Why pay cash for a car?

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SmileyFace
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by SmileyFace »

Personally I don't get the folks who turn down a 0% loan because they don't want a monthly payment. Put the money in the bank earning 1.3% and set it on autopay.
If you have monthly bills for various utilities (total of 5 for me), insurance, cell phone, streaming service, etc. what's one more.
SlowMovingInvestor
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

DaftInvestor wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:38 pm Personally I don't get the folks who turn down a 0% loan because they don't want a monthly payment. Put the money in the bank earning 1.3% and set it on autopay.
If you have monthly bills for various utilities (total of 5 for me), insurance, cell phone, streaming service, etc. what's one more.
I certainly wouldn't pass up a 0% loan, but how common are 0% loan for sales (not leases) without a corresponding rebate (either explicit manufacturer or hidden) ? It's clear from comments made by people here that it does happen (the additional discount for taking a 0% loan that one member cited), but is that common ?
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grabiner
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by grabiner »

DaftInvestor wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:38 pm Personally I don't get the folks who turn down a 0% loan because they don't want a monthly payment. Put the money in the bank earning 1.3% and set it on autopay.
If you have monthly bills for various utilities (total of 5 for me), insurance, cell phone, streaming service, etc. what's one more.
Even a 0% loan may not be a benefit. The lender will probably require you to have a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive insurance, which may be much lower than you want; the cost of the insurance could be more than the interest savings.

Conversely, the loan could be a benefit for unrelated reasons. If you have mediocre credit and this is your only installment loan, taking out a car loan now could save you in lower interest when you take out a mortgage later.
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SmileyFace
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by SmileyFace »

grabiner wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:02 pm
DaftInvestor wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:38 pm Personally I don't get the folks who turn down a 0% loan because they don't want a monthly payment. Put the money in the bank earning 1.3% and set it on autopay.
If you have monthly bills for various utilities (total of 5 for me), insurance, cell phone, streaming service, etc. what's one more.
Even a 0% loan may not be a benefit. The lender will probably require you to have a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive insurance, which may be much lower than you want; the cost of the insurance could be more than the interest savings.

Conversely, the loan could be a benefit for unrelated reasons. If you have mediocre credit and this is your only installment loan, taking out a car loan now could save you in lower interest when you take out a mortgage later.
I've taken out 3 0% loans - never was asked about insurance coverage.
capsaicinguy
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by capsaicinguy »

scrabbler1 wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:04 pm What about telling the car salesman you plan to get a loan but at the last minute, after agreeing on a price, tell him you plan to pay cash? Would that work?

Put me down for paying cash anyway for the reasons others have already stated.
This is exactly what I did when we bought our used van. Told them I already got approved at our bank for xyz and said I couldn't go over xyz + trade-in, which was of course lower than their sticker. Got them to go up on trade-in and down on price and got it for the price I wanted. Ymmv.
Longtermgrowth
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Longtermgrowth »

If buying new, a lot of times there are incentives/rebates that take thousands off MSRP paying cash. When offers like that are around, usually 0% APR is the alternative if financing.
The last vehicle I bought had a 4k rebate, so that combined with negotiating below invoice, I didn't think I could make more than 4k on the balance of the vehicle cost financing...
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A440
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by A440 »

I like getting the car title in my hand and not having to wait until my 0% loan is paid off :D
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basspond
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by basspond »

A car I bought had an incentive to finance. I told the dealer I wanted to pay it off quickly and suggested I pay it off after 3 months which is what I did. That was 13 years ago. Like others have mentioned, car loans invite lifestyle creep or unnecessarily trading in expenses before you start really getting the advantage of using the item payment free.
likegarden
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by likegarden »

We are retired and did not want any loan or lease, had the cash and paid cash. Perhaps we got a better price paying cash.
indexonlyplease
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by indexonlyplease »

Most of the people that are against paying cash for a car don't have the money to pay cash. So they make payment. Most will not save for the next car so they have to pay interest.

Then you have the people that buy more car then they can afford, so they have to pay interest.
OnTrack2020
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by OnTrack2020 »

We bought a new car recently--it was a 2016 that had 20 miles--and there were specific insurance requirements that we had to meet when we took out a loan.
hudson
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by hudson »

Maybe 3 schools of thought here...many with strong opinions.
1. I always finance cars especially with low interest rates.
2. Sometimes I finance, sometimes, I pay cash. It depends.
3. I always pay cash.

