Dave Says: Why buying a new car at 0% is a bad idea

Dear Dave,

Could you explain why buying a new car at 0% interest isn’t a good idea?

Raina

Dear Raina,

The only way you have a chance of getting 0% interest on a new car is if you have perfect credit and pay full MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price). But, if you walk onto a car lot with cash, and haggle with the salesperson a little bit, they’ll knock a bunch off the sticker price. If you can buy the car for less than the 0% interest gimmick, how is that 0%? See what I’m saying? The cash buyer pays less.

Besides, you shouldn’t even consider buying a brand new car, unless you’re debt-free and have $1 million or more in the bank. You lose a ton in value the second you drive a new car off the lot. How is that 0%? A new car also loses about 60% of its value in the first four years after you buy it. How is that 0%?

The whole 0% interest gimmick tricks a lot of unsuspecting folks into buying something they don’t need and can’t afford!

—Dave