Is $500 a month a high car payment?

The average new car payment in America has crept above the $500 per month mark for the fist time, settling in at $503, according to a recent study by Experian. And if that weren't bad enough, the average length of a car loan now stands at 68 months.
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What is considered a high car payment?

According to experts, a car payment is too high if the car payment is more than 30% of your total income. Remember, the car payment isn't your only car expense! Make sure to consider fuel and maintenance expenses. Make sure your car payment does not exceed 15%-20% of your total income.
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What is a realistic monthly car payment?

To cut to the chase, it's smart to spend less than 10% of your monthly take-home pay on your car payment, so you can keep your total car costs below 15% to 20% of your income. That might leave you feeling you can afford only a beat-up Yugo.
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How much is too much for a monthly car payment?

Your total car monthly payment (interest, principal, sales tax, and insurance) should not exceed 10% of your gross monthly income.
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Is 400 a month a lot for a car payment?

The result is that the car will be a lot more expensive in the end. In the example we've given, a car payment of $400 per month for five years (60 months) equates to $24,000. But the same $400 per month spread out over six years (72 months) is $28,800, while it's $33,600 over seven years (84 months).
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How To Buy a Car With Bad or No Credit (Secrets The Dealer Won't Tell You)



Is it better to pay car in full or monthly?

Paying cash for your car may be your best option if the interest rate you earn on your savings is lower than the after-tax cost of borrowing. However, keep in mind that while you do free up your monthly budget by eliminating a car payment, you may also have depleted your emergency savings to do so.
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Is $700 too much for car payment?

Experts say your total car expenses, including monthly payments, insurance, gas and maintenance, should be about 20 percent of your take-home monthly pay. For non-math wizards, like me – Let's say your monthly paycheck is $4,000. Then a safe estimate for car expenses is $800 per month.
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How much should I spend monthly on a car?

Financial experts generally recommend capping auto payments and related expenses at 10%–15% of monthly income. Beyond the sales price, buyers should also budget for other expenses like repairs, registration, and insurance.
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How much should I spend on a car if I make $30 000?

The frugal rule: 10% of your income

For many people, I think that will be between 10–15% of their income. So if you earn $25,000 a year, that's going to be a high-mileage used car for $2,500–$3,000. If you earn $80,000, that's a used car for around $10,000 or $12,000.
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Why are car payments so high?

Auto loans and payments are getting bigger because the price for all vehicles is rising at a pace few could have predicted a few years ago. What's behind the higher sticker prices? For new vehicles, the demand for larger and more expensive SUVs and pickups means buyers are willing to pay more.
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What car can I afford with 50K salary?

2020 Hyundai Sonata. The 2020 Hyundai Sonata is one of the midsize cars you can afford if you pull down a $50K salary. With good credit, the $390 monthly payments are affordable for those in that salary range.
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What car can I afford with 60k salary?

Answer provided by

It's typically recommended that you buy a car worth no more than 35% of your gross annual income— so if you make $60k per year, you can afford a new car that is worth $21,000 or less.
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How much income should you spend on a car?

It's simple: Spend no more than 10% of your gross annual income on the purchase price of a car. Why? Because the upfront cost of a vehicle isn't going to be the only thing you pay for, and cutting down your base price budget is the most effective way to save money.
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How much should I spend on a first car?

Experts recommend that you spend $5,000 to $10,000 on your first car. But honestly, it all comes down to what you can afford. Here are a few simple tips to help you calculate a figure that would work well for you: Don't spend more than 15% of your gross pay or 20% of your take-home pay.
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What car can I afford with 75k salary?

If you make $75,000 per year, your total loan payments shouldn't exceed $2,250 per month. The 20/4/10 rule: Put down 20% on a car, finance the car for no more than 4 years, and keep your car payment less than or equal to 10% of your salary.
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Is it dumb to pay cash for a car?

Dealers sometimes offer cash discounts to buyers who finance a vehicle. When you pay cash, those disappear. Miss out on financing deals. If you qualify for a favorable interest rate, paying cash may not be the smartest thing to do because you'll lose very little money by financing.
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Is a car payment worth it?

Save what you would've spent on your car payment.

Speaking of saving, if you take that $554 car payment you would've had and put it into your savings every month, after 10 months, you'll have saved $5,540!
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Is it better to make a large down payment on a car?

The larger the down payment, the lower your monthly payment will be—and you'll probably get a better interest rate, to boot. The general rule is that your payment will drop about $20 a month for every $1,000 you put down, based on a 5% APR, but this is subject to individual situations and loan terms.
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How much is a 20k car payment?

For instance, using our loan calculator, if you buy a $20,000 vehicle at 5% APR for 60 months the monthly payment would be $377.42 and you would pay $2,645.48 in interest.
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How can I lower my car payment?

5 ways to lower your car payment
  1. Talk to the lender. This strategy can be best for when you're having temporary trouble making payments. ...
  2. Refinance. ...
  3. Sell the car yourself (and buy a cheaper one) ...
  4. Trade it in to a dealership. ...
  5. Lease a car. ...
  6. Lower your amount financed. ...
  7. Shop for a low APR. ...
  8. Get a longer loan term.
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How much should I spend on a car if I make $70000?

Finding the right car payment

If you take your annual income of $75,000 and divide it by 12 to get your monthly income, you'll come to $6,250. Now multiply that by 10% to get $625, as per the rule stated above. From this math, you shouldn't spend more than $625 on your monthly car note.
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How much should I spend on a car if I make $100000?

For our monthly income levels, that translates into the following breakdown: So, theoretically, if your salary is $50,000 you could afford a car payment of $430 or less. With a $100,000 salary, you could afford a mortgage payment of no more than $2,500.
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How much does Dave Ramsey say you should spend on a car?

As a general rule of thumb, the total value of your vehicles (anything with a motor in it) should never be more than half of your annual household income. Dave doesn't recommend buying a new car—ever—until your net worth is more than $1 million.
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How much car loan can I get on 40000 salary?

It is advised to customers that they restrict their car loans to not more than 20 percent of their monthly income. For example, if you make Rs. 40,000 per month, your monthly car loan EMI should not exceed Rs. 8,000.
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