Most folks reading this have a strong opinion; they also are not "monthly payment" buyers; so it likely doesn't matter.

I knew 3 people that on payday got in the car and paid bills in person; that seemed crazy to me...but both their way and my way got the bills paid on time. It doesn't matter.

Personally, I'm tempted to take on a monthly payment...but I've had my fill of that; I hated monthly payments.
My new personal rule is no more debt. I think that's the Boglehead way; but it looks like half of the forum would disagree.
Spirit Rider
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Spirit Rider »

Sometimes I wonder if this aversion to car loans isn't rooted in biases based on historical rates.

There were times when car loan rates where significantly higher than mortgages and in some cases 2 -3 times higher. In this situation, if you had the available funds, It was clearly advantageous to pay cash. However, in much of this millennium, the car loan rates have been lower than mortgages and in some cases 2 times lower. In this situation, even if you have the available funds, It may be advantageous to finance.

It seems like the thinking of all debt = bad, paying cash for everything = good has permeated this forum.

When debt is really just another tool, like investing is a tool in your personal finance toolbox. Personal finance should be about using the best tools available at the appropriate time. It seems rather ironic to me in a forum with the basis premise of the efficient use of personal finance assets, that so many participants will not even consider the particular financial pros and cons of vehicle financing.

They do a great disservice to all members, but especially new members trying to find their personal finance footing.
andypanda
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by andypanda »

"It seems like the thinking of all debt = bad, paying cash for everything = good has permeated this forum."

It's one of the reasons I joined. I'm not afraid of debt, I simply do not like it. It's just the way I was raised (which was in a rowhouse in Baltimore fwiw.)

Fwiw, when I bought my old, empty, mistreated, now-historical home in early 1980, I got a conventional 30-year mortgage, put down 26% and paid one point. The interest rate was 12.75%. I worked hard to get rid of that sucker. I later refinanced it for 15 years @ 9.25% and later for a straight 7% for 15 years with no points. I paid it off in '97. There were people telling me not to pay it off, that it wasn't a smart move financially and that I could use the money to make money while continuing to make payments. In one ear, out the other. :)
LynnC
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by LynnC »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:26 pm I prefer No monthly payments on anything. Zero Debt.
Very old school perhaps but I like the sleep factor.
+1. It may be old school, but the freedom factor is priceless

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sschoe2
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by sschoe2 »

The last time I bought a car I had no choice. My dad's 95 Saturn excrement-box finally reached the not worth repairing stage and the muffler literally fell off from rust. This was late Jan 2009.

I had a 770 credit score and was looking to buy a base Fit. Up2Drive turned me down, one of the large banks turned me down and P'ed me off so much I closed my accounts with them, the dealer offered 7% through BoA and I finally said enough and wrote a check for the Fit. A few days later BoA sent me a rejection letter for the 7% loan.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Sandtrap »

Spirit Rider wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:23 am Sometimes I wonder if this aversion to car loans isn't rooted in biases based on historical rates.

There were times when car loan rates where significantly higher than mortgages and in some cases 2 -3 times higher. In this situation, if you had the available funds, It was clearly advantageous to pay cash. However, in much of this millennium, the car loan rates have been lower than mortgages and in some cases 2 times lower. In this situation, even if you have the available funds, It may be advantageous to finance.

It seems like the thinking of all debt = bad, paying cash for everything = good has permeated this forum.

When debt is really just another tool, like investing is a tool in your personal finance toolbox. Personal finance should be about using the best tools available at the appropriate time. It seems rather ironic to me in a forum with the basis premise of the efficient use of personal finance assets, that so many participants will not even consider the particular financial pros and cons of vehicle financing.

They do a great disservice to all members, but especially new members trying to find their personal finance footing.
Maybe it's a difference between generations across "Bogleheadville".
The one demographic is "old school", avoid all debt, no payments, "don't owe nobohdy notion'", save for a rainy day, save up and pay cash for a running junker is better than financing a new debt mobile. Save up to get that used Plymouth Valiant with the straight six.
The middle demographic is in between.
The other end demographic is spreadsheet everything, work out the numbers, fiddle the financing, to end up okay.
Possible.
Maybe.
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smitcat
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by smitcat »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:46 pm
Spirit Rider wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:23 am Sometimes I wonder if this aversion to car loans isn't rooted in biases based on historical rates.

