Finance Your Vehicle,
Know the Lifetime Cost.
Free car loan calculators: monthly payment with taxes and fees, total interest cost, what payment you can afford, and lease vs buy compared.
48 vs 72-Month Trap
Longer loans lower monthly payments while doubling total interest paid. See the lifetime cost.
Depreciation & Negative Equity
Avoid falling 'underwater' where you owe more than the car is worth when trading in.
Taxes, Dealer Fees & Registration
Factor in sales tax, doc fees, and title fees that get rolled into the financed balance.
CarLoanMath Calculators
Car Payment Calculator (with taxes & fees)
Monthly payment including sales tax, dealer fees, down payment, and trade-in — the number the contract will actually show.
Car Affordability Calculator
A maximum car price from your monthly budget, working backwards through tax, fees, rate, and term.
Lease vs Buy Calculator
Three-year cost of leasing vs financing the same car — including resale, so the comparison is honest.
Car Loan Early Payoff Calculator
What extra payments (or paying off in full) save on interest — and the prepayment-penalty check to run first.
Strategic Money Guides
The finance office script: what to negotiate and what to refuse
Price, rate, term, and the add-ons — a four-step order of operations that keeps the deal yours.
Negative equity: the quiet trap in modern car buying
What being underwater really costs, why 84-month loans guarantee it, and how to climb out.
12 mistakes people make with car loans
The recurring errors we see in car loans — what causes each one, and the habit that prevents it.