Dreamt of owning a 1963 Mercury Comet ever since you first saw Peyton Sawyer cruise around in one in One Tree Hill? Or maybe a Little Red Corvette’s more your style? Well, now might be the time to turn that dream into reality.
It’s official, Aussie drivers are hitting the road Toyota style! Last week, market research company Roy Morgan announced that Toyota was Australia’s most popular car brand by volume of sales in 2020. “Australia’s largest car manufacturer Toyota has triumphed in the Major Car Manufacturer of the Year Award after winning 12 straight months during 2020,” Roy Morgan chief executive officer, Michele Levine said. “Toyota had an average customer satisfaction rating of 94% during 2020.” On top of that, car insurance provider Budget Direct painted a similar story for the beginning of this year. In fact, according to its latest Australian car sale statistics , Toyota maintained the lead in new car sales with 16,819 vehicles sold over January 2021. This is almost double the amount of the next most popular car brand Mazda, which recorded 8,508 new car sales for the month. Of the Toyota fleet, Budget Direct recorded that the Toyota Hilux was the most popular model with 45,176 new car sales over 2020. This is followed by the Toyota RAV4 (38,357), Toyota Corolla (25,882) and Toyota Prado (18,034). Plus, with the second hand car market currently booming, a bunch of second hand Toyotas have been sold around the country - which are not factored into the above statistics.
Used cars come with character, there’s no doubt about that. And the truth is, if you’re opting to buy through a private seller, it’s often the cheaper (and sometimes more convenient) option.
In this current low-rate environment, refinancing has become common practice for many home loan holders to shave thousands off their mortgage. But is refinancing your car loan a good idea? Let’s take a look at the numbers: Since 2016, there have been eight cuts made to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) official cash rate. It now sits at an historic low of 0.10% from 2.00%. The current average variable car loan rate for new and used vehicles sits at 6.68%. When you compare that to the average rate at the same time five years ago, 7.82% - that’s a 1.14% difference. In the case of home loan interest rates, the current average variable rate is 3.30% from 4.72% five years ago. While that is a 1.42% difference, the small margin can make a significant difference because home loans are generally around 25 to 30 years. So the question is, should you refinance your current car loan? We’ve weighed it up.
When purchasing a brand new car, there are loads of different factors involved - finding the right car loan among them. With a seemingly infinite amount of finance options available, choosing a loan can be daunting.So to help get you started, we’ve put together a quick little wrap-up on the top five most popular cars in Australia of June 2020 (based on sales), according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). Here’s how you might go about financing each with the right car loan:
Australian used car prices bounced back in May, and it looks like they’re set to stay.
As COVID-19 lockdowns begin to ease, many of our pre-COVID expenses are starting to resume, which could spell trouble for your savings. However, while your lockdown-saving style mightn’t be so realistic anymore, by ditching any major money-drainers you can limit your outgoing costs.
Love a scroll through Gumtree every now and again? Well, if you’re on the hunt for a new set of wheels, the range of choice is about to get a whole lot bigger.
Looking to get your hands on a new set of wheels so you can hit the road post ‘iso’? Well, say hello to these lenders who have slashed car loan rates.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak many Aussies have had to say goodbye to public transport and instead look to purchasing second hand cars to get around.