General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Some Thoughts on Buying a Kia Soul Yesterday [View all]Hassin Bin Sober
(27,361 posts)Shop around and then have the dealer match or beat the rate.
Any dealer F&I department with half a brain is going to have access to the best rates in the market - because the dealer wants to buy the money cheap, mark it up and re-sell it. The dealer will have a pretty good book of lenders to meet most all scenarios. Even selling the loan at "buy rate" gets a "mini" commission from the lender.
When I was in finance, I would just as soon write a mini deal to be done with it. Rather than f-ck around writing a temporary finance contract and/or wait for a check. It was less work to wrap up the deal while I had you at my desk. The lender was happy to get the quality "paper." Sending quality paper gave me leverage when I needed a favor on a marginal deal. The customer was happy for the convenience. And the owner was happy because we could cash the contract and get our money right away.
Don't get me wrong, a dealer F&I manager while squeeze you like a grape if you have your head up your ass or are otherwise compromised and in need of their "expertise."
Credit unions are nice for not screwing the uneducated, less savvy, or people who hate negotiating and fussing. I liken CUs to CarMax and Saturn - you will pay a little more but you won't get royally screwed.
Like I said up-thread, doing your borrowing where you save has certain risks. If you think your credit union who "loves" you won't exercise their "right of set off" and snatch your money sitting in your account if you are delinquent on your car loan, you are sadly mistaken. The big lenders can do it if you have savings/checking accounts but they are less likely to put two and two together (that may be changing in these trying times).
Supporting your local CU is an admirable goal. Just be aware how things can get ugly if trouble arises.