Financing a Car for College
Budgeting, Car Finance, Car Shopping November 2nd, 2007Teenagers are great, all they think about (especially if they are boys) is 4 spinning wheels. They all have high aspirations for the expensive car, with the souped up engine, NOS (nitrous oxide) booster, and titanium alloy rims. They want it to go 100+ mph and have a hot, shiny finish. But they are ignorant, and do not count the cost of a vehicle. Many teens today have parents that will buy them most any car they want, along with keeping the gas tank full and paying for insurance. This is one of the worst things you can do to your child. They need to learn responsibility, and respect for the things that they own.
I am reminded of one of the teens that is a member of our Church. He was looking at an F-150 full size truck. The price wasn’t too bad, about $2,000, but it was full size truck, eg a gas guzzler. He decided to put a couple hundred bucks down on it and to finance the rest with the bank. Not a bad idea for one his age, use the loan on the vehicle to build a little credit before going on to college.
The Good
As eluded to previously, the positives related to this purchase are as follows:
- Low price. It was a used vehicle, and long term, the better way to go. See Should I Buy a New Car or a Used Car? for more details.
- Credit Building. Taking out a short term loan (1-3 years) on a used car at this price is an excellent way for first time borrowers to build credit without getting in too deep. Credit will be invaluable to him later.
- Utility. As we all know, having a truck will allow you to do all kinds of work and moving, that a car will not allow. This will come in handy as he moves out of state to go to college.
The Bad
Now let’s look at some reasons why this is not a good purchase:
- Gas Mileage. After the issue of price has been settled, gas mileage is the most important factor for teen. They have no money and therefore have to take steps to keeping the gas budget down, especially with the price of gasoline here in Texas approaching $3/gallon. With the F150 getting less than 20 mpg even on the highway, this teenager is facing an enormous cost of gas per month.
- Standard Maintenance. Oil changes and air filters won’t be much different for this teen, but when he needs to replace the tires, he is in for a rude awakening. 13 inch radial tires for a small car may cost as little as $30-40 a piece, but he will be lucky to get decent tires for his truck for less than $100 a piece.
- Insurance. This is the real downside to financing a car for college, or for any other reason. Banks will not lend money on a vehicle without full coverage, and the cost of full coverage vs liability only coverage is staggering.
The Ugly
F-O-R-D (Found On Road Dead). Ford’s are terrible vehicles, especially the F150, their most notorious flop. Do not, I repeat, do not buy a Ford F-150. They are among the worst vehicles on the road. If you do, expect high, high maintenance costs, as they love to break down. Also, and I’ll throw this in for free, Ford is one of the largest financial supporters of the homosexual cause. The company is tearing at the heart of Christianity, and I have added my name to AFA’s boycotter list.
To close, I recommended to the youngster that he not buy the truck. However, against my counsel, he bought the truck anyway. I have talked to these teen boys for a long time about buying a small car that is cheap and gets excellent gas mileage, but they just will not listen. I guess they want to make their own mistakes. Only time will tell…
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A home based business is often not enough to get a car auto insurance. Ideally, one should get free insurance quotes prior to committing to anyone. With luck, one can get instant loans as well. People having health insurance jobs usually of sort such deals instead.
Internal Tags: car finance Car Shopping
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