When buying a construction machine, the second big question after the price is how you will pay for it. The same machine costs one amount when paid for upfront and a different total when spread over time. What is more, if the payment plan doesn’t match the date the machine starts earning, it squeezes your business unnecessarily.
In this guide we compare upfront, instalment and loan purchases not by interest rates or promotional promises, but by method of calculation. Our aim is to let you weigh every offer you receive on the same scale.
Let us say from the outset: at EKSFORK we apply a single-price policy; the price of the machine is not negotiable and is the same for everyone. The flexibility lies not in the price but in the payment plan. So what you really need to compare is what the different payment routes cost you in total and how they fit your cash flow.
Cash flow first: when will the machine start earning?
Before choosing a payment method, answer a simple question: When will this machine generate its first income or first savings, and at what intervals will that income come in?
- Contractors and subcontractors: Income usually depends on job completion or progress payments; it flows monthly but irregularly.
- Farmers: Income is seasonal; most of the year is spent paying out and only a few months collecting.
- Warehouses and factories: A forklift doesn’t bring in income directly; it pays back in small monthly amounts as savings on hire costs, labour and time.
The better the payment plan fits this flow, the less of a burden the machine becomes. If you are thinking of selling services with the machine, firm up the income side with the calculation in our starting a business with a mini excavator guide.
A common mistake: Putting all your available cash into the machine and leaving no working capital. A new machine’s first months also bring costs such as fuel, the operator, attachments, transport and the first service. Even if you are thinking of paying in full upfront, keep a reserve for these items.
Payment routes and what they mean in practice
The payment routes listed on our website are cash, credit card, bank transfer/EFT and instalments. Each has a different strength and a different point that needs care:
| Method | How it works | Strength | Point to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | Direct payment on the date set in the contract | The total cost is at its clearest | Always pay with documentation; consider the security risk of carrying a large sum |
| Bank transfer/EFT | Transfer from your bank to the company account | Recorded and traceable | Confirm the account details only through an official channel; write the quote number in the payment reference |
| Credit card | A single payment within the card limit, or the card’s instalment facility | Fast; the payment is recorded on your card statement | Limit and instalment terms depend on your bank; confirm the total charge in advance |
| Instalments | Part of the amount is spread over time | Eases cash flow | The amount and date of each instalment and the total payable on credit must be in writing |
Security note: Before making a bank transfer, confirm the account details by voice through our sales line on 0552 949 29 30. Never send money in response to an email or message saying “our account number has changed” without confirming it. This rule applies to every seller.
Compare the cash price and the total payable on credit with one formula
The most reliable way to compare different payment offers is to reduce them all to the same three numbers:
- Total payable on credit = down payment + (instalment amount × number of instalments) + any extra charges
- Cost of credit = total payable on credit − cash price
- Average monthly cost of credit = cost of credit ÷ credit period (months)
Example (entirely hypothetical figures; not an EKSFORK quote, it only shows the method): Imagine a machine with a cash price of 100.000 ₺. Offer A is full payment upfront: 100.000 ₺. Offer B: a 25.000 ₺ down payment and 10 monthly instalments of 8.200 ₺. The total payable on credit is 25.000 + 82.000 = 107.000 ₺; the cost of credit is 7.000 ₺; the average monthly cost of credit is 700 ₺.
Is that 7.000 ₺ expensive? The answer depends on what you will do with the 75.000 ₺ you keep in hand. If the money will just sit in the account, paying upfront usually makes more sense. If you will use it to buy an attachment and put the machine to work on more jobs, or it saves you from borrowing more expensively elsewhere, the credit option may come out ahead. Do the sums with your own figures, and consult your accountant on the tax and accounting side (VAT, depreciation).
Put the total budget in the same table too. A payment plan usually covers only the price of the machine. The real budget is calculated like this: machine price + VAT + transport (if not included in the quote) + extra attachments + first service materials + insurance, if you take it out. Base the instalment plan on the machine price, and your cash reserve on these extra items.
The instalment test: can the machine pay its own instalments?
A practical way to assess buying on credit is to compare the instalment with the net monthly contribution the machine will generate. The calculation works like this:
- Gross monthly contribution = working days per month × daily service rate (or daily saving)
- Monthly costs = fuel + operator + maintenance and spare parts allowance + transport
- Net monthly contribution = gross contribution − monthly costs
If the instalment is below the net contribution in your weakest month, the machine largely pays its own instalments. If it can only be covered in busy months, you need to increase the down payment or schedule the instalment dates around your income months. Because daily service rates and fuel prices vary from region to region, do this calculation with quotes from your own area and your own records.
A tip for the fuel item: the R350’s spec sheet gives its fuel consumption as 1.3 L/h, and the QD35’s as 1–2 L per decare. Multiply this figure by your own operating hours or decares and apply the fuel price in your area; bear in mind that consumption can rise as the work gets heavier.
Credit cards and bank loans: the order matters
Paying by credit card
Construction machine prices stretch the single-transaction limit of most cards. Talk to your bank about the limit before payment day. Whether you can pay in instalments by card, the number of instalments and any extra cost depend on your bank and card type; don’t leave these to assumption. If possible, have the payment made in the name of the person or company the invoice will be issued to; this keeps your accounting records simple.
Buying a machine with a loan: the right order
The most common problem with loan purchases is getting the order wrong: the machine is ordered, the loan approval is delayed and the delivery date slips. The right order is:
- Settle on the model and equipment that suit your work.
- Get a written quote including the model, price, VAT and delivery details; banks usually ask for this.
- Apply to your bank; find out the expected date for approval and drawdown.
- If you are thinking of paying a deposit before the loan is approved, agree in writing what happens to the deposit if approval doesn’t come through.
- Fix the delivery date according to the drawdown date.
- Complete the payment and invoicing; then come delivery, set-up and training.
For agricultural and business loans, conditions vary with the bank, the period and the state of your business; support schemes may also open from time to time. Get the current conditions directly from your bank and the relevant institutions. If your bank asks for additional information in the quote, send it to us and we will prepare the information needed for your application together.
Single price and flexible payment: what can you discuss?
Where there is no haggling, what does “flexibility in the payment plan” mean? What you can discuss is not the price but the timing: the amount of the down payment, the number of instalments and how well the payment dates fit your income calendar.
Our starting prices (+ VAT) are as follows: the R10 starts at 299.000 ₺, the R327 at 549.000 ₺ (479.000 ₺ on promotion), the QD35 at 249.000 ₺, the QD35 with excavator arm at 349.000 ₺ and the RF20E at 599.000 ₺. For other models, attachments and spare parts, we share the current price in a quote.
If you are interested in a promotional price, ask two things in writing: the promotion’s expiry date and whether it also applies to the payment route you have chosen. Don’t leave the answers to guesswork; see them on the quote.
With credit offers, ask two more questions: are the instalments fixed in Turkish lira, or linked to the exchange rate, and until what date is the quote valid? Because the exchange rate can affect the price of imported machines and parts, having both details written on the quote prevents misunderstandings later. Also find out in writing what happens if an instalment is late.
What a written quote must include
To compare different payment options, every quote needs to contain the same information. Use the following list when you ask for a quote:
- Model and equipment: are the cab, bucket and attachments included?
- Price excluding VAT and the VAT amount, shown separately
- Is transport included, and what is the delivery address?
- Payment method, down payment amount, number of instalments, and the amount and date of each instalment
- Total payable on credit (as a single figure) and whether the instalments are fixed in Turkish lira or linked to the exchange rate
- The quote’s validity date
- If there is a promotion, its expiry date and conditions
- Delivery date or delivery time
- Warranty period (at EKSFORK, 2 years or 2,000 operating hours)
- Whose name the invoice will be issued in
- Documents to be handed over on delivery: invoice, warranty certificate, operator’s manual and declarations of conformity
We have collected the other questions to ask a seller, beyond payment, in our 15 questions to ask the seller guide.
Which method suits whom?
Contractors and subcontractors
If progress payments come in monthly, instalments can make sense; but plan the instalment around your weakest income month, not an average month. A delayed progress payment shouldn’t put an instalment at risk.
Farmers and agricultural businesses
If your income is concentrated in a few months, say so clearly at the quote stage; let’s discuss together how the down payment and instalment dates will fit your collection periods. If your workload suits it, considering the QD35 tracked tractor with excavator arm — which both works the soil and digs — instead of a separate tractor and a separate excavator also reduces the total amount to be financed.
Warehouses and factories
With a forklift, the calculation is based on savings rather than income: the cost of a hired forklift, labour lost to waiting and shipping delays. Calculate this saving per month and compare it with the instalment; if the saving is larger than the instalment, buying on credit carries itself without straining your cash flow. The RF20E’s charging system runs on a 220V supply; even so, don’t forget to add small installation items, such as preparing a charging point, to the budget.
Those who will use the machine only a little
For a machine you will use for a few weeks a year, work out the cost of hiring before looking for finance. We explain the break-even point step by step in our rent or buy guide.
Summary
- The price is the same for everyone; what you compare is the total cost of the payment routes and how well they fit your cash flow.
- Reduce every offer to the total payable on credit, the cost of credit and the average monthly cost of credit.
- Compare the cost of credit with the alternative uses of the money you keep in hand.
- With a loan purchase, first comes the written quote, then the bank approval, and last of all the delivery date.
- Don’t make a bank transfer without confirming the account details through an official channel.
- See everything on the written quote: VAT, transport, instalment dates, promotion conditions.
You can explore the models on our machinery page and ask on WhatsApp for a written quote showing the upfront and instalment options side by side for the machine you choose.
