So essentially yes $500 a month car payments is perfectly normal.
A good rule of thumb is to spend no more than 10% of your take-home pay on a car loan payment when possible.
$300 per month is not enough to own any car. The purchase itself would require months of savings, then insurance, fuel, tires, windshield wipers, brakes and maintenance would ultimately cost more than your income. Buy a bicycle or possibly a moped.
Those with credit scores of 601 to 660 (in the nonprime or fair ranges) and 501 to 600 (in the subprime or poor and fair ranges) saw the highest average monthly payments for new vehicles, at $767 and $750, respectively.
Set your car payment budget
50% for needs such as housing, food and transportation — which, in this case, is your monthly car payment and related auto expenses. 30% for wants such as entertainment, travel and other nonessential items. 20% for savings, paying off credit cards and meeting long-range financial goals.
An example of the difference a loan's term can make: If you take out a $40,000 new car loan with an 84-month term at 9% APR, you would pay about $623 monthly and $12,369 in total interest over seven years.
Because of the high interest rates and risk of going upside down, most experts agree that a 72-month loan isn't an ideal choice. Experts recommend that borrowers take out a shorter loan. And for an optimal interest rate, a loan term fewer than 60 months is a better way to go.
For example, if you're buying a $60,000 luxury car at 3% APR with no money down and paying it off over five years, you'll be responsible for paying about $1,078 per month.
A person making $60,000 per year can afford about a $40,000 car based on calculating 15% of their monthly take-home pay and a 20% down payment on the car of $7,900.
Here are some important points to consider when getting into car payments. So, When Is a Car Payment Too High? 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!
For large luxury models, $1,000-plus payments are the norm. Even a handful of buyers with subcompact cars have four-figure payments, likely due to having shorter loan terms, poor credit, and still owing money on previous car loans, according to Edmunds analysts.
Financial experts recommend that your monthly payment should be around 10% to 15% of your monthly take-home pay. Additionally, your total monthly car expenses should be no more than 20% of your monthly income, and this includes your car payment, insurance, maintenance and gas.
The average monthly car payment for new cars is $737, while used cars had a slightly lower payment of $520. ( Experian) 42.96 percent of vehicles financed in the third quarter of 2024 were new vehicles. Financing for used vehicles sat at 57.04 percent in the same quarter. (
This means that if a person earns $3,000 per month, a car payment that is greater than $300-$450 per month may be considered high. It's important to keep in mind that a car payment is just one of several expenses associated with owning a car, including insurance, maintenance, and fuel costs.
Your monthly auto loan payments should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of your pre-tax take-home salary. Due to increased vehicle incentives, drivers may find relief when shopping for a vehicle this year. To secure the best deal, work to improve your credit score and consider making a sizeable down payment.
Example: A six year fixed-rate loan for a $25,000 new car, with 20% down, requires a $20,000 loan. Based on a simple interest rate of 3.4% and a loan fee of $200, this loan would have 72 monthly payments of $310.54 each and an annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.74%.
How Much Should I Spend on a Car if I Make $100,000? If following the 20/4/10 rule, your transportation expenses should be capped at $10,000 annually, or about $833 per month.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Large Down Payment? Providing more money down doesn't guarantee a lower interest rate, and it can cut into your savings. Depending on the vehicle you choose to buy, 50% can be a lot of money to put down on an auto loan.
However, industry estimates suggest that a successful car salesman may sell anywhere from 10 to 20 cars per month on average. It's important to note that this figure is just an approximation, and there is no definitive benchmark for success in car sales.
How Much Does 2.9% APR Cost? On a $40,000 SUV, a 60-month (5-year) loan at 2.9% would cost approximately $3,018 in interest. On a 72-month (6-year) loan, it would increase to $3,629. We've even seen 84-month financing incentives that could translate to $4,245 in interest.
An increase in your monthly payment will reduce the amount of interest charges you will pay over the repayment period and may even shorten the number of months it will take to pay off the loan.
If you take a loan for five years and your interest rate is 4%, your monthly payment for a $40,000 loan will be $737. Remember that the longer the loan period, the more money you will overpay to the bank.