See, here’s the deal man…  After you’ve been “softened up” out on the car lot, you are then delivered to the shark in the finance department. And the person in the finance department got that cushy position because they were the best salesperson on the lot. That’s right. They are the best because they know all the little psychological techniques designed to push your buttons and make you more pliable. It’s a great position because they aren’t out on the lot having to chase down and qualify “Looky Lou’s” from potential customers like all the other lowly salespeople.

They have their victims, oops I mean customers, delivered to them on a silver platter.

Yessiree, make no mistake about it… Everything done to you on the lot – every questions asked – and all your answers to those prying questions are carefully considered and designed to prepare you for the big daddy guy or gal in the finance department.

If you do get your car financed through the dealership, then avoid telling them how much you want your monthly payments to be. Of course the amount of your monthly car payment will matter to you, but if you tell them (and the salesperson will ask!), then you will have instantly opened yourself up to a whole lot of manipulation. Be very careful of only concentrating on the monthly payment. You need to focus on the annual percentage rate (APR) and the length of the car loan and make sure they aren’t adding any extra points on to the front end of your car loan.

But what about a zero interest car loan?

Car dealers sometimes offer very low or no interest rate car loans for specific models. The downside to getting this kind of car loan is that you may not be able to negotiate a lower price on the car. These low interest loans are often used to entice you into the dealer but your credit rating might not allow you to even get one. Its important to know what is on your credit rating before going to the dealers (and take a copy with you) in case the salesperson tells you that you have a score that is lower so they can hike up your interest rate.

If you want to finance a car, then save yourself an immense amount of grief (and money!) by going to your own bank or credit union, or online. The easiest and simplest way is to finance a car online.