Research/Test Drive

The difference between people who make good car purchases and those who don't is simple----research. By gathering as much information as is possible, and being prepared to undertake a detailed test drive, you can be sure that you're ready to make a sound San Diego automobile purchase that will be as kind to your wallet as it is to you.

• Finding the Car you Want - Before You Get to the Dealership

  Some people think that all that is needed to purchase a car is to stroll into a dealership and begin haggling over the car that they like. But anyone with this approach has already lost. Salespeople at dealerships are trained to maximize the amount of money you will end up paying and the only way to counteract this is to have leverage - which comes in the form of research.

  Take time, most experts say you should expect to spend about 2 months shopping for a car, to research the exact car that you want. Sites like Carsdirect.com, kbb.com, autotrader and car.com can not only give you user reviews and detailed specification information but also give you an idea of what the "market price" is for the car that you want. And while there make sure to get a price quote so you have additional leverage in dealing with a dealership or private party and can create a financial benchmark the seller has to beat.

• Figuring Out How To Pay for the Car Before you Get to the Dealership

  This is probably the most important part of the car-buying process. By setting up your loan financing before you set foot at the dealership gives you perhaps the biggest chunk of leverage you can when buying a new or used car.

  Of course you can always get a loan from a financial institution or a credit union, but there are many sites on the internet competing for your car loan business who can offer you a great interest rate such as e-loan, lending tree, and capital one auto financing. And best of all---you can still get a loan from the dealership. Just make sure to use your pre-arranged financing to get the best car loan interest rate and terms that you can.

• The Test Drive

  There are a ton of great resources on the internet, some of the best being Edmunds.com, Consumer Reports, and Car Buying Tips that can give you a detailed checklist for your test drive and tips on how to handle "pushy" salespeople. Things like inadequate dashboard lights and excessive body lean may not seem all that important during a test drive but they will get annoying in the middle of a multi-thousand dollar loan. It's your money so it's your job to be as thorough as possible.

  Another great tip is to carry a calculator. It doesn't sound like much but you'll be amazed by the amount of numbers that will be thrown at you often in the goal of confusing your judgment. There are many who suggest that you should never buy a car at a dealership on the first visit, but this kind of strict restraint isn't necessary if they meet your desired price. And what is your desired price? Well ideally it should be a few hundred dollars above the "dealer invoice price", the price that the dealership actually pays. The sites listed above can help you find out what the dealer invoice price is and help you get the car you want, at a price that you can easily afford.