What is purchase financing?

• Purchase financing is an installment sale transaction between you and your dealer whereby you agree to pay the amount financed, plus an agreed-upon finance charge, over a period of time.
• Most banks, trust companies and automotive financing companies offer traditional financing.

How does financing work?

• With traditional financing, your up-front costs will likely include a down payment, registration fees and other charges (such as licensing).
• After that, your monthly payments are based on the amount you need to finance, plus interest, over a set period of time.
• At any point during your payment period, you can choose to sell your vehicle or trade it in for a new one.
• Once your payment period ends, you will own your car outright.

Fixed vs. variable interest rates

When choosing to finance, it's important to understand the difference between fixed and variable interest rates.

Fixed interest rate:

• Just like it sounds, your interest rate is set for the full term of your loan.
• Fixed interest rates are often set higher than variable interest rates (at least initially) but they protect you from market fluctuations.

Variable interest rate:

• A variable interest rate means that if interest rates drop, you benefit. But if they rise, you either pay more or extend your loan term.
• Fortunately, many financial service providers will let you switch between the two without a penalty.

The benefits of purchase financing

When you purchase finance a new GM vehicle:

• You have the freedom to drive your vehicle for more than just a few years.
• You don't have to worry about the possible penalties of a lease (i.e. excess wear and extra mileage charges).
• You can customize your vehicle and alter its appearance.
• You own your vehicle at the end of your contract term.

Plus

• You have the flexibility to sell or trade in your vehicle at any time during your contract term.
• Your payments can be spread over a longer period of time, you can make lower monthly payments than you would if you had chosen to lease.
• You can get loan pre-approval from your lender before you go car-shopping, which means you'll know in advance how much you can spend and what your monthly payment will be.

Take advantage of our online tools

Find a vehicle that fits your budget and your lifestyle by taking advantage of our online tools.

Payment Estimator Affordability Calculator Request a Quote Build your Vehicle

Transferring your loan

During the course of your finance contract, your circumstances may change, requiring you to find somebody to take over your loan. What should you do?

• Once you have found someone who would like to take over your loan, he or she will need to visit a local GM Dealer to complete a credit application.
• Upon approval, your financial service provider will transfer your vehicle's ownership to the new owner.
• There may be a transfer fee, which covers all costs related to lien registration, credit analysis, document preparation, life/disability cancellations, internal record modifications, mailings and insurance verification.
• Once you've transferred your ownership, you're no longer responsible for the vehicle or loan.

Changing your payment date

Many financial service providers can accommodate you if you'd like to change your payment due date. Simply contact them directly to find out the conditions and steps to follow.

Deferring a payment

If you need to defer a payment to the end of your loan, your financial service providers can help. Please contact them directly to find out how to proceed.

And once you have provided them with all the required documents and met all the conditions (including any applicable fees), your monthly payment will be added to the end of your loan. In other words, the term of your loan will be extended.

Paying off your loan early

Many financial service providers allow you to:

• Terminate your loan whenever you want
• Make a lump sum payment in order to pay off your loan sooner - with no penalty

Contact your financial service provider for more details.

Appraising the value of your vehicle

Knowing the value of your vehicle can be very useful if you plan to sell it privately or trade it in for a newer model.

• If you underestimate your vehicle's value, it will sell too quickly - at too low a price.
• If you overestimate the amount, your car won't sell immediately and you could be forced to sell it at a price well below its value.

To quickly determine the estimated trade-in value of your vehicle in Canadian dollars, use the Canadian Black Book Web tool.

Protecting your vehicle with an extended warranty

If your manufacturer warranty has expired, then even one major repair can add up to more than the cost of an extended warranty.

Find out more about extending your warranty

Trading up to a new GM vehicle

If the amount you owe on your vehicle is less than what your vehicle is worth, then you may want to think about trading it in for a newer model.

Here are a few helpful hints that can help you maximize your vehicle trading value:

• If you've purchased a new vehicle and financed more than 80% of the total price, trading too early in your loan contract may result in a deficit. You may still owe more than the trade value of the car (in other words, you'll be in a negative equity position).
• When you have enough equity in the vehicle (when you're in a balanced equity or positive equity position), you should discuss trading in your vehicle for a newer GM vehicle with your local GM Dealer.

Making your final payment

If you're almost at the end of your loan, you may be thinking about buying a new vehicle. We have a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac lineup that we're sure you'll love, plus an exclusive offer for GM owners that you're not going to want to pass up.