Car Clarity

Getting pre-approval for a credit union car loan can make the process and paperwork required to buy a car more streamlined and less stressful. You can apply for pre-approval for a credit union car loan, online or contact your credit union. You’ll be asked to provide relevant documentation regarding your income. After you submit your application, your credit union will review and evaluate it along with the documents you submitted. If you meet the eligibility criteria, your loan will be pre-approved for a specific amount.

With pre-approval for a credit union car loan in hand, you can negotiate your new car’s price with peace of mind you have the funds.

Before giving you a car loan, lenders will ask for proof of income – documentary evidence that you earn as much as you claim you earn. Lenders will typically want some combination of tax returns, pay slips and bank statements. The reason lenders want proof of income is because they want to be sure you have the means to repay the car loan.

Chattel mortgages are a form of secured car loan for businesses. The lender will set up a mortgage, while you take the car’s ownership. When the mortgage is paid off, you own the car. The borrowed amount is repaid through regular installments over a fixed period of time.

To qualify, you’ll have to meet the following chattel mortgage requirements:

• The car should be used for business purposes at least 51 per cent of the time.
• You must hold a valid Australian Business Number (ABN).
• You must show you can service the loan on time
• Identity proof
• Financial records, such as profit and loss account and balance sheet
• Details of the vehicle you want to buy
• Bank statement for your business

Dealer finance is a car loan organised through a car dealer – as opposed to car loans organised by a finance broker or directly by the lender.

You can easily apply for pre-approval on your Westpac car loan over the phone, in the branch or online. A fast way to apply for pre-approval is by applying online as the application process only takes around 10-15 minutes to complete.

While filling out the application, you’ll need to answer specific questions about your financial situation, like your income, assets, debts, and expenses. You’ll also have to provide supporting documentation, especially if you’re not an existing customer.

Once you’ve submitted the application, and meet the eligibility criteria, Westpac will likely take up to 2 days to provide pre-approval. After you get pre-approval, you’ll know the size of the car loan Westpac is willing to offer you. You’ll then have 30 days to find your new car within the pre-approved amount.

Getting pre-approval on your car loan can give you a good idea of how much you may be allowed to borrow. This will help you set your limits while selecting your car. You can apply for pre-approval for an ANZ car loan by filling out a simple online application form, where you’ll have to submit relevant identity, employment and income documentation. 

ANZ will then conduct a credit check based on your application and documentation. It’s important to note that this could have an impact on your credit history. Based on your credit and income documentation analysis, ANZ will provide an amount they are willing to give you as a loan. After this, you can find the right car that matches the proposed loan amount and send it through your final loan application. 

It’s important to remember that pre-approval gives you an indication of how much you can borrow from ANZ to purchase your car, but it doesn’t guarantee the final approval. 

A chattel mortgage is usually used to buy an asset - such as a car - for your company for business use. Relatively similar to regular mortgages, a chattel mortgage structure is based on a lender providing you with funds to purchase an asset while registering their security interest on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) for the life of the loan. In this case, the asset is known as the chattel. After the loan has been repaid, you will have full ownership of the asset. 

A popular finance option, a chattel mortgage is usually preferred by self-employed or small business owners, due to flexible options available for repayment. In some cases, you may get 100 per cent of the cost of the asset, which means that no upfront deposit needs to be put down.

However, it’s important to note that a chattel mortgage is not regulated under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act. It’s therefore important to seek advice about the product and fully understand the agreement terms before signing.

Bankwest offers loans for cars that are less than seven years old or have a minimum value of $10,000. Loan terms are between three and seven years  at a fixed interest rate, with the option to make extra payments without any extra charges.

To apply for Bankwest car loan pre-approval, you’ll need proof of your identity and income. You’ll also need other documentation, such as insurance certificates and registration papers. 

Once you receive conditional approval and have selected your car, you may have to provide supporting documents to proceed to the next stage.

A chattel mortgage fee is an amount you’ll pay the lender to procure the funds for a chattel mortgage.

You can use a chattel mortgage to finance vehicles used for your business at least 50 per cent of the time. It’s similar to a secured vehicle loan. The lender will give you the funds required to purchase the vehicle whilst you retain the ownership. The finance company then holds a mortgage on the vehicle, using the car as the security, until you repay the loan amount. At the end of the loan term or once you’ve paid it off, the lender will release the mortgage. Alternatively, you can opt to trade-in or refinance the residual value.

CTP insurance, also known as compulsory third-party insurance or a green slip, is compulsory if you want to register a vehicle in Australia. If you’re responsible for a car accident, your CTP insurance will be used to pay any compensation due to anyone who might be injured or killed. However, CTP insurance doesn’t cover you for vehicle damage or theft.

A dealership is a car yard or a place where cars are sold.

If you already own a car, you could potentially bring down the cost by selling your car in the process. Before that happens, though, you’ll need to find out how much your car is worth.

One of the first places to find this value is to research the value of your current car, giving you an idea of roughly how much it’s worth in its peak condition.

There are plenty of websites that offer a free online valuation, allowing you to enter your car’s make, model, year, badge and description, with results listing a price guide based on both selling your car privately and through a dealership.

Of course, dealerships will try to profit on your trade-in by buying it for less than they can sell it, making it highly unlikely that you’ll get the same price selling a car to a dealer as you would selling a car privately.

However, private car sales can be costly and can take months to sell, making car trading more convenient with a guaranteed return, even if you may not be able to realise the total value of your car’s worth.

Remember that everything is negotiable. If the dealership is offering you less for your trade than you wanted, try to negotiate elsewhere to gain that money back. Start by negotiating on the price of the trade and then ask them if they can give you a further discount on your new car.

If you own a car, it may be something that can help you bring down the cost of your next vehicle purchase through its sale. However, before you can do that you’ll want to find out how much your car is worth.

Your car’s worth can depend upon various aspects, including:

• Age
• Condition
• Model and make

A great starting place for aspects of this includes websites that offer online valuations, allowing you to enter your car’s make, model, year, badge and description, with the listed results displaying a price guide based on both selling your car privately and through a dealership.

Both have pros and cons, as cars can be very profitable, something that will no doubt impact any chance you have to make the most of your car’s value upon sale. Dealerships will try to profit on your trade-in by buying it for less than they can sell it for, so you shouldn’t expect the same price selling a car to a dealer that you would necessarily get selling a car privately.

An operating lease is an arrangement by which a company leases a car from a vehicle fleet supplier for a set period. It’s a bit like a long-term car rental in that the company gains access to the car but the supplier retains ownership. Companies like operating leases because they are tax-deductible and because they save the company from having to make a large upfront payment to buy a car.