Filed under: Instant Cash Resources
We all love the Internet. We love the convenience of online shopping because it’s fast and easy to buy anything, including large purchases like automobiles. Just going to Ebay Automotive will give you thousands of choices to bid on when buying a car.
There are many other websites that will also sell you a car. Every auto dealership in the world seems to have their own website, and then there are the generic sites like cars.com, usedcars.com, and newcars.com. So it’s easy to buy a car on the web, what about my auto insurance?
That you will find just as easy, if not easier than finding a place to buy a car on the web. Every car insurance company has their own website and then again, there are a lot of generic auto loan brokers with websites as well. Many will claim to guarantee you the lowest interest rate anywhere and will tell you how easy it is to buy insurance through them.
But, something a lot of people do not know is that interest rates for online loans tend to have higher interest rates than loans you get in person.
That’s right. Online car loans will cost you more than you might get from someone you can contact by telephone or by visiting their local office.
Why would online auto loans be more expensive? I’m glad you asked. The people that apply for loans online are more likely to have bad credit according to most studies done by the auto insurance industry.
For that reason, online auto loans have a higher interest rate to offset the risk taken by the insurance company. That is not to say that you cannot possibly find a good rate for your auto loan online, but you are more likely to get a better rate from a local broker.
Your local Credit Union, Bank, or even the auto dealer’s preferred loan company are all likely to give you a better rate on your auto loan. Shopping around on the web, then going to your local options to compare financing options is always advised.
Remember that buying a car is one of the major purchases you make. The loan you get for your car is one you will be stuck with for at least a couple of years, so shop for the best deal before committing to anyone.
You will find such a wide variety of options it will amaze you. One lender may be offering interest rates that are around 7.5% while others are offering 2% or even 0% auto loan financing. Why are different lenders offering such different terms for auto loans?
Again, I’m glad you asked. Competition is just one of the factors involved in what a company offers you for your car loan. One of the other factors are studies made by each individual company as to what is a high risk or low risk loan. For example: If you purchase a red car in Pennsylvania, you will pay more for your auto insurance than you would if you had bought a white or blue car.
They have done studies there that say they pay out more claims to people who own red cars than they do to people who own cars of other colors. Maybe they get more tickets, one agent I spoke with suggested. The police notice the red cars more.
Whatever the reason, it goes to show that there are many factors that determine what you will pay for your auto loan. The fact that a higher percentage of people who apply for online auto loans have bad credit than those who apply for their loan offline influences the rates you will pay for an online loan.
I hope this article has been helpful to you and will encourage you to shop before you buy when it comes time to get your auto insurance. Make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Also, ask the insurance broker what factors are influencing the rate of your loan. It may make you change your mind about the type or color of car you are buying.
D. David Dugan has a website, loan.divinfo.com/ that has information on home equity, student, payday and bad credit loans and has pages like this.