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Car Finance – What You Should Know About Dealer Finance

Car finance has become big business. A huge number of new and used car buyers in the UK are making their vehicle purchase on finance of some sort. It might be in the form of a bank loan, finance from the dealership, leasing, credit card, the trusty ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’, or myriad other forms of finance, but relatively few people actually buy a car with their own cash anymore.A generation ago, a private car buyer with, say, £8,000 cash to spend would usually have bought a car up to the value of £8,000. Today, that same £8,000 is more likely to be used as a deposit on a car which could be worth many tens of thousands, followed by up to five years of monthly payments.With various manufacturers and dealers claiming that anywhere between 40% and 87% of car purchases are today being made on finance of some sort, it is not surprising that there are lots of people jumping on the car finance bandwagon to profit from buyers’ desires to have the newest, flashiest car available within their monthly cashflow limits.The appeal of financing a car is very straightforward; you can buy a car which costs a lot more than you can afford up-front, but can (hopefully) manage in small monthly chunks of cash over a period of time. The problem with car finance is that many buyers don’t realise that they usually end up paying far more than the face value of the car, and they don’t read the fine print of car finance agreements to understand the implications of what they’re signing up for.For clarification, this author is neither pro- or anti-finance when buying a car. What you must be wary of, however, are the full implications of financing a car – not just when you buy the car, but over the full term of the finance and even afterwards. The industry is heavily regulated in the UK, but a regulator can’t make you read documents carefully or force you to make prudent car finance decisions.Financing through the dealershipFor many people, financing the car through the dealership where you are buying the car is very convenient. There are also often national offers and programs which can make financing the car through the dealer an attractive option.This blog will focus on the two main types of car finance offered by car dealers for private car buyers: the Hire Purchase (HP) and the Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), with a brief mention of a third, the Lease Purchase (LP). Leasing contracts will be discussed in another blog coming soon.What is a Hire Purchase?An HP is quite like a mortgage on your house; you pay a deposit up-front and then pay the rest off over an agreed period (usually 18-60 months). Once you have made your final payment, the car is officially yours. This is the way that car finance has operated for many years, but is now starting to lose favour against the PCP option below.There are several benefits to a Hire Purchase. It is simple to understand (deposit plus a number of fixed monthly payments), and the buyer can choose the deposit and the term (number of payments) to suit their needs. You can choose a term of up to five years (60 months), which is longer than most other finance options. You can usually cancel the agreement at any time if your circumstances change without massive penalties (although the amount owing may be more than your car is worth early on in the agreement term). Usually you will end up paying less in total with an HP than a PCP if you plan to keep the car after the finance is paid off.The main disadvantage of an HP compared to a PCP is higher monthly payments, meaning the value of the car you can usually afford is less.An HP is usually best for buyers who; plan to keep their cars for a long time (ie – longer than the finance term), have a large deposit, or want a simple car finance plan with no sting in the tail at the end of the agreement.What is a Personal Contract Purchase?A PCP is often given other names by manufacturer finance companies (eg – BMW Select, Volkswagen Solutions, Toyota Access, etc.), and is very popular but more complicated than an HP. Most new car finance offers advertised these days are PCPs, and usually a dealer will try and push you towards a PCP over an HP because it is more likely to be better for them.Like the HP above, you pay a deposit and have monthly payments over a term. However, the monthly payments are lower and/or the term is shorter (usually a max. of 48 months), because you are not paying off the whole car. At the end of the term, there is still a large chunk of the finance unpaid. This is usually called a GMFV (Guaranteed Minimum Future Value). The car finance company guarantees that, within certain conditions, the car will be worth at least as much as the remaining finance owed. This gives you three options:1) Give the car back. You won’t get any money back, but you won’t have to pay out the remainder. This means that you have effectively been renting the car for the whole time.2) Pay out the remaining amount owed (the GMFV) and keep the car. Given that this amount could be many thousands of pounds, it is not usually a viable option for most people (which is why they were financing the car in the first place), which usually leads to…3) Part-exchange the car for a new (or newer) one. The dealer will assess your car’s value and take care of the finance payout. If your car is worth more than the GMFV, you can use the difference (equity) as a deposit on your next car.The PCP is best suited for people who want a new or near-new car and fully intend to change it at the end of the agreement (or possibly even sooner). For a private buyer, it usually works out cheaper than a lease or contract hire finance product. You are not tied into going back to the same manufacturer or dealership for your next car, as any dealer can pay out the finance for your car and conclude the agreement on your behalf. It is also good for buyers who want a more expensive car with a lower cashflow than is usually possible with an HP.The disadvantage of a PCP is that it tends to lock you into a cycle of changing your car every few years to avoid a large payout at the end of the agreement (the GMFV). Borrowing money to pay out the GMFV and keep the car usually gives you a monthly payment that is very little cheaper than starting again on a new PCP with a new car, so it nearly always sways the owner into replacing it with another car. For this reason, manufacturers and dealers love PCPs because it keeps you coming back every 3 years rather than keeping your car for 5-10 years!What is a Lease Purchase?An LP is a bit of a hybrid between an HP and a PCP. You have a deposit and low monthly payments like a PCP, with a large final payment at the end of the agreement. However, unlike a PCP, this final payment (often called a balloon) is not guaranteed. This means that if your car is worth less than the amount owing and you want to sell/part-exchange it, you would have to pay out any difference (called negative equity) before even thinking about paying a deposit on your next car.Read the fine printWhat is absolutely essential for anyone buying a car on finance is to read the contract and consider it carefully before signing anything. Plenty of people make the mistake of buying a car on finance and then end up being unable to make their monthly payments. Given that your finance period may last for the next five years, it is critical that you carefully consider what may happen in your life over those next five years. Many heavily-financed sports cars have had to be returned, often with serious financial consequences for the owners, because of unexpected pregnancies!As part of purchasing a car on finance, you should consider and discuss all of the various finance options available and make yourself aware of the pros and cons of different car finance products to ensure you are making informed decisions about your money.

3 Factors to Consider When Picking a Side Hustle

A side hustle is an essential part of building wealth and creating the means to do more with the limited time we have. Many people have never even considered having a source of income outside of their day jobs.

But wouldn’t it be great to rid yourself of the financial pressures you face? Not having to worry about the end of the month and what your bank balance is?

Starting with a side hustle is now easier than ever, but it might be worth considering these 3 factors before you jump straight in.

Time
You need to make sure whatever side hustle you decide to embark upon is suitable for your time commitments. Some side hustles require much more time than others. Blogging for example is extremely time consuming. Although it may be one of the most profitable side gigs it might not be suitable for your lifestyle.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a hustle that does suite your needs. There are countless ways to make extra income, you just need to explore your options and pick what you are able to commit to. Here are just some examples of side hustles that do not require a great deal of your precious time:

User testing
eBay Flipping
Rent out Car
Rent out House
Complete tasks on TaskRabbit
Online Surveys
Recommended article: 29 Awesome Side Hustle Ideas To Make Extra Money

Skill
Obviously the more skill a side hustle requires, the more profitable it will likely be. Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t develop and learn the skills needed to do any side hustle you want. It just means it may take more time before you jump in and start making money.

But this is something that you should carefully consider.

Investing in education is the best way to significantly increase your earnings. And this is where many people fall short. You see, it’s so easy to think $500 or $1000 is a massive outlay and not worth it.

But you will be able to develop and learn the skills required to perform a side hustle that could make this initial investment back and more. And that is the key to investing in yourself and your ability to earn more money in the future.

Passion
Do you need to passionate about your side hustle selection?

Well, the truth is, it helps.

And it helps a lot.

There are so many things you could do to earn more money outside of you main source of income. Bu the chances are you have hobbies and interest. And this could actually give you a leg up over the competition.

Take for example a music teacher. They work at a school doing 40 hours a week for standard teachers pay. This is great, but the teacher wants to improve their life and make more money.

Now they could consider starting a blog or running Facebook ads. Both are great side hustles and would do the job perfectly.

But if the music teacher considers their skills then an ideal side hustle is right under their nose. Giving music lessons on the side means they can charge a decent price because they are already qualified and they can get started right away.

This won’t be the case for everyone, and if you don’t have any obvious skills that you can monetise, don’t worry. Remember, skills are transferable and the side hustle options are many.

But having a passion is a great way to start side hustling the right way – and it means you can make even more money.