Tesla begins offering 84 month auto loans

danhasnolife@lemmy.world to Cars - For Car Enthusiasts@lemmy.world – 6 points –
fortune.com
9

That's for idiots who don't look at the amount of interest they are paying... but sure, the monthly is lower.

Taking a cue from Nissan, I see.

Theyโ€™ll let you finance an Altima for 96 months, but the transmission will blow itself up at 85,000 miles and at that point youโ€™re out of warranty AND still stuck making payments.

I really donโ€™t see how it is at all defensible that the loan term for paying off the thing can be longer than the warranty for the thing.

Defenders will wrap it in a bullshit argument like "but we're just giving people more options! This is an opportunity for people down on their luck!" No, you're trying to trap desperate people into a shitty financial situation.

Long loans made sense to solve affordability when interest was 0-3โ€ฐ prime.

It makes affordability WORSE at 7+ percent prime, because the longer term exaggerates the interest rate more. That's why legacy OEMs are offering 5% on 36 month loans.

When interest rates spike, the only solution is to offer a cheaper product (principle). Lengthening the term doesn't work.

Shit like this is why I'm glad I went through my credit union and got a 48 month loan instead of letting the dealership use financing as an additional bargaining tool