There were times when car loan rates where significantly higher than mortgages and in some cases 2 -3 times higher. In this situation, if you had the available funds, It was clearly advantageous to pay cash. However, in much of this millennium, the car loan rates have been lower than mortgages and in some cases 2 times lower. In this situation, even if you have the available funds, It may be advantageous to finance.

It seems like the thinking of all debt = bad, paying cash for everything = good has permeated this forum.

When debt is really just another tool, like investing is a tool in your personal finance toolbox. Personal finance should be about using the best tools available at the appropriate time. It seems rather ironic to me in a forum with the basis premise of the efficient use of personal finance assets, that so many participants will not even consider the particular financial pros and cons of vehicle financing.

They do a great disservice to all members, but especially new members trying to find their personal finance footing.
Maybe it's a difference between generations across "Bogleheadville".
The one demographic is "old school", avoid all debt, no payments, "don't owe nobohdy notion'", save for a rainy day, save up and pay cash for a running junker is better than financing a new debt mobile. Save up to get that used Plymouth Valiant with the straight six.
The middle demographic is in between.
The other end demographic is spreadsheet everything, work out the numbers, fiddle the financing, to end up okay.
Possible.
Maybe.
Old school around here used to include these things....
- learn how to fix things yourself
- buy used durable items
- do not borrow for anything
- do not trust the stock market, its gambling
- Save money in the bank or in Govmt savings and certs
- Only loan should be for your home

There have been times when buying things like a car on credit or leasing was an unfavorable option. Similarly there were times when purchasing items with a CC had unfavorable outcomes.
Folks that really use budgeting and see money transfers as opportunities to select the most favorable outcome should not be afraid or concerned about utilizing CC's or car/truck loans to their own benefit.
When I worked at a very larger marketing/distribution company we were taught by the data that folks that have a credit problem will repeat that behavior continuously and that is why the CC card companies exist. Similarly the folks that do not have a credit problem will be able to use these tools to their advantage many times. Its just a tool , it really not evil as its up to the owner to determine the use.
Last edited by smitcat on Mon Nov 20, 2017 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
nick2302
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by nick2302 »

I hate to owe and pay interest that has no tax benefit. When I bought my car this past January I financed the car as I got a better deal. There was no pre-payment penalty as long as I made 2 payments. So On the third payment the car got paid off with cash on hand. I am one of the ones that like to sleep knowing I don't owe anyone anything.

That is one of the main reason I am working on the house mortgage and stressing over retiring and having a balance owed on the house. The only reason to finance a car in my opinion is if you get a better price break and there is no early payment penalty and you can afford to pay the car off ASAP after taking delivery.

With the way cars devalue after driving them off the lot you may be paying interest on a loan balance that is higher than the value of the car!!! No thanks, I will pass on that deal. Buy what you can pay off in cash at the end of the month when the credit card bill comes due. I even put the first 10K on my American Express to get the reward dollars and paid them off at the end of the first month when I got the Amex statement. Then finished paying the car off on the third month as outlined in the loan agreement.

Every trick in the book, take advantage of it.
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Kitty Telltales
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Kitty Telltales »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:46 pm
Maybe it's a difference between generations across "Bogleheadville".
The one demographic is "old school", avoid all debt, no payments, "don't owe nobohdy notion'", save for a rainy day, save up and pay cash for a running junker is better than financing a new debt mobile. Save up to get that used Plymouth Valiant with the straight six.
The middle demographic is in between.
The other end demographic is spreadsheet everything, work out the numbers, fiddle the financing, to end up okay.
Possible.
Maybe.
But maybe the Boglehead gene can be passed on.


We paid cash last year for a little, slightly used 4 year old SUV for my husband, a year before he retired. It was part of our pre-retirement to-do checklist, to acquire a car for him that would last the next decade and ease into retirement still debt free. He had a VW Passat that was over 20 years old, almost 250,000 Kilometers.

The Passat was passed on to my 32 year old son who had been living in Berlin without a car for the last 6 years. He’s thrilled and glad to get some wheels but remain debt free too. Most of his friends don’t own cars, however the American boy missed did miss those wheels. I believe he still uses public transportation too.

