Financing for every credit situation

A common guideline is to keep your total car costs, including your payment, insurance, and fuel, under about 15 to 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay. The payment alone should usually be around 10 percent. But the right number depends on your other bills, how much you're putting down, and how long you want to keep the car.

Want to see what that looks like for you? Try our finance calculator to estimate a monthly payment based on price, down payment, and loan length.

The best way to find your real number is to start with what you're comfortable paying each month, then work backward. A lower-priced vehicle, a bigger down payment, or a trade-in can all bring a car you love into a comfortable range.

At Sullivan Auto Trading, we'd rather put you in a car that fits your life than stretch you into one that doesn't. With 313 vehicles across our Fredericksburg and Norfolk locations, there's room to find the right car at the right price. Browse our inventory by price or get pre-qualified to see where you stand before you visit.

General information to help you prepare, not advice about your own finances.

Either can be a good choice, and the smartest move is often to compare both. Getting pre-approved through your bank or credit union gives you a baseline rate. A dealership can then check with its own network of lenders and see whether it can offer you something better.

Dealer financing also has practical advantages: you can handle the car, trade-in, and loan in one visit, and dealers often work with lenders who serve a wide range of credit situations.

Sullivan Auto Trading has been helping customers finance their vehicles for over 36 years. We work with a network of lenders to find options that fit your budget. Already have a pre-approval? Bring it in. We're happy to see if we can beat it. Get pre-qualified online.

General information to help you prepare, not advice about your own finances.

Dealers look at several factors: the year, make, model, and mileage; the vehicle's condition inside and out; its accident and service history; and current market demand for that model. Dealers also factor in what it will cost to recondition the vehicle before it can be sold again.

Online estimates are a helpful starting point, but they can't see your actual car. An in-person appraisal gives you a real number.

Because Sullivan Auto Trading has its own full body shop, detail team, and service departments, we can often recondition vehicles in-house, which can help us offer a strong value for your trade. Your trade-in can also go toward your down payment on your next car. Get your trade-in value or stop by either location for a free appraisal.

General information to help you prepare, not advice about your own finances.

When you buy a vehicle in Virginia, you can expect a few standard costs on top of the vehicle price:

Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax: charged by the state as a percentage of the sale price. The rate is 4.15%, with a minimum tax of $75.

Title and registration fees: paid to the Virginia DMV to title the car in your name and get your plates.

Dealer processing fee: Virginia requires dealers to disclose this fee clearly. At Sullivan Auto Trading, our processing fee is $1,497.

When comparing dealers, ask for the out-the-door price so you can see the full cost with everything included. We'll always walk you through every line of your paperwork before you sign. Contact us for an out-the-door price on any vehicle.

General information to help you prepare, not advice about your own finances.

It can be, depending on your situation. A longer loan lowers your monthly payment, which can make a more reliable vehicle affordable. The tradeoff is that you'll typically pay more interest overall, and you may owe more than the car is worth for a longer stretch of the loan.

A longer term tends to work best when you plan to keep the car for years, choose a vehicle with solid reliability, and put money down to start with some equity.

Our finance team will show you how different loan lengths compare so you can choose based on the full picture, not just the monthly payment. That's how we've done business as a family-owned dealership for over 36 years. Talk to our finance team.

General information to help you prepare, not advice about your own finances.