Adam has just graduated, and has a good job at a decent starting salary. He hopes to purchase his first new car. The car that Adam is considering costs $51,500. The dealer has given him three payment options:

1. Zero percent financing. Make a $5,150 down payment from his savings and finance the remainder with a 0% APR loan for 48 months. Adam has more than enough cash for the down payment, thanks to generous graduation gifts.

2. Rebate with no money down. Receive a $3,000 rebate from the car dealer and finance the rest with a standard 48-month loan, with an 4.75% APR. He likes this option, as he could think of many other uses for the $5,150 of his saving.

3. Pay cash. Get the $3,000 rebate and pay the rest with cash. While Adam doesnt have balance of the car cost in hand, he wants to evaluate this option. His parents always paid cash when they bought a family car; Adam wonders if this really was a good idea.

1. What are the cash flows associated with each of Adams three car financing options?

2. Suppose that, similar to his parents, Adam had plenty of cash in the bank so that he could easily afford to pay cash for the car without running into debt now or in the foreseeable future. If his cash earns interest at a 1.75% APR (based on monthly compounding) at the bank, what would be his best purchase option for the car?

3. In fact, Adam doesnt have sufficient cash to cover all his debts including his (substantial) student loans. The loans have a 6.5% APR, and any money spent on the car could not be used to pay down the loans. What is the best option for Adam now? (Hint: Note that having an extra $1 today saves Adam roughly $1.065 next year because he can pay down the student loans. So, 6.5% is Adams time value of money in this case.)

4. Suppose instead Adam has a lot of credit card debt, with an 18.50% APR, and he doubts he will pay off this debt completely before he pays off the car. What is Adams best option now?