Perhaps he also picked up the Boglehead gene from his mother.
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by smitcat »

nick2302 wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:48 am I hate to owe and pay interest that has no tax benefit. When I bought my car this past January I financed the car as I got a better deal. There was no pre-payment penalty as long as I made 2 payments. So On the third payment the car got paid off with cash on hand. I am one of the ones that like to sleep knowing I don't owe anyone anything.

That is one of the main reason I am working on the house mortgage and stressing over retiring and having a balance owed on the house. The only reason to finance a car in my opinion is if you get a better price break and there is no early payment penalty and you can afford to pay the car off ASAP after taking delivery.

With the way cars devalue after driving them off the lot you may be paying interest on a loan balance that is higher than the value of the car!!! No thanks, I will pass on that deal. Buy what you can pay off in cash at the end of the month when the credit card bill comes due. I even put the first 10K on my American Express to get the reward dollars and paid them off at the end of the first month when I got the Amex statement. Then finished paying the car off on the third month as outlined in the loan agreement.

Every trick in the book, take advantage of it.
"That is one of the main reason I am working on the house mortgage and stressing over retiring and having a balance owed on the house. The only reason to finance a car in my opinion is if you get a better price break and there is no early payment penalty and you can afford to pay the car off ASAP after taking delivery."

Every trick in the book would include:
- keeping a car loan that had no interest expense
- keeping a car loan that had an interest expense below a current common CD rate
- Utilizing credit cards anytime their are discounts, points and bonus for opening them
- Paying a home mortgage on schedule when the rate is lower than a current CD rate (after tax considerations)
- Paying a home mortgage rate on schedule when it allows you to fully fund a matching 401K and a Roth.
jpdion
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by jpdion »

If you have cash in a taxable account, then you have to do the math with the return on that account versus the loan interest rate. If your cash is in a tax deferred account you have to look at the marginal tax rate when turning that into actual spending cash. I would argue that a low interest loan that allows one to pay for a car out of regular income over several years is "probably" better than taking a large tax hit on a distribution from retirement accounts.
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by JupiterJones »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:46 pm Save up to get that used Plymouth Valiant with the straight six.
It was a slant six in the Valiant, wasn't it?

I know because, coincidentally, it was the first used car I remember my Dad buying (for cash, at an auction no less!) after he got fed up with making payments on his new cars. He drove Caddies my whole childhood, then one day he shows up in an old, power-blue Valiant. We were gobsmacked.

It actually wound up being a pretty good car! :-)
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Sandtrap
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Sandtrap »

JupiterJones wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:12 am
Sandtrap wrote: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:46 pm Save up to get that used Plymouth Valiant with the straight six.
It was a slant six in the Valiant, wasn't it?

I know because, coincidentally, it was the first used car I remember my Dad buying (for cash, at an auction no less!) after he got fed up with making payments on his new cars. He drove Caddies my whole childhood, then one day he shows up in an old, power-blue Valiant. We were gobsmacked.

It actually wound up being a pretty good car! :-)
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Last edited by Sandtrap on Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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scrabbler1
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by scrabbler1 »

jpdion wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:00 am If you have cash in a taxable account, then you have to do the math with the return on that account versus the loan interest rate. If your cash is in a tax deferred account you have to look at the marginal tax rate when turning that into actual spending cash. I would argue that a low interest loan that allows one to pay for a car out of regular income over several years is "probably" better than taking a large tax hit on a distribution from retirement accounts.
I did this when I was looking into paying off the mortgage back in the mid-1990s. I set up a spreadsheet to figure out how much after-tax interest I was saving versus how much interest I would be forgoing on the investment(s) I pulled the money from. The tipping point for me was seeing the reduction in deductible mortgage interest limited by the standard reduction on my state income tax return, thereby reducing the loss of taxable interest and giving me more incentive to pay off the mortgage.

