How 3.90% Finance Cost $2,622.12 More Than 8.10%

Written on the 1 February 2013 by G. Dean McKinnon

There is a lot of marketing by car manufacturers and motor dealers at present about their 'special low' Interest Rates. Unfortunately, as with most things that sound too good to be true, it usually is.

One of my clients recently purchased a vehicle from a car manufacturer and was told their own Finance Company could arrange Finance for the purchase at a 'special low' Interest Rate of 3.90%. At the time, the client's Financier offered an Interest Rate of 8.10%. The client has a Total Service Agreement with me, so they asked me to evaluate the offers for them.

I was easily able to obtain a Vehicle Purchase Quote from a local motor dealer (over the phone) for the exact same vehicle the client was proposing to purchase, with all of the same Optional Extras. I then obtained a Finance Quote from the client's Financier, to ensure the comparison was accurate.

Following is a summary of my calculations:

As is evident in the Table above, it is not the Interest Rate which you need to be concerned about, it is all of the potential 'extras' that can end up costing you a lot more than you think.

So, if you are considering buying a vehicle and you need to arrange Finance for the purchase, make sure you double-check all of the Fees and Costs before you proceed. Or, if you are one of my Total Service Clients, I will check it for you!