Final answer:
With a $450 per month payment, over 4 years at 6% interest compounded monthly, you can afford a loan amount of $19,644.93.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculation of Loan Amount Based on Monthly Payment
To calculate the loan amount you can afford with a $450 per month car payment, a 4-year loan duration, and a 6% annual interest rate compounded monthly, we need to use the present value formula for an annuity. This formula is given as:
PV = Pmt[1 - (1 + i)⁻ⁿ]/i
Where:
PV = Present Value (the loan amount)
Pmt = Monthly payment ($450)
i = Monthly interest rate (0.06/12 = 0.005)
n = Total number of payments (4 years * 12 months/year = 48 payments)
Plugging the numbers into the formula, we get:
PV = 450[1 - (1 + 0.005)⁻⁴⁸]/0.005
Calculating the above expression:
PV = $19,644.93
Therefore, you can afford a loan amount of $19,644.93.