Of course, for a car loan there is no tax deductibility from the loan's interest. That makes things much simpler.
chinchin
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by chinchin »

Do people write five (or six?) figure checks and then go home and wait for the check to clear before they get the car?
not financial advice
hudson
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by hudson »

chinchin wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 8:38 pm Do people write five (or six?) figure checks and then go home and wait for the check to clear before they get the car?
I suspect that the dealership ran some kind of credit screen before taking a check...
Here's how it worked for me about Dec. 31, 2012...late in the evening....my checking account had enough in it to pay for the vehicle.
The sales manager told me that they would take my check...no problem, but he wasn't the dealership's "money guy". When my wife and I got in the back room to settle-up, the "money guy" took my check, faxed it somewhere, then made a phone call. He said, I can't take your check...and I don't know why. He asked if he could run one of my wife's checks. It was approved; we drove away. He couldn't explain why.
I think they sent the check to some kind of credit-check service for car dealers. I believe that any credit or bank screening would've come out OK. I think that my check was denied because my credit was frozen and my wife's wasn't.
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queso
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by queso »

+1. I think it is TeleCheck or similar. They take your check and run it through a verification system and then you walk away with the car. It's pretty painless. Just don't try to convince them to take a credit card. THAT is not painless.
nick2302
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by nick2302 »

Taking a credit card was a challenge for the car dealership. They would let me put only 10K on my Amex that had a 30K limit and no balance owed. So I got reward dollars on 10K for the car. Then I took the loan offer with no early payment penalty and made two regular payments and then paid the car off (their loan requirement). That was the cheapest deal ( in my case) that I could come up with.
Nick
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queso
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by queso »

nick2302 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:20 am Taking a credit card was a challenge for the car dealership. They would let me put only 10K on my Amex that had a 30K limit and no balance owed. So I got reward dollars on 10K for the car. Then I took the loan offer with no early payment penalty and made two regular payments and then paid the car off (their loan requirement). That was the cheapest deal ( in my case) that I could come up with.
Nick
My experience has been the same. Depending on the dealer they are usually willing to take part of the payment on a CC, but they really, really don't want to eat those fees.
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PinotGris
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by PinotGris »

Impromptu wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 6:12 pm 0% dealership loans are more expensive than paying cash (either your own check or outside loan) because they will raise the price in many different ways that you don't see unless you run the numbers each time they write something new down. Look for the final amount you pay rather than all the other distractions thrown around.

You are in the best possible position if you get the internet price on the car you want that they have in stock, have no trade-in, and are not financing through the dealership. Paying cash usually ends up being the cheapest overall price.
Bolded sentence- yes, best advice. But one can and should negotiate for the best deal with no financing and when that is nailed down ask about financing. The difference between the bottom line, drive away, price and the total amount of the loan re-payment should only be the financing cost. Why should this be hard to do?
We just bought a new car, 18% off MSRP. All the negotiation was done on the phone. We then financed it at 2.49 for 5 years. At a modest 3% assumed return on investment our money left in Vanguard will return over $1600 after taxes. That is 1600 off the new car price - granted we will wait 5 years for it. I will take it. The car we are replacing is a 1998 model with 180K miles, bought new.
As someone said above, if you have a comfortable cash flow to cover the monthly payment you can sleep at night.
Last edited by PinotGris on Sun May 27, 2018 2:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
dharrythomas
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by dharrythomas »

We pay cash for cars because we don't like debt. I do think we buy less car and since I've bought 3 for me a 1988, 1995, and a 2005, I make them last when I get them.

I buy miles not a status symbol.
sksbog
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by sksbog »

RDHlooking4FIRE wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:43 pm Before i paid off my car the interest rate was 1%. My online savings account is earning 1.3%.

I do really like being debt free though. But am i missing out on cheap money?
Take out taxes and fees on gains and you will be in minus
Agggm
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Agggm »

Gill wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:47 pm
RDHlooking4FIRE wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:43 pm Before i paid off my car the interest rate was 1%. My online savings account is earning 1.3%.

I do really like being debt free though. But am i missing out on cheap money?
The interest income is taxable and the car loan interest isn’t deductible so you are probably losing on the deal.
Gill
At a total of 30% marginal tax level, it's a 9bp loan. I'd take that in exchange for increased liquidity.

But you can get 1.6% at ally, 1.75% at cit, and others offer higher rates. So you can come out ahead after taxes.
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Nate79 »

chabil wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 1:55 pm
Impromptu wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 6:12 pm 0% dealership loans are more expensive than paying cash (either your own check or outside loan) because they will raise the price in many different ways that you don't see unless you run the numbers each time they write something new down. Look for the final amount you pay rather than all the other distractions thrown around.

