1.Decide what you want

MAKE-ACURA,BMW,CHEVROLET,DODGE,FORD,HONDA ETC.. you get the idea.

MODEL-Car,Truck,Van 0r Suv

YEAR-the years that are acceptable to you.

MILES-On miles you have to keep in mind how long you're going to keep it and how many miles you drive per year.

COLOR-On color, keep it to a light,medium or dark color.Exact colors shouldn't be the reason to pass up a good deal.

It's always easier to know what you're looking for.It saves you time at a car dealership.

2.Decide what you can allow in your budget for a car,truck or suv payment.Determine where you're going to get your financing (local bank,credit union,online lender,maybe even a home equitity line of credit) or just pay cash.

3.Where are you going to buy from? The best place, in my opionion, is a dealership such as (Chevrolet,Ford,Dodge)-you get the idea The reason being, they should take care of your auto needs after the sale as well.

4.After you've decided on the type of vehicle you want,make sure you do all your research before you go to buy the car.Go online,or go to all the dealerships after hours or on the days that they are closed. This gives you an opportunity to look and decide what you like best and which one you want to drive.Check prices on the dealers website,look in your local newspaper and search some great information sites such as Edmunds.com,Cars.com,NADA.com these are just a few there are many more.

5.Now, if you have a trade-in, keep in mind it"s probably not worth what you gave for it a few years ago.And if you financed any at all, didn't put alot or no money down, you will probably have what they call negative equitity in your car.Don't worry because you can get a good idea what your car is worth as well.Now,most dealerships use what is called a blackbook to appraise cars. It is the book they use to buy cars at the auctions wholesale.They do take in account any dents ,bad tires, do all the power buttons work,does the air conditioner blow cold and has it ever been wrecked(carfax.com)before they give you an amount on your trade.Now you can go to KBB.com or NADA.com and get a value on your trade and be as close as a 1000 dollars of what they will give you. Make sure you make copies and take them with you to compare to their numbers.

6.If you do have a trade, don't say anything about trading it(if they ask, just say not sure or no.) After you get the price as low as you can in writing toss in the trade and this will give you the best idea of what you're really getting. This keeps them from not giving you all the money for your trade.

7.When you get to the final numbers on what you're paying and what your trade is worth, you decide how you're going to pay for it.Find out what kind of special rates the dealers lenders might be offering.Interest rates determine payments and you don't want to pay more than you have too.

8.While in the business office, make sure the business manager goes over all your options such as gap insurance,Accident/Health insurance,and of course Warranties. Don't be afraid to ask questions- it's your mone not theirs.

9.Be satisfied with what you're buying. Make sure there's nothing that doesn't need to be fixed or replaced or just made better for your satifaction, before you sign any paperwork.You're the one that has to make that payment every month .Be Satified!!

10.Right before you sign with all of the insurances that have been disclosed to you,with your interest rate and your payments,TELL Them this: If they will lower your payments another $10 dollars a month you'll sign .They'll huff and puff and wiggle a little bit but you might get a pleasant surprise.

Remember:$10 a month could be up to a $500 profit for the dealership!

Quick question:When is the best time to buy a car?

Answer:When you've done all your homework.You know what kind you want.You know what to expect for a trade( if applies)You know where your going to get your financing.You know you can afford the payments.And you know it's the one you'll be happy with it for a while.