Getting That Car Loan: Simple Interest Is The Best

So here's the situation: you are buying a car but you don't know what type of auto loan offers you should go for. What should you go for?

The answer is simple enough: get a simple interest loan.

What is a simple interest loan anyway?

A simple interest loan is a loan where you pay interest only on the original principal of the loan.

The good thing is, 90% of all auto loan offers are simple interest loans, although there are some lenders who are pushing loans that are not. You should never agree to an auto loan that is not a simple interest loan.

The second thing you DO NOT want on your auto loan is pre-payment penalties. A loan without pre-payment penalties means that the lender will not charge you an extra fee if you pay the loan off early either through refinancing or other means.

Remember that it is always easiest, and refinancing will save you the most money, when a simple interest auto loan with no prepayment penalties is refinanced with another simple interest auto loan at a lower interest rate.

Some lenders offer auto loans that are known as pre-computer loans. Sub prime lenders will often target high risk borrowers with pre-computed auto loans, and some used car dealers might push this type of auto loan financing.

If you sign up for this type of loan, you are legally committed to paying for the full principal balance of the loan as well as the total amount of all interest that would accrue over the life of the loan.

Furthermore, if you pay off your pre-computed auto loan early, the lender often uses an outdated and expensive formula known as the rule of 78s to make you pay a large sum of money for paying off the loan early.

Never go for this type of loans.

Sometimes, the best advice is the hold out for the best offer. If the first lender does not offer a simple interest auto loan with no pre-payment penalties at a reasonable and competitive interest, find another lender who will give you a better price. There are many lenders who are eager to compete for your auto loan financing.

The world has become so small it's a buyer's market. Check out local banks, auto dealers and online resources for the best interest rates with the fewest fees. By thoroughly investigating all of your options, you will definitely get a loan that is perfect for you!

Pete Lance is the founder of http://www.USGasTracker.org, a premier company which helps the consumer save money on gasoline. Thousands of gas stations across the nation are tracked daily to guarantee the lowest prices on gasoline anywhere in the United States. Go get your cheaper gas now! http://www.usgastracker.org

Latest News


The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

General Growth gets 2-week reprieve on loans
Chicago Tribune, United States - 1 hour ago
The real estate investment trust said it and the syndicate of lenders "are continuing their discussions" on a longer-term extension to the loan, ...
GGP Gains Two-Week Extension on $900M Loans GlobeSt. com
General Growth gets 2-week extension on $900 million in loans Chicago Daily Herald
General Growth Properties gets loan extension Bizjournals.com
The Associated Press - Reuters
all 121 news articles

Wall Street Journal Blogs

Restoring the flow of credit to entrepreneurs
Los Angeles Times, CA - 10 hours ago
A Treasury Department program aims to make it easier for lenders to find buyers for the loans they make. By Cyndia Zwahlen The credit crunch looks like an ...
Forbes: Let the Small Business Administration work Austin American-Statesman
SBA Applauds Treasury Action to Bolster Secondary Market for Small ... MarketWatch
Feds hope to unfreeze SBA, consumer lending Bizjournals.com
Wisconsin State Journal - FOXBusiness
all 123 news articles

Straits Times

Government plans new credit, mortgage programs
O Jornal, MA - 30 minutes ago
The Fed program for consumer debt will lend up to $200 billion to the holders of securities backed by various types of consumer loans such as credit cards, ...
Lenders Become Proactive New York Times
Mortgage relief gets stuck Cape Cod Times
Partisan blame for financial crisis not so easily affixed Las Vegas Sun
TheStreet.com - Washington Post
all 2,138 news articles

New York Times

Turning Around the Idea of Student Loans
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
“This is a five-year loan, and that helps ensure a certain amount of longevity for this project.” Justin said he first became interested in poverty issues ...

Ottawa Citizen

The Fed boosted emergency loans to banks and firms
The Associated Press - Nov 28, 2008
The report also said investment firms borrowed an average of $52.4 billion from the Fed's emergency loan program over the week ending Wednesday, ...
Fed Commercial Paper Holdings Rise to $295.1 Billion (Update2) Bloomberg
Bailout Report Card--A Failing Grade and a Frightening Outlook for ... The Cutting Edge
"Oops, We Meant $7 TRILLION!" What Hank and Ben Are Up to and How ... OpEdNews
Examiner.com - CNNMoney.com
all 454 news articles

Student debt levels portend rising loan default rates
Indianapolis Star, United States - 8 hours ago
They were aiming to win big so they could pay off their student loans. "If you don't try, you can't win," said Brown, a 26-year-old marketing consultant. ...

Hedge Fund Manager Hendry Bets on Deflation With UK War Loans
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
The “Jolly Long Bond,” as Hendry calls the war loan, will be the most reactive to deflation because not having a maturity means it has long duration, ...

Loss of college loans lender may have little effect
Spartanburg Herald Journal (subscription), SC - 3 hours ago
The financial aid director for Spartanburg Community College stressed that these types of supplemental loans are separate from the Stafford Federal Student ...

Detroit's Big 3 Will Try Again To Get Federal Loans
NPR - 4 hours ago
They're going to try, again, to convince Congress to give them federal loans. They say they need the money to avoid an industry collapse. ...

Boston Globe

Problem-solver
Boston Globe, United States - 8 hours ago
Bair's plan to systematically modify 2.2 million loans for defaulting borrowers has drawn widespread support - except from the Bush White House. ...
Avoiding your own mortgage collapse The News Journal
Efforts are under way to head off foreclosure Philadelphia Inquirer
all 4 news articles

Resources