You are in the best possible position if you get the internet price on the car you want that they have in stock, have no trade-in, and are not financing through the dealership. Paying cash usually ends up being the cheapest overall price.
Bolded sentence- yes, best advice. But one can and should negotiate for the best deal with no financing and when that is nailed down ask about financing. The difference between the bottom line, drive away, price and the total amount of the loan re-payment should only be the financing cost. Why should this be hard to do?
We just bought a new car, 18% off MSRP. All the negotiation was done on the phone. We then financed it at 2.49 for 5 years. At a modest 3% assumed return on investment our money left in Vanguard will return over $1600 after taxes. That is 1600 off the new car price - granted we will wait 5 years for it. I will take it. The car we are replacing is a 1998 model with 180K miles, bought new.
As someone said above, if you have a comfortable cash flow to cover the monthly payment you can sleep at night.
What product gives a guaranteed return of 3% over 5 years?
ThankYouJack
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by ThankYouJack »

Simplicity. I think once some people get to a certain it doesn't become worth the hassle
KandT
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by KandT »

The salesperson may get a kicker to have you finance so they may not tell you about the rebate in lieu of financing. I agree with the previous post of not trusting them to present the finance honestly.

The last car I bought I said "OK I am going to write you a check for $20,500. That includes everything for the new Honda Accord we have been discussing. This number includes every doc fee, taxes, delivery fee and any other fee you want to add on. I don't care what you write down as fees but at the end of the transaction I am leaving in new Honda Accord and you are getting a check for $20,500. I am not buying any extended warranty or any other extended anything. Agreed??" He responds "OK". And I say "Alright as long as when I get there the car is exactly the same as when we test drive it yesterday then I will have a check made out for $20,500. I won't have any extra money with me."

This seemed to cut out the BS. They still tried to sell me a warranty but I only had a check for $20,500. Period.

I know exactly what I am getting and what I am paying. Then I get every snake out of my life.

As an aside, the car has been wonderfully reliable! It now has 122,000 miles on it and could probably go 122,000 more no problem. Not a sexy car but amortized - it has been some pretty cheap transportation.
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MrDogg
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by MrDogg »

Better to get a low interest loan than go cash. It's a time value of money issue.

For example, my last car purchase was financed for 6 years at 0% interest. In addition to obtaining a good out the door price on the car (that's another subject) I got to pay the money back in lower value dollars than on the day of purchase plus I had use of the future payment dollars to invest. That equates to a nice discount.

It's a no brainer really.
noco-hawkeye
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by noco-hawkeye »

MrDogg wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 7:01 am Better to get a low interest loan than go cash. It's a time value of money issue.

For example, my last car purchase was financed for 6 years at 0% interest. In addition to obtaining a good out the door price on the car (that's another subject) I got to pay the money back in lower value dollars than on the day of purchase plus I had use of the future payment dollars to invest. That equates to a nice discount.

It's a no brainer really.
The converse of this is that your car is also worth less at that point too. I think you car depreciates much faster than inflation or interest savings runs, certainly in the first few years. If you buy a 30k car and finance most of it, it is certainly possible that after one year you could be upside down on it.

I have no doubt that the math on the 0% loan comes out ahead if the price is the same otherwise and you really are keeping enough in savings to pay it off. Do you also increase your emergency savings by the amount of the loan? It seems like if I take out a 20k loan that money is now committed to a cause, and ideally I need to increase my savings by 20k (or the balance of the loan at least).

I'm someone who avoids the loans by in large, but might take one out in limited situations. I don't like the loan on a quickly depreciating asset, and don't see it in the same light as a house. Cars are an expense, kind of like clothes etc (in my mind).
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Cycle »

I don't know of any private party sales that will offer a loan, which is why I pay cash.
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pascal
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by pascal »

Nate79 wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 5:57 pm
What product gives a guaranteed return of 3% over 5 years?
CDs such as this one

https://www.synchronybank.com/banking/c ... _T_BR_CD_O
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TX_Drew
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by TX_Drew »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:07 pm If the rate is low enough to be attractive, it is being subsidized by the auto maker. If you go all cash, you can get some of that subsidy in the form of a price reduction.
This right here. Automaker doesn’t give you the zero interest for free. You pay for it during the negotiation with a different minimum the dealer will offer you.
pascal
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by pascal »

We financed 30k at 0.9% which is $700 in interest over 5 years.

30k upfront would be something I could do but 30k in a Cd at 3% over a 5 year term is 34.7k.

