Now this is slightly more work but you can get pre-approved from a finance company before you walk into the dealership. I cannot describe exactly how to do this as it is outside the scope of this article but various search engines are your friend! Before you step outside your door, look up the current interest rates in your country for car loans. You should use an online finance calculator (or call up a finance company to give you a quote) to work out how much this $13,000 (minus the deposit) loan will cost you each month. So here are some tips to help the everyday person be prepared which should give you a better chance at a good deal on your finance. Find Out Your Credit History
Using one of the many agencies out there, get a credit history report which should show you any red flags which may cause potential problems in your finance application. It can take two or three months to update these reports though, so bear this in mind when you get the report. Armed with this knowledge you will have a base level to compare the finance offers to. Is this something that you can really afford? Of course the interest rates will usually be higher than the figure you looked up (because the dealership has to make a profit) but there should only be a respectable mark up and not something silly like double the percentage. Research Finance Terminology


