Tips for Navigating a Fair Auto Purchase
Be prepared when you head to the dealership. Utilize our free loan calculator to get your exact monthly payment based on your amount financed with rate and term, and always keep these tips in mind:
Make sure that you know the average document/processing fees in your state (different states call it one or the other, but not both) that is allowed by law:
The following states have an average document/processing fee of $300 or less:
AK, AR, CA, DC, IA, IN, MD, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NY, OH, OR, SD, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WV
The following states have an average document/processing fee between $300 and $600:
AL, AZ, CT, DE, GA, HI, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MO, MS, NH, NM, NV, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, WY
The following states have an average document/processing fee between $600-$1000:
CO, FL, NC, NJ, VA
Fees you should avoid paying:
While the above fees are allowed by law, some dealerships add additional fees for extra profit. The following fees are NOT required by law in any state:
Freight charges are included in the sticker price for most vehicle brands and are commonly included in any dealer quote. However, make sure the dealer does not charge for freight twice. This is a common practice! Many dealerships have been sued for this in the past years, but the practice continues.
*State taxes, tag and title fees apply and vary state-to-state.
Want to quickly know how much you’ll pay per month for your new or used auto loan? Use our free vehicle finance calculator to calculate your total principal, total interest, total paid and exact monthly payment.