Car Affordability Calculator
Work backward from a monthly budget to the car price you can actually afford — interest included.
—Car price you can afford
—Max loan amount
—Down + trade-in
—Total interest
LoanDown + trade-in
Sticker price only. This is the vehicle price your budget supports — it excludes sales tax, registration, and dealer fees (often another 8–12%), plus insurance and fuel. A common guardrail: keep total car costs under ~15–20% of take-home pay and the loan at 60 months or less. Educational tool, not a financing offer.
Start from the payment, not the sticker
Dealers love to negotiate around the monthly payment — stretch the term and almost any car "fits." Flip it around: decide what you can comfortably pay each month, and this shows the price that actually fits, plus the interest a longer term quietly adds.
Building the down payment first? Use the savings goal calculator. Watching your overall budget? Try the 50/30/20 budget calculator.