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Most people turn to auto loans during a vehicle purchase. They work as any generic, secured loan from a financial institution does with a typical term of 36, 60, 72, or 84 months in the U.S. Each month, repayment of principal and interest must be made from borrowers to auto loan lenders. Money borrowed from a lender that isn't paid back can result in the car being legally repossessed.

Dealership Financing vs. Direct Lending

Generally, there are two main financing options available when it comes to auto loans: direct lending or dealership financing. The former comes in the form of a typical loan originating from a bank, credit union, or financial institution. Once a contract has been entered with a car dealer to buy a vehicle, the loan is used from the direct lender to pay for the new car. Dealership financing is somewhat similar except that the auto loan, and thus paperwork, is initiated and completed through the dealership instead. Auto loans via dealers are usually serviced by captive lenders that are often associated with each car make. The contract is retained by the dealer but is often sold to a bank, or other financial institution called an assignee that ultimately services the loan.

Direct lending provides more leverage for buyers to walk into a car dealer with most of the financing done on their terms, as it places further stress on the car dealer to compete with a better rate. Getting pre-approved doesn't tie car buyers down to any one dealership, and their propensity to simply walk away is much higher. With dealer financing, the potential car buyer has fewer choices when it comes to interest rate shopping, though it's there for convenience for anyone who doesn't want to spend time shopping or cannot get an auto loan through direct lending.

Often, to promote auto sales, car manufacturers offer good financing deals via dealers. Consumers in the market for a new car should start their search for financing with car manufacturers. It is not rare to get low interest rates like 0%, 0.9%, 1.9%, or 2.9% from car manufacturers.

Vehicle Rebates

Car manufacturers may offer vehicle rebates to further incentivize buyers. Depending on the state, the rebate may or may not be taxed accordingly. For example, purchasing a vehicle at $50,000 with a cash rebate of $2,000 will have sales tax calculated based on the original price of $50,000, not $48,000. Luckily, a good portion of states do not do this and don't tax cash rebates. They are Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming

Generally, rebates are only offered for new cars. While some used car dealers do offer cash rebates, this is rare due to the difficulty involved in determining the true value of the vehicle.