Depreciation Will Happen
All new cars, once driven from the lot, will depreciate. Most cars depreciate very quickly, even if they are kept in good condition. For this reason, paying off the auto loan quickly is in your best interest.
A good way to understand how much your car depreciates is to think about it in regard to your loan. If you have a five year loan on your car, by the time you pay your car off it will only be worth about 40% of what you paid originally. The car will depreciate about 10% as soon as you leave the car lot, another 10% in the first year, and close to 10% per year thereafter.
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