So how do you get the most bang for your buck when you buy a car? Generally, there are two steps. First, you find a good car that is either at or below the market price. Then, you negotiate the price down a little more. I've included some tips here on how to do both. Finding the best price is not always easy. But it's usually worth it, considering how you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars with good research and good negotiation.

If you want the best-priced car in the market, you have to know the market.

With a new car, the only things that impact the price are the make, model, and features. With a used car, however, there is all that, plus its history, which includes any accidents, number of owners, mileage, how old the car is... etc. The market is slightly more complex.

Even though every used car is unique, you can still compare prices of vehicles that are the same model, make, year, and similar mileage to get a general idea of the market price of a car. Autotrader.ca is a good place to help you do this, as it has almost all dealer listings and many private listings in Canada.

On this site, you can use the search boxes to sort cars by location, price, make and model, year...etc.

After some researching, make a short list of the vehicles and their dealerships. (You can cross out any dealerships located too far from you). Then you can go visit the dealerships personally.

Once you've found the perfect car for you that's also at a pretty good price within the market, and visited the dealership, and you still like the car, it's time to buy it.

But before you sign, you can negotiate. Good negotiation can save you hundreds of dollars. Here are some tips on car negotiation:

Get to know the car first - Call in to ask about its details, go visit the dealership, inspect the car, walk around it, ask some questions, go for a test drive... Show that you are serious about it. THEN you can start the negotiation. Starting even casual negotiation too early can have negative effects. I've been a car salesman for years, and I hate it when customers see an advertisement and then immediately call and ask if they can have it for less. If you do this, a car salesman will be thinking that you aren't making an informed offer because you have yet to even see the car beyond a small advertisement.

Your first offer should be $500-1,000 less than the listed price - This is the general amount, for most cars $10,000-$20,000. If the vehicle is listed higher than this, you may be able to offer more than $1,000 less than the listing price. If you can get $500-$1,000 less than the listing price, that is pretty good.

Keep a poker face - It is not necessary to show how much you love the car or how much you want it. As well, don't be overemotional. Keep on a serious, straight face through the negotiation, even you are shocked when your offer is rejected and/or the counteroffer is too high.

Point out the flaws in the car - When you negotiate, you can point out some of the "flaws" in the car. These include high mileage, accidents, old model, and anything else you spot. For example, you could say that other cars on the market are around the same price, but this particular car has an oddly high mileage, and should therefore be priced lower. Don't be afraid to point out flaws, and if you have questions, ask them. "This car's air conditioning doesn't work, could you fix it for free?" It's not about being annoying, it's about showing that you know the car and you think it's overpriced.

It is not you vs. the car dealership - Think about it more like you are both working to achieve a common goal, to get the car from the dealership's hands to your hands. Work together, and think about it from both sides. Patience and tolerance will work in your favor

Negotiate for a price, not the monthly payment - If you negotiate for the price, you can get a better sense of what you're paying for. After you've settled on the price, you can negotiate the monthly payment. Even if the salesman offers you what seems like a good monthly payment, insist on negotiating the price of the car.