Car buying guide
How to buy a car in Australia and pay less.
Sort your finance before you visit. Then deal with the price, your trade-in and the extras one at a time, in that order. Here's how, and what to say at the desk.
Lenders let me cut your interest rate by 2% p.a. I do it every time. My fee is $699, flat.
This guide is for buying from a dealer, new or used.
The short version
Before you go
At the dealer
Sort your finance first
Found the car? Get your loan approved on it now, before you visit. At the dealer, agree the drive-away price first. Only then tell them your finance is sorted. Now you have a real offer to compare their finance against.
Why it works. The dealer typically adds a commission margin on top of the lender's rate. So a sharp price on the car can come back as a higher rate or a fee inside the loan. With your own approval in hand, you compare their offer on one number: the total you'll repay at the same drive-away price. Sometimes their finance wins. Now you'll know.
Found the car on the lot today?
Don't sign on the spot. Ask for the drive-away price in writing, then apply for your loan on that car from your phone. Come back with your finance sorted. A good deal will still be there tomorrow. If you need to hold the car, ask for the contract to say "subject to finance" and keep any deposit small.
Paying for it
Compare every option on the total interest you'll pay, not the repayment.
- Cash is often cheapest, unless that money is set aside for something more important, like your emergency buffer.
- A mortgage has a lower rate, but stretch a car over 25 years and you can pay far more interest in total.
- Interest-free dealer finance can be a good deal, unless it costs you a discount, a balloon or add-ons. Compare it with your own loan at the same drive-away price.
Set your price
Email three dealers for a written, itemised drive-away quote on the identical car: same variant, colour and options. Here's the email.
- Your walk-away number. Take the lowest written quote. Adjust it only for extras you'd use. Write the number down before you go, and leave if the deal goes over it.
- A fixed-price brand? Some brands sell at one national price. The car's price won't move, but your trade-in and your finance still can.
The quote email
Subject: Drive-away quote: [year, make, model, variant]
Hi, I'm buying a [year, make, model, variant, colour] in the next two weeks, and I'm getting written drive-away quotes from several dealers. Please send your lowest itemised drive-away price, with the build month and stock number. No trade-in and no finance needed for this quote. Thanks, [name]
Your trade-in
Mix your trade-in into the car deal and a dealer can give you more for your old car and less off the new one. You'd never see it. So keep it separate.
Check a price guide, and see what the same model, year and kilometres are listed for online.
Instant online offers take minutes. The highest one is your floor: the dealer has to beat it.
Clean it inside and out. Bring the service history and both keys.
Still paying it off? Get a payout figure from your lender first. If you owe more than the car is worth, plan how you'll cover the gap.
Then compare deals on the changeover price: the drive-away price minus what they'll pay for your car.
If no dealer beats your highest offer, list it on an online car marketplace. A dealer has to leave room to resell your car, so selling it yourself often gets you more.
At the desk: what to say
Keep it short and polite, then stop talking.
They say: “What repayment are you after?”
You say: “I'm not shopping on repayments. What's the drive-away price?”
They say: “How are you paying today?”
You say: “Let's agree the drive-away price first. Then we can talk about that.”
They say: “This price is only good today.”
You say: “Put it in writing with today's date. I'll compare it tonight.”
They say: “Let me check with my manager.”
You say: “Sure. When you come back, I only need one number: the drive-away total.”
They say: “We'll throw in a fuel card.”
You say: “What's that worth in cash off the drive-away price?”
They say: “It comes with our protection pack.”
You say: “Please take it off the contract. If it's included, show me the price without it.”
They say: “The most we can do on your trade is $8,000.”
You say: “I have a written offer for more. Can you match it without changing the price we agreed?”
They say: “Our finance rate is lower.”
You say: “Could be. What's the total I'd repay, and is the drive-away price the same either way?”
A low rate on a higher price isn't a low rate.
Saying no to add-ons
"No thanks" is a complete answer. Before you sign or pay a deposit, read the contract line by line: the contract binds you, the quote doesn't. Ask for anything you didn't ask for to come off. Extras rolled into the price cost you stamp duty, plus interest for the life of the loan.
Add-on insurance, like GAP or loan protection, comes with a 4-day wait. It can't be sold to you until 4 days after you agree to buy the car, or after your loan is approved in writing. If they don't wait, you can return it for a full refund, less any claims paid. So take the brochure home and decide later.
Where the money hides
The car is the bait. The finance is the hook.
Dealers make thin money on the car itself. They make it back here.
Example quote
Tap a line to X-ray it.
What it costs you
ASIC found lenders let brokers and dealers charge fees of up to $2,500 (ASIC, June 2026). Mine is $699, flat.
Commission in your rate
What it costs you
Commission is built into your rate, so a higher rate pays the dealer or broker more. Lenders let me cut your interest rate by 2% p.a. I do it every time.
Add-on insurance
What it costs you
In ASIC's 2016 review, buyers got 9 cents back in claims for every $1 of premium.
Dealer delivery
What it costs you
It's the one on-road cost the dealer sets itself, so you can negotiate it.
A balloon
What it costs you
A lump sum you owe at the end of the loan. It cuts your repayments, but you pay interest on it for the whole loan, then still owe it at the end.
From the inside.
Our founder, Rob Carlile, is a former executive at Australia's largest car finance brokerage. Two things he saw:
Add-ons are the wild west.
He's seen the same add-on sold for three times the price, depending on the car and the customer.
The price cut that isn't.
The dealer takes money off the car to win the sale, then moves the profit into the finance.
Same lenders. Same loans. Less cost.
I do the shopping
Hi. I'm Fin, your AI car finance broker. I shop a wide panel of lenders for your loan, do the paperwork and protect your credit score.
I cost less
My fee is $699. Flat, published, whatever you borrow. No fee if your loan doesn't proceed.
I cut your rate
Lenders let me cut your interest rate by 2% p.a. I do it every time.
FAQ
Only when you buy from a dealer, and only in some states. Private sales have none. Taking delivery of the car, or signing a waiver, usually ends it, and you may pay a fee to cancel, usually $100 to $250 or 1 to 2% of the price.
- NSW: until 5pm on the dealer's next business day, but only if the dealer arranged or referred your finance. Bring your own finance and there's none, so read the contract before you sign.
- VIC: 3 clear business days.
- ACT: 3 clear business days.
- SA: 2 clear business days, used cars only.
- QLD: 1 business day, used cars only.
- WA, TAS and NT: none.
To apply, lenders usually ask for ID, such as your driver's licence, and proof of income, such as recent payslips. Some also ask for bank statements.
Before you pick up the car, the lender will usually need:
- the dealer's tax invoice, or the signed contract of sale
- comprehensive insurance from pick-up, sometimes with the lender named on it
- the bank account your repayments will come from
- your signed loan contract
Everything you pay to drive the car away: the car, stamp duty, registration, CTP insurance and dealer delivery. It doesn't include finance, servicing or next year's rego. A dealer that advertises a price must show the total price at least as clearly as any part of it.
Fair question. Commission is built into your rate. Lenders let me cut your interest rate by 2% p.a. I do it every time. A few lenders set a minimum commission I can't cut to zero. Then I take the lowest they allow and show it to you in dollars before you decide. My fee is $699, flat, whatever you borrow. Lenders charge their own fees too.
Buying from a private seller?
Buying privately changes the checks: money owing, write-offs, scams and safe payment. My private sale guide is coming soon. The lender pays the dealer or the private seller directly.
Found the car? Sort the finance first. Then go and enjoy the haggle.
Pay less for the same car loan.
AI does the work. We don't pay human brokers. Neither do you.
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