158k views
4 votes
You can afford a $150 per month car payment. And, you found a 10 year loan at

7.0% interest.
How expensive of a car can you afford?

User PaoloC
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer: $12,918.95

Step-by-step explanation

The monthly payment formula is

P = (L*i)/( 1-(1+i)^(-n) )

where,

  • P = monthly payment
  • L = loan amount
  • i = interest rate per month in decimal form
  • n = number of months

In this case:

  • P = 150
  • L = unknown and what we want to solve for
  • i = 0.07/12 = 0.00583333333333 = approximately
  • n = 10*12 = 120 months

Let's plug those values into the formula and isolate L.

P = (L*i)/( 1-(1+i)^(-n) )

150 = (L*0.00583333333333)/( 1-(1+0.00583333333333)^(-120) )

150 = L*0.01161084792187

L = 150/0.01161084792187

L = 12,918.9531211981

L = 12,918.95

The most expensive car you can afford is $12,918.95

User LostPuppy
by
7.5k points