WHEN it comes time to pick a van, you have a few purchasing options. Your choices are going to be limited by your budget, but it is still worth looking at what kinds of options are open to everyone and the benefits and shortcomings of each of those options.
Cash
Now most people aren’t goingtohave the cash on hand to buy the van outright. If they do, they may be limited by how much cash theyhave. It might betempting to buy the van upfront and not have to worry about monthly payments, but you also don’t want to settle for avan you aren’t; happy with just becauseyou cannot afford to buy it with what youhave.
The big benefit to buying with cash, however, is that you will spend less money. Youwon’t pay interest rates, and you won’t have to worry about keeping up with payments over time. What you pay is all you will have to pay, and that can be considerably less than any other option. Even if getting the cash together for this method is difficult, if you can affordto do so, it is often the best option.
Loan
You can also take out a loan on the van, which is what most people will do. You go for the loan if you don’t have enough money to pay upfront or you just don’t want to put all your money into the van right away. This gives you time to pay at a reasonable pace and make smaller payments.
The vehicle is essentially yours as soon as you make that firs payment, but the bank or other lender can take possession of it if you fall behind on payments. So you definitely wantto make sure thatyou can keep up with those payments. If there is any doubt that you can make the payments each month, you maywant to look at another option.
You can use an online car loan calculator like this one from Clydesdale Bank to figure out what you’d need to pay each month, making it far easier to budget.
Lease
Taking out a leaseon a van means that you won’t own it, no matter how many years you are paying for it. Some lease agreements allow you to pay a lump sum at the end of the lease so you can buy the van outright, and that can be the best option if you need some time to really consider if the van is a good investment for you.
Leases are ideal for people who want to switch out vans every so often. At the end of the lease, they can just give the van back and move on to a different vehicle. They are also good for companies that only need the van for a short while until they can afford something better. They can just pay on the lease and then be rid of the van without paying hefty costs.
Your budget will primarily be what determines your method of financing of a van. If you cannot afford one method, odds are that you can get together the cash for a different one. You should also consider your plans for the vehicle. If you are not sure you want to own a van, then leasing is a good way to start, and it can be your gateway to owning a van at a later date.
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