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Today's guess · Tue, Oct 27

Two quotes on the same $40,000 car loan.

60 months. One at 10.49%, arranged at the dealership. One at 7.14%, from your own bank or credit union.

How much is the three-point gap worth over the loan?

$1,000
$0$8,000
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The real number

$3,892

It comes to $3,892.

Your guess—
The real figure$3,892

$11,573 in interest against $7,682.

Why so much?

Why

Three points sounds small. On $40,000 for five years it is not.

The gap is $65 a month, every month, for 60 months.

Where the gap can come from

A rate arranged through a dealer can be higher than the rate a lender would give you directly. You are allowed to bring your own financing.

Show me one move

One move

Get a quote from your bank or credit union before you walk in.

Dealer-arranged, 10.49%

$860a month
$11,573interest

Your own lender, 7.14%

$795a month
$7,682interest

$3,892 for an hour of shopping.

Rates are examples. Ask each lender for the APR on the same amount and term, in writing.

Try it with my numbers

Now yours

Your quote.

$859.56 a month. Interest in all: $11,573. You pay back $51,573.

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The whole story, as text

Two car-loan quotes, three points apart. What is the gap worth?

Two quotes on the same $40,000 car loan. 60 months. One at 10.49%, arranged at the dealership. One at 7.14%, from your own bank or credit union. How much is the three-point gap worth over the loan?

The answer

$3,892. $11,573 in interest against $7,682.

Why

Three points sounds small. On $40,000 for five years it is not. The gap is $65 a month, every month, for 60 months. Where the gap can come from: A rate arranged through a dealer can be higher than the rate a lender would give you directly. You are allowed to bring your own financing.

One move

Get a quote from your bank or credit union before you walk in. Dealer-arranged, 10.49%: $860 a month, $11,573 interest. Your own lender, 7.14%: $795 a month, $7,682 interest. $3,892 for an hour of shopping. Rates are examples. Ask each lender for the APR on the same amount and term, in writing.

Yours

Which offer really costs less? runs these numbers for any loan. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Written and reviewed by Riverbend Crossroads Digital LLC, Saturday, October 3, 2026. Figures from the Show Real Cost engine, computed exactly and shown to the cent. Educational, not advice; your lender's disclosures are the authoritative figures. How we calculate · Corrections.