Collector car financing
Built for acquiring and holding more than one car. Amounts to $5,000,000, terms to 180 months, and the readiness to move when the right lot comes up. Subject to credit approval.
Up to $5,000,000 · Terms up to 180 months · Auction, dealer or private seller
Financing a collection is a different decision
Most people who finance a car do it because they have to. Most people who finance a collection do it because it is the better use of capital. The reasoning is worth making explicit.
Leverage keeps your capital working
Paying cash for a car converts liquid capital into an illiquid asset. Financing keeps that capital available for the next acquisition, a restoration, or something else entirely — which is why experienced collectors borrow against cars they could buy outright.
Opportunity arrives on its own schedule
The right car surfaces when it surfaces, frequently at auction and frequently with a settlement deadline. A collector with financing already arranged can act; one who starts the conversation after winning is negotiating against a clock.
A collection is not a series of unrelated loans
Several cars acquired over time can be structured as a coherent programme rather than a stack of separate applications, each underwritten as though the others did not exist.
Appreciation changes the arithmetic
On an asset that holds or gains value, the cost of borrowing is weighed against what the car does over the same period and what your capital earns elsewhere. That is a genuinely different calculation from financing something that depreciates.
We work through the trade-off in detail in finance or pay cash for a collector car.
A two-speed market, and what it does to a deal
Buying well in 2026 means knowing which half of the market the car sits in.
The top is running hot
Ferrari set a series of record prices through early 2026, including across its halo models, and a Carrera GT changed hands at $6.7M in March. A single January auction week in Florida turned over $445 million, roughly double the prior year.
The broad market has cooled
Hagerty's Collector Car Market Rating fell to its lowest reading of the period in January 2026, even while those records were being set. Two speeds, running at once.
What that means for buying
Blue-chip cars are competitive and move fast, so readiness matters more than patience. In the broader middle there is more room to negotiate and less reason to rush — and more reason to be careful about what you pay.
What it means for financing
Appraised value is assessed against current comparables, not last year's peak. On a car bought at the top of a run, expect loan-to-value to be calculated conservatively.
Arrive ready, not hopeful
Auctions are where collections get built and where unprepared buyers get caught. The sale does not wait for your financing, and the premium does not come off the price because you forgot about it.
- Arrange financing before the sale, not after the hammer — settlement windows are measured in days
- Budget the buyer's premium as part of the purchase price, because it is part of what you owe
- Arrange inspection in the preview window; once the hammer falls the car is yours as it sits
- Know your walk-away number before bidding, and have the appraisal basis understood in advance
Financing an auction car covers the sequence in full.
What is in scope
- Amounts up to $5,000,000, with terms to 180 months
- Model years 1920 to current — pre-war through modern future classics
- Auction, dealer and private-party purchases
- Finance, refinance, or a lease buy-out
- Simple interest, with no prepayment penalty on eligible programs
Bought a car in the last six months and want to put that capital back to work? That is cash-out financing, which is limited to six months from the purchase date. Still paying on one? Refinancing has no time limit.
Financing is arranged through independent participating sources and is subject to credit approval, vehicle eligibility and appraisal. Not all vehicles, amounts or terms will qualify.
Test an acquisition before you bid
Put the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium in as the vehicle price. It is the number you will actually be financing, and it is the one people forget.
Illustrative example only
$3,217/moapproximately
- Vehicle price
- $250,000
- Down payment
- $50,000
- Amount financed
- $200,000
84 monthly payments at 8.99% APR
Estimated Payment Only. This calculator is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute a credit application, approval, offer, commitment to lend, or guarantee of financing. The interest rate used is an estimate and may not reflect the rate for which you qualify. Actual loan terms, rates, monthly payments, and approval are subject to creditworthiness, vehicle eligibility, lender requirements, and other underwriting factors. Estimated payments do not include taxes, title, registration, insurance, or other applicable fees. Digital AutoFi does not offer or set the displayed terms. Please refer to our disclosures for additional information.
From people building collections
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Collector car financing, answered
Ready to build your collection?
Tell us what you are chasing and how the collection is structured today. A specialist works out what is realistic before the next lot comes up.
- Initial feedback in about an hour during business hours
- No fee to submit an application to Digital AutoFi. Other transaction or third-party fees may apply.
- Programs available in all 50 states