$9,700 Car Loan
What's the monthly payment on a $9,700 car or truck?
Purchase Price
$
Down Payment
$
Interest Rate
%
Loan Term
After down payment, the auto loan will be $7,760.
At 5.95% interest with a 48 month loan:
Monthly payment = $182
Total yearly payments = $2,185
Payments by Amount Down
| Down | Monthly |
|---|---|
| $0 | $228 |
| $500 | $216 |
| $1,000 | $204 |
| $1,500 | $192 |
| $2,000 | $181 |
| $2,500 | $169 |
Can I afford a $9,700 car?
What's the salary needed for a $9,700 vehicle? A general rule of thumb for buying a car or truck is the 20 / 4 / 10 rule.
20 / 4 / 10 Rule:
- Make a down payment of at least 20% cash. For a $9,700 vehicle, this would mean saving up $1,940.
- Pay back the loan in 4 years or less.
- Don't spend more than 10% of your income on payments and insurance. Rough estimate: your annual income should be at least 2.5 times the purchase price. So to afford a car that costs $9,700, you would need to make at least $24,250 per year.
Yearly Household Spending on Transportation
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018–2019
| Metro Area | Spending |
|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | $13,646 |
| Anchorage | $13,313 |
| Baltimore | $13,255 |
| Phoenix | $12,525 |
| Houston | $12,352 |
| Denver | $12,331 |
| Boston | $11,779 |
| San Diego | $11,704 |
| Seattle | $11,506 |
| Detroit | $11,260 |
| Philadelphia | $11,136 |
| St. Louis | $11,123 |
| San Francisco | $11,103 |
| Minneapolis | $11,049 |
| Los Angeles | $10,959 |
| Miami | $10,915 |
| Tampa | $10,692 |
| Dallas | $10,472 |
| Atlanta | $9,862 |
| New York | $9,255 |
| Chicago | $9,084 |
| Honolulu | $8,403 |