How Much Car Can I Actually Afford? (2024)

FAQs

How Much Car Can I Actually Afford? ›

According to our research, you shouldn't spend more than 10% to 15% of your net monthly income on car payments. Your total vehicle costs, including loan payments and insurance, should total no more than 20%. You can use a car loan calculator to calculate a monthly payment within your budget.

To get an idea of how much car you can afford, a good rule of thumb is to pay no more than 35% of your annual pre-tax income. So, if you make $50,000 before taxes per year, your car purchase price should not exceed $17,500.

Starting with the 1/10th guideline, created and pushed by Financial Samurai, this guideline states: buy a car in cash that costs less than 1/10th your gross annual pay. If you make $50,000 you should buy a car in cash worth $5000. If you make $100,000, the car you buy should be worth no more than $10,000.

How much should I spend on a car if I make $60,000? If your gross salary is $60,000, your take-home monthly pay is probably around $3,750, assuming about 25% of your pay goes toward taxes and other expenses. Based on the 10-15% calculation, you should spend no more than $562.50 on a monthly car payment.

on the price of a car. is not to exceed 35% of your gross income. That means if you make $40,000 a year, the cars price should not exceed $14,000. If you make $80,000, the cars price should be below $28,000. And at 150 k salary, that means your max car price should be 50 2500.

Ramsey Solutions doesn't “recommend buying a new car — ever — until your net worth is more than $1 million. If you're a millionaire and you want to buy a new car that costs a very small percentage of your net worth, then go for it.”

An affordable car payment would be one that doesn't exceed $600 a month, based on the rule of thumb that your car payment shouldn't be more than 15% of your take-home pay. If you take out a 60-month car loan at 8% APR, you should aim to take out a car loan of less than $30,000.

According to experts, a car payment is too high if the car payment is more than 30% of your total income. Remember, the car payment isn't your only car expense! Make sure to consider fuel and maintenance expenses. Make sure your car payment does not exceed 15%-20% of your total income.

Lenders use your credit score as an indication of how likely you are to repay a loan. This means that the higher your credit score, the more favorable your interest rate and terms will be. In general, you'll need a FICO credit score of at least 600 to qualify for a traditional auto loan.

Generally, however, a car payment is considered high if it exceeds 10-15% of a person's gross monthly income. This means that if a person earns $3,000 per month, a car payment that is greater than $300-$450 per month may be considered high.

What is the 20 3 8 rule? ›

The 20/3/8 car buying rule says you should put 20% down, pay off your car loan in three years (36 months), and spend no more than 8% of your pretax income on car payments. As we go into depth to determine how realistic this rule is, you may consider whether it can actually help you budget for your next car.

Earning $40,000 a year may be considered a good entry-level salary and could be more than enough for someone with low monthly expenses. Adding another income to the mix also makes a difference.

How much car can I afford if I make $50,000? While it depends on factors like your credit score, loan terms, down payment and any potential trade-in value, you may find that a vehicle in the $20,000 to $35,000 range will fit your budget.

Keep Your Car Payment Under 15% of Your Net Income

“A widely accepted rule is that your car payment should not exceed 15% of your monthly take-home pay,” said Jeff Rose, a certified financial planner and founder of Good Financial Cents. If you earn $70,000 a year after taxes, that breaks down to roughly $5,833 a month.

If you wanted to stick to this rule of thumb and buy a $50,000 car, you would need a monthly take-home income of at least $7,240 if you got a car loan at a below-average rate and stretched out your payoff time for a long time. Many people will find that purchasing such an expensive car really isn't affordable.