How to get a car loan
Getting a car loan in Australia is a fairly simply process. As such, this process can be initiated on your part before you even visit a single dealership to view your dream car. That way you will have most elements of your car loan application down pat, and when your car loan has been pre-approved, you know that you have a secure agreement out there and will less likely fall victim to a car loan with unfavorable terms, possibly offered by unscrupulous dealers. Oftentimes, car dealers have been known to offer the convenience of driving home the car you wanted almost immediately, but at price you may find it hard to stomach.
By knowing what to expect when applying for a car loan in Australia, you will more or less be free from making hasty decisions which may cause you to pay through your nose for a car that may depreciate in half its value in three to five years. Things that you should know about when approaching a car financing institution are:
- All car loan borrowers should be Australian permanent residents aged at least 18 years and above. You should be earning $25,000 per annum at least, so that you are able to cover your car loan repayment amount. Some lenders may set a higher or lower benchmark but as a rule this is the amount you should be thinking about when applying for a car loan
- Lenders will obviously not hand over the cash just like that, and will naturally want to know if you can afford to pay off your car loan based on what you earn. For this, you will need to prove that you are capable of paying the loan they are about to give by furnishing them with your financial records. They will also want to know if you have other loans or financial obligations on the side – if there are other loans to your name already, they fear an additional car loan may be too taxing and may decline your application
- Get your payslips and last year’s PAYG ready so as to satisfy the lenders and reassuring them that you are indeed capable of meeting the car loan repayments each month
