Final answer:
a. The interest on the installment agreement is $140. b. The monthly payment for a loan with a 7% APR would be approximately $216.15. c. The finance company would charge approximately $187.60 in interest. d. Rob should use the installment plan offered by the music store.
Step-by-step explanation:
a. To calculate the interest on the installment agreement, we first need to determine the total amount paid over the two years. The monthly payment is $202.50, so the total amount paid is 24 monthly payments of $202.50, which equals $4,860. Therefore, the interest is $4,860 - $5,000 = $140.
b. Using the table from Example 1, we can find that the monthly payment for a $5,000 loan at a 7% APR over two years is approximately $216.15.
c. To calculate the interest charged by the finance company, we need to subtract the original loan amount of $5,000 from the total amount paid over the two years, which is $216.15 x 24 = $5,187.60. Therefore, the finance company would charge approximately $5,187.60 - $5,000 = $187.60 in interest.
d. Comparing the options, the interest charged by the finance company is higher than the interest on the installment agreement. Therefore, it would be more beneficial for Rob to use the installment plan offered by the music store.