car and buy a new one, by rolling the remaining balance into the new loan. There are some good financial reasons to avoid this practice, as it benefits the dealer more than the consumer.