I also like liquidity instead of only car.
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by LadyGeek »

TX_Drew wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 7:52 am
TheGreyingDuke wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:07 pm If the rate is low enough to be attractive, it is being subsidized by the auto maker. If you go all cash, you can get some of that subsidy in the form of a price reduction.
This right here. Automaker doesn’t give you the zero interest for free. You pay for it during the negotiation with a different minimum the dealer will offer you.
It's called a subvented loan and is why you can't negotiate price when it's financed this way.
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by ThePrince »

noco-hawkeye wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 7:34 am
MrDogg wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 7:01 am Better to get a low interest loan than go cash. It's a time value of money issue.

For example, my last car purchase was financed for 6 years at 0% interest. In addition to obtaining a good out the door price on the car (that's another subject) I got to pay the money back in lower value dollars than on the day of purchase plus I had use of the future payment dollars to invest. That equates to a nice discount.

It's a no brainer really.
The converse of this is that your car is also worth less at that point too. I think you car depreciates much faster than inflation or interest savings runs, certainly in the first few years. If you buy a 30k car and finance most of it, it is certainly possible that after one year you could be upside down on it.

I have no doubt that the math on the 0% loan comes out ahead if the price is the same otherwise and you really are keeping enough in savings to pay it off. Do you also increase your emergency savings by the amount of the loan? It seems like if I take out a 20k loan that money is now committed to a cause, and ideally I need to increase my savings by 20k (or the balance of the loan at least).
+1
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midareff
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by midareff »

Picked up a new ride a couple of months ago. Put a little over 50% down and took a 1.49% three year loan on the balance. Don't know why I would take money from the bank @ 1.6% to pay off 1.49% early.
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sunny_socal
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by sunny_socal »

LadyGeek wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 8:05 am
TX_Drew wrote: Mon May 28, 2018 7:52 am
TheGreyingDuke wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:07 pm If the rate is low enough to be attractive, it is being subsidized by the auto maker. If you go all cash, you can get some of that subsidy in the form of a price reduction.
This right here. Automaker doesn’t give you the zero interest for free. You pay for it during the negotiation with a different minimum the dealer will offer you.
It's called a subvented loan and is why you can't negotiate price when it's financed this way.
That's not always true. I believe some people may have been offered either cheap financing OR a discount, but in my own experience I have been able to get both. The dealers have different tiers of people:
- The Sales Guy. He shows you the car but must ask for pricing from The Manager
- The Manager. He knows what the dealership paid for the car and must approve all offers.
- The Finance Guy. He takes your money or gives you a loan. He'll also try to sell you extended insurance, rust protection, clear coat...

The Sales Guy is just a distraction, you must punch through and talk to the The Manager. Once we agree on pricing (Best offer, all dealer incentives etc) then I just go to The Finance Guy. And he has never cared how I pay, the manufacturers financing has merely been one of the options. I think dealers make most of their money on service later on (like $1000 brake jobs.)
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

averageJoe576 wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:15 am If you are acquiring a new car, you major cost is not loan interest, but depreciation.

In stead of spending $20k on a new compact, consider spending $15 on a used $25-30k car that is 3-5yrs old and has a great durability record reliability record. Search on auto-trader over a wide area, find a low priced offerings from individuals and offer 2k less than listed until you get someone to bite. Aim for getting the car at a premium moreso than a specific price, often times people will sell you their $3k options package for nothing.

The amount you'll save from doing this will make %1-2 seem silly.
This is a big YMMV.

We are presently looking to replace our 04 Outback that has a CEL (P0420) which means at least exhaust work and/or ox sensors (5 of them) at $50 each discounted and even a cat converter $1200 at the cheapest place...there are 2 of them in the one pipe. The there's the timing belt that's never been changed and who knows what else. My wife brings my son to school every day (30 miles away). We don't want to rely on it so we're looking new.

Why new? We're considering only Subaru and honing in on either Crosstrek and Impreza. Go ahead and look at any dealer site. The used cars need to be about 3 years old to match new car prices (used are higher). Sure, a 5 year car would be cheaper but by then, it's got 100k miles, no warranty and lots of things that will need to be replaced. Not interested.

Currently, Subaru has a 0% loan available. I could pay cash for the car but will take the loan. There is NO cash offer so my choice is 0% or nothing.
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Lynette
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Re: Why pay cash for a car?

Post by Lynette »

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