Shopping for a car should be fun. Driving it once you own it is fun, after all. It shouldn’t be a stressful experience. These tips can help you buy a new car and have fun looking for one too.

Make sure that you have all the necessary materials when car shopping. What are you willing to spend? How many passengers do you need to be able to accommodate? What are the miles per gallon that you desire? Do you need four or two doors? Make a list of all the things that you want your car to have.

Don’t let a salesperson talk you into purchasing a vehicle that you are unable to afford. Tons of people get talked into buying a sports car by a slick-tongued salesperson telling them they look fabulous behind the steering wheel. You need to be aware that this salesperson is looking to make money through a commission, as well.

Whenever you’re in the market for a car, understand that you are going to spend quite a bit of time at the dealership. Don’t go car shopping if you’re pressed for time. If you can, use the entire afternoon. If you have other obligations, plan on coming back the next day.

Ask for advice and recommendations from others. Looking back on their experiences, do they feel they did the right thing? Are they feeling buyer’s remorse and wish they had gone in a different direction? Have they heard anything about other cars that are on the market? When you’re in the market for a car, this is a good way to get some preliminary information that you can start with.

Always test drive a car before you buy it. This is true even if you’ve driven another car of the same model. It’s important to know how this exact car handles. There could always be something which makes you hate driving the car.

If you drive a pricey vehicle already, don’t bring it with you on your car shopping trip. They’ll see that nice car and try to give you a bad offer since they think that you’re walking around with quite a bit of money.

Once you have an offer you like, bring up incentives, trade-ins or down payments. Those are things that ought to further reduce the best price obtained. Your better option is to agree on a price, then focus on the “extras.”

Consider renting a car just to test drive them. You can drive it to the country, another city or somewhere else where you’ll get a nice, long drive out of it. Take your family out on a road trip in the car and really see if it is a good fit. This is an effective way to get acquainted with that type of car before you make the commitment to purchase.

When you start shopping, it can be helpful to invite an objective friend to accompany you. They will stop you from making an emotional based decision. Ask them ahead of time to keep their eyes and ears open for any flaws that they might notice as well.

Always read before you put down your John Hancock. Before you sign the contract, you should go over it very carefully from beginning to end. The document binds you once it is signed. Do not hesitate to ask if you can take the contract home to go over it carefully. If you can’t, ask for a copy you can look over.

Don’t accept an as-is warranty! This is a decision that you will regret. There should at least be a warranty for 30-90 days when purchasing a used car. You are the one responsible for the car after you leave the lot.

The goal of a salesperson is making top dollar. Although this should be obvious, it can be easy to forget this fact if the salesperson is very friendly. Try not to get pulled into the extra fees that they can charge. You can end up with a huge bill, otherwise.

Don’t overlook gas mileage. A more economical car might cost you a little more upfront, but it can also save you thousands of dollars on gasoline over the course of five years. Keep this in mind before you buy a car if you want to save money for the long term.

Month-end is an exceptional time for car shopping. Salespeople need to meet some monthly goals and they will offer you a good price if they need to generate more sales for their quotas. Give yourself some time to negotiate so that near the month’s end you can score a great deal.

Prior to negotiating, make sure you are aware of the incentives that are available. You should be aware of trade-in values, rebates, warranties, bank fees, etc. Before you go