Calculator
Car Affordability Calculator
Work backward from your income to a sane car price — insurance included.
Results
Worked example
Conservative (10% of take-home)$13,562
≈ $380/month all-in, of which $240 payment after $140 insurance
Upper guideline (15%)$22,715
≈ $570/month all-in, of which $430 payment after $140 insurance
All-in transport guideline: payment + insurance + fuel + maintenance around 10-15% of take-home pay. Fuel and maintenance still come on top of the payment figure here.
A 3-6 year old reliable model skips the steepest depreciation — the biggest discount in car buying.
Assumes 9.0% APR over 5 years with $2,000 down.