How much do I ACTUALLY pay when I am going to buy a car?

Question

I am an absolute noob with cars. I have no passion or experience with them, but I acknowledge that they are a great asset for life improvement in general, and I am planning to buy one soon.

However, before my purchase, I would like to educate myself as much as possible.

I know there's the actual car price, and the interest with regards to the loan. Aside from that, what else should I be paying for and how much more aside from the actual car price and interest would I need?

EDIT : This is in Australia.

Answer 1

I assume you mean additional costs when buying, and not when owning (insurance etc).

If it is a car at a dealership, you usually have to pay the price of the car, and a fixed amount that the dealership has set for preparing and registring the car. Where I live this is usually 500-600 euro. This usually includes cleaning the car, filling it up etc. It is a very steep price for what you actually get, but this is a way to make some easy money for them. However, this price can usually be negotiated into the 'car's total price'.

If you buy a used car from an individual I would say (depending on your country) you only need to pay for any filing fee's, like registring the car on your name etc. Which is a couple of usd.

Answer 2

Depending on what kind of car you are buying (Luxury, new, used, from dealership, at Auction, or privately, etc.) there can be some extra fees, charges and other costs you may pay.

Some of these include tax, stamp duty, inspection report, registration and warranties. You can get more details of these costs at the Living In Australia website.