auto
Set up car financing before visiting a dealer
 Dear Terry,
Normally when I start shopping for a car, I go to my credit union of 30 years and tell them how much money I want to spend a month for a car financed for five years. I get that figure and then go to the auto dealer and tell them I am going to pay cash for the car. Having a check faxed from the credit union to the dealer is like paying cash as the dealer does not put out any time with a financial institution.
Are the steps that I have described above the most practical way to purchase a car? If the dealer knows he will not earn any more money from the financing, is he less likely to go down on the price of the vehicle?
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Harold Johnson  Dear Harold,
You have described the smartest way to buy a new car. This way, you know exactly what you are paying for the vehicle and the true cost is not lost in a jumble of monthly payment amounts that a dealer may throw out. The only other step would be to ask the dealer, after the cash price is determined, whether they can beat the interest rate you have already secured from your credit union, assuming the length of the loan is the same.
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