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Poll: Income vs. Car Payment.


iwishiwascool

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I am about to head to the dealership to quite possibly buy a new car - Something I said I would NEVER do. I am putting a significant amount down but I am wondering how much exactly people usually dedicate to a car payment... since I've never had one.

 

To keep this from being a thread about income just use this equation:

 

(Monthly Car payment / Monthly NET income )

 

 

This car would put me at rougly 7%.

 

*equation fixed, my bad.

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When I bought my car, I kept in mind how much you could realistically pay per month as well as how much money you want to put down. Then you have to work out what the dealer is willing to do plus the interest rate.

 

But having a general mindset on what you want to spend is a good way to start.

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What is the reason you want to go new insteed of a yera or so old ? Just wondering

Oh and mine is 0% since I rather drive a pos than have that cloud over my head

 

The older you go the more maintenance is needed to keep its driveability up. I've bought 2 year old cars and 15 year old cars. I'd rather buy newer by far, not having to change out alternator's in your work parking lot while its snowing and 20 degrees out is definitly worth the small extra monthly premium i have to pay for a newer car with a warranty.

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I'm at 23% on my two cars.... with that being said, 2 more years, they are both paid in full and I will have nothing. (I was stupid with I lived with my parents and had expendable income... now I am fighting to get above water again)
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I am about to head to the dealership to quite possibly buy a new car - Something I said I would NEVER do. I am putting a significant amount down but I am wondering how much exactly people usually dedicate to a car payment... since I've never had one.

 

To keep this from being a thread about income just use this equation:

 

(Monthly NET income / Monthly Car payment)

 

 

This car would put me at rougly 7%.

 

Uhm, I thought something was wrong here. Yup. I was right. The formula should be car payment / monthly net income. That puts me at 14%.

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The older you go the more maintenance is needed to keep its driveability up. I've bought 2 year old cars and 15 year old cars. I'd rather buy newer by far' date=' not having to change out alternator's in your work parking lot while its snowing and 20 degrees out is definitly worth the small extra monthly premium i have to pay for a newer car with a warranty.[/quote']

even though I work on them for a living I do understand this... but how much trust do you loose in a year old car that has low miles versus the drop in retail price?

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13% on relatively short time periods.

 

I don't want my wife and kids to have to walk down the highway due to breakdown, and if the breakdown occurs I prefer to be able to yell at someone to get it fixed. don't get me wrong, I love working on my 1970 beetle, but I expect a certain level of driveability from my daily driver.

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13% on relatively short time periods.

 

I don't want my wife and kids to have to walk down the highway due to breakdown, and if the breakdown occurs I prefer to be able to yell at someone to get it fixed. don't get me wrong, I love working on my 1970 beetle, but I expect a certain level of driveability from my daily driver.

 

 

+1

 

Its fine to wrench on a project or 2nd car. But your daily should not be worked on daily just to get you back and forth to work.

I like being able to drive it somewhere, get a free rental car and have it taken care of. I'm never without a daily this way.

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I'm at 17% on the payment, and want to go down. Keep in mind other things like insurance, and how much fuel you run through. Total spending on my daily driver brings me up to 36% for an average month. That's far too much of my income, in my mind, especially since I am trying to buy a house. I'd rather have an old truck and a decent car, spend less per month, and if one breaks down oh well, i've got something else to drive.
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The calculation should be based on Gross income.

These would be the limits I would go

10% of your monthly gross for an automobile.

 

10% cc other installments

 

29% for housing

 

A total of no more than 42% for all of those items combined. In this I do no include your cell phone, utilities, and other items that can be terminated at will (non contractual).

 

When we would lend we could go up to 50 and 55% for total month debt ratios but those are the loser people that get shitty loans. A stronger borrower would be in the high 20's to mid 30's for everything. So that should give you a good idea of where you would wan to put yoruself.

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The calculation should be based on Gross income.

These would be the limits I would go

10% of your monthly gross for an automobile.

 

10% cc other installments

 

29% for housing

 

A total of no more than 42% for all of those items combined. In this I do no include your cell phone, utilities, and other items that can be terminated at will (non contractual).

 

When we would lend we could go up to 50 and 55% for total month debt ratios but those are the loser people that get shitty loans. A stronger borrower would be in the high 20's to mid 30's for everything. So that should give you a good idea of where you would wan to put yoruself.

 

What if you don't have credit cards or other installment loans?

 

Right now I'm at 34% total.

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I'm at 18% with my 4 cars...yeah I'm stupid!!! I say play it smart, get a slighty used car because of how much the value drops when you drive it off the lot. Research is always key...There is no worse feeling than leaving a dealership feeling like you just bent over and took one in the anus! I like the walk away theory. If you still want the car after a nights sleep then its worth it. And that leaves the salesperson calling you at home offering you better deals to get you to come back in.
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I'm at 12% of my takehome pay. 0 downpayment.

 

I decided to go with a new car because i don't trust other people's maintenance. I know with my new car I did the proper maintenance and break in. Also driving 36k miles a year wouldsuck in a beater when i get stranded somewhere between indianapolis and columbus.

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I'm at 12% of my takehome pay. 0 downpayment.

 

I decided to go with a new car because i don't trust other people's maintenance. I know with my new car I did the proper maintenance and break in. Also driving 36k miles a year wouldsuck in a beater when i get stranded somewhere between indianapolis and columbus.

 

 

Exactly why I went new. Used for 28k or New for 31k with a full 100k mile warranty.

 

As shown in the pic above I bought an 06 Mitsu Evo 9 SE.

 

I now own 3 freaking cars. Time to head to the corral.

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