Saturday, January 2, 2010

How to Negotiate a Better BMW Car Finance Rate

It is a misconception that the BMW car finance interest rate a dealership is offering is the best rate available. A hidden secret of many car dealerships is the fact that interest rates are negotiable at every car dealership selling cars today. Many buyers feel they just have to settle for the BMW car finance rate that the lenders are offering, but if that loan is secured by the dealership, there are hidden fees and rate increases that can be lowered to secure better BMW car finance rates.

The first BMW car finance rate the dealership will offer is called the "buy rate". This is a number the lender tells the dealership they will give the dealership for the loan. The dealer will then mark up that "buy rate" to a "sell rate". For instance, if the "buy rate" from the BMW car finance company is 7%, the dealer may offer the buyer a 9% interest rate. Most financing stops here because the buyer has no idea the BMW car finance rate can be lowered. The extra 2% is earned by the lender as a commission on the sale.

The extra money is kept in a reserve to pay out commissions on the sale. The lending officials at a dealership are given commissions based on how high the rate can be pushed for a car buyer. If the sale goes through at the higher rate, the dealership keeps some of the money, pays some to the lending personnel and some to the car salesmen.

In order to get the best rate, the buyer must ask for the loan call sheet when the financing offer is given to them. The loan call sheet will include the BMW car finance "buy rate" offered to the dealership. That is the BMW car finance interest rate you need to demand for the car purchase. If the dealer says they cannot honor that interest rate, another dealership will so walk out the door.

Another important factor in finding the best BMW car finance rate is knowing which cars are being offered with interest rate incentives. If the dealership knows about a 0% incentive and the vehicle you want to purchase qualifies for that incentive, every 1% more they offer you as an interest rate on the loan is pure profit for the dealership. Several online portals offer listings of BMW car finance interest rate incentives currently being offered on specific models. With the right credit rating, these incentives are the maximum the buyer should pay.

Finding BMW car finance interest rates that are the lowest they can be means paying less for the car over the total life of the loan. Just a 1% increase can mean paying thousands of dollars more for a vehicle than the buyer needs to pay. The longer the loan term, the more money the buyer is losing by not securing the lower BMW car finance rate. Private banks and online auto lenders may offer lower interest rates than local dealerships without the struggle.

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