Buying a car can be intimidating; there are so many things to think about. Doing your homework ahead of time is the key to finding the vehicle you want at a fair price. Arming yourself with knowledge will give you the power to negotiate the best deal possible. Here are the six steps you should take when you are ready to purchase a car.

1. 6Stepstobuyingacar
$479
step1:Determine
Determineyourbudget.Knowingwhatyoucanaffordbefore
youstartshoppingensuresyoustayinbudget.Thereareno
specificrulesastohow muchyoushouldallocate.Justmake
surethatyourcarpaymentfitscomfortablyinyourmonthly
budget.Ourautoloancalculatorcanhelp!
Theaverage
monthlypayment
fora
new vehicleis
Considerhow oftenandforwhatpurposeyou'lluseyour
vehicle.Makealistofthefeaturesyou'llneedandstart
researchingthevehiclemakesandmodelsthatfallintoyour
criteria.Ifyouhaveavehicleinmind,lookintosimilar
makesandmodelsfrom competingmanufactureres.
Step2:revisions
Mostpopularcarfeaturesbuyerswant:2
saysafetyis
themost
important
79% wantcrash
notification
technology
64%
wantinternet
enabled
navigation
58%stream audio
regularlyin
theircar
72%
Step3:ConsiderFinancing
Afteryoufindacarthatfitsyourbudget,determinethebest
waytopayforit.Somepeoplewillopttopaycashforthe
fullpriceofthevehicle.However,mostpeoplewillchoose
tofinancetheircarandmayobtainaloanfrom acredit
unionorbank.Theywillmakemonthlypaymentsovera
periodoftimefortheamountfinancedplusinterestuntil
theloanispaidotheloanispaidoff.
20%
80%
About20% ofpeoplepayfor
theircarswithcash,which
means80% requirea
financingoption.3
Step4:TestDrive
Whenyourchoiceisnarrowedtoafew vehicles,visitthe
dealershipsandgoforatestdrive.
ofbuyerstest-driveoneornovehiclesbeforepurchasing.4
49%
test-drive3
vehicles
ormore4
26% ofcarbuyers
visit2dealerships
orless4
68%
visit4
ormore
dealerships4
15% Overall,car
buyersonlyvisit
dealerships.4
2.2
AccordingtoEdmunds.com,youcouldsave
bynegotiating.5
$1,000–$2,000
Step5:Negotiate
Negotiateapricethatincludesrebatesordiscounts,and
theaddedcostsofsalestax,titlefees,vehicle
registrationcosts,etc.
Purchasingacarcanbeawhirlwind,butjustremembertodo
yourresearch,staygroundedduringtheprocess,andneverbe
afraidtotalkawayifyou’renot100percentsatisfied.
Step6:Inspect
Inspectthevehiclebeforedrivingaway,signthepaperwork,
andenjoyyournew setofwheels!
1
1
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/a-tightwad-s-10-tips-to-trim-car-costs-1.aspx
2
http://www.autoconnectedcar.com/2014/10/new-car-buyers-want-connected-cars-for-internet-safety-productivity-and-entertainment
3
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=fin&story=should-i-pay-cash&subject=loan-quick-start
4
http://www.dmeautomotive.com/announcements/1-in-6-car-buyers-skips-test-drive-nearly-half-visit-just-one
-or-no-dealership-prior-to-purchase#.VXhmKtL4_cs
5
http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/negotiating-101.html