I recently graduated from college and got accepted to my first full-time position. I’m excited to be working but I’m even more excited that I can finally start looking for cars!
I’ve had my eye on my dream car for a while now and just thought buying it was a pipe dream; even with a job I wasn’t sure how I would be able to make the payments.
And then I came across this website with apps to help you figure out financing for cars.
My mind was seriously blown. Just using apps, I was able to figure out a plan to finance my dream car. So now I’ve got a new job and my dream car – life is seriously good!
AutoScout24 – Rating: 4.5, Downloads: 10M
As we all know, dealers never pay top dollar for used cars; they pay well below market value for whatever vehicle you’re willing to trade. AutoScout24 is great because, if you already have a car, it’s really easy to see how much your car is worth. You can use the app to check out used car prices online – buying used (as I’ve learned) is a much more affordable way to get your dream car.
The only negative I can think of with this app is that it’s had a recent update which has made them favorites list harder to use. I don’t know what it is, but the functionality isn’t quite as nice as it used to be. This is a really picky thing to point out, but I want to make sure my review is fair.
- Pros: Find the worth of your vehicle and locate used cars near you.
- Cons: Favorites list is not as efficient as I want it to be.
- Overall: As long as you’re not looking for a used car finance app just for its favorites feature, then the pros of this app will far outweigh the cons for you
Credit Karma – Rating: 4.7, Downloads: 10M
Okay, okay, okay, so technically this isn’t an app for auto loans, but hear me out for a second. If you need to Finance a car, paying close attention to your credit score is so incredibly important.
Lenders use this number to determine the rate you’ll get on a loan (or even whether you’ll be able to get a loan at all!). Credit Karma is really helpful because once you know your credit score, you’re able to decide ahead of time what you can actually afford.
In my experience, Credit Karma’s credit ratings tend to be lower than other lenders on average. I don’t particularly mind this because I can still see what range I’m in and it actually means I’m doing better than I think I am, but if you’re a stickler for accurate numbers, that might bother you.
- Pros: Helpful when determining your state of credit, convenient
- Cons: Credit score you see is typically lower than your actual score
- Overall: If you’re looking for an app to give you a good idea of where your credit stands (so you can buy your dream car) this is a great one to do that
Conclusion
I honestly cannot believe I’m in a state where I can afford my dream car. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. If you’ve been wanting to finance a car for a while but aren’t sure how I can’t recommend these apps enough.
Seriously, just check them out; I think you will find them to be immensely helpful all throughout the car-buying process.