Families need cars. They’ve become an essential part of life, mainly because of how our cities are built. Family homes are in the suburbs. Therefore, if you want to go to the store or take your kids to school, you almost always need your own vehicle.
Unfortunately,cars are becoming increasingly expensive。所有额外的安全功能和监管要求都会导致更高的价格。
What’s more, they’re downright expensive to run. Fuel prices are going through the roof, and many families are worried about how they are going to make ends meet. Buying a car feels like a scary prospect.
Figure Out Your Budget
第一步是获取预算。这里的目标应该是要考虑一下您可以实际负担的车辆的价格。
有很多规则可以做到这一点。但是，最受欢迎的方法之一是根据家庭收入限制车辆支出。
Most finance professionals recommend that you spend no more than 10 to 15 percent of your annual income on a car. That means that if your household income is $50,000, you should be looking to spend between $5,000 and $7,500 on a vehicle.
That’s not a great deal when you consider the grand scheme of things. Hardly any manufacturers make vehicles brand new at that price. However, you should be able to find good deals on the used car market.
Remember, that’s just the购买价格新车辆。您还需要确保您的运行成本（例如汽油，保险和维护）不会超过年收入的20％。如果他们这样做，那么您可能很难在其他地方进行预算，例如在您的家中。
但是，许多因素都可以确定您负担得起的东西以及无法负担的。因此，本节中介绍的数字不仅仅是指南。
How To Work Out What You Can Afford
大多数人不用现金购买车辆。相反，他们获得了某种财务交易。随着租赁，所有权成本中的许多成本都被捆绑为单一的价格。
在购买汽车之前，您应该考虑这些费用中的每一个individually. This way, you can build a more accurate picture of what you can afford.
Start by exploring the trade-in value of your existing vehicle, if you already have one. Trading in a car can make your new purchase cheaper by taking advantage of some of the capital you’ve already built up. (This is not a good option if you are still paying off the old loan).
例如，您想以30,000美元的价格购买汽车。根据上面概述的数字，您每年的收入至少需要20万美元，对于大多数家庭而言，您的收入不现实。
However, it might be affordable if you could get some money for your old vehicle. Let’s say that your current car is worth $15,000. The new vehicle would then cost you the same amount, which is sustainable on a household income of $100,000.
经销商还可以考虑您仍然在旧车上欠的任何贷款，并为您偿还。例如，如果您的贷款还剩5,000美元，则经销商将为您提供10,000美元的价格。
考虑贷款期限
接下来,您将需要考虑贷款期限,is, how long your loan will last. Most car loan schemes run between two and seven years. It doesn’t make much sense to go beyond that because of depreciation. There’s a risk that the car could wind up being worth less than the loan you own on it.
通常，贷款较短，每月付款越高。那是因为您有更少的时间偿还全额贷款金额。如果您想减少每月付款，则需要提高贷款的定期。但是，随着时间的推移，这也会导致更多的利息支付。因此，您用于购买车辆的总现金较高，您需要支付的时间越长。
考虑首付
下一个因素考虑下跌付款。大多数专家建议您将车辆价值的20％放在汽车上。例如，如果您要购买20,000美元的汽车，则需要至少放下4,000美元。
While saving for a deposit on a vehicle is annoying, it can help prevent you from going upside down – owing more on your vehicle than it is actually worth because of depreciation.
Consider The Monthly Total Payments
最后，您需要加大所有这些费用，并弄清楚您每月使用10％到15％的规则，您的新车可能会花费多少。
例如，假设您的带回家薪水为$ 3,500。这意味着您每月还能支付350至525美元的$ 525。
但是，您实际上可以负担多少取决于您的预算。如果您有家庭，则可能需要照顾其他费用。
If you need to lower your monthly payments, you can. Just ask the dealer to extend the loan term. Just remember that if you pay for a car slowly over time, it’ll eat into your long-term wealth.
Consider Your Buying Options
下一步应该是根据您的财务目标考虑哪种购买选项最适合您。您不一定总是直接购买车辆。
The most obvious option is to buy new. This approach is popular among people who love that new car smell and want to avoid maintenance issues for the foreseeable future.
If you do decide to go down this path, be aware that your investment will depreciate in value rapidly. Most vehicles lose around 50 percent of their value in the first five years.
Also, be aware that dealers charge different fees for selling your vehicles. Therefore, prices can vary significantly from one to the next. They may not represent the going market rate.
The next option is to buy a used vehicle. Prices tend to be considerably lower (reflecting depreciation) but reliability becomes an issue. You may have to spend more on maintenance than if you bought a new car.
Buying used cars reduces monthly payments. Their value tends to depreciate considerably slower in absolute terms, so there is less risk of going “upside down.”
You may also want toconsider an extended car warranty如果您选择这两种方法。这样，您就可以在不是您的错的车辆中获得更多保护制造商故障。这些政策可以帮助您降低随着时间的推移一些模型的长期维修成本。
The last option is to lease your car. This approach is perhaps the simplest because you never take ownership of the vehicle. Instead, you just pay a monthly fee for the services the car provides. Fees typically include everything you need, except fuel, so you can easily work out whether you’re within budget or not.
根据您的薪水，您负担得起多少汽车
How much car you can afford depends on your pre-tax salary. People earning $25,000 per year should aim to keep their car spending capped to around $208 per month. Those on $50,000 can afford up to $420 per month. Above $75,000 and monthly car expenses can be as high as $625 per month.
这些数字有趣的是，它们大大低于大多数人在车辆上的实际花费。对于某些家庭来说，每年$ 50,000的家庭每月花费1,000美元在车辆上花费1,000美元，这并不少见。
Other Factors To Consider
上面概述的规则适用于公众。但是，他们没有涵盖所有实例和情况。
Let’s say, for example, that you love cars and having a high-end model matters a great deal to you. If this is the case, then it makes sense to spend more on a vehicle and cut down on other things, like housing expenses or假期。
同样，如果您有一个大家庭，那么在汽车上花费更多的钱是有意义的。您需要可以运送家庭所有成员的东西，因此，一个小城市的超级米尼可能不是最好的选择。
然后是要考虑的环境因素。例如，如果您居住在茫茫荒野中，那么在4x4车上花费更多是有意义的。您需要它可靠地解决。
同样，如果气候对您很重要，那么购买电动汽车也很有意义。这些通常比内燃机的代价高得多。
You might also want to consider whether owning a vehicle is worth it at all, given your lifestyle. If you live in the city center, hiring a vehicle might work out as cheaper.
因此，您有：对您实际上可以负担的汽车进行的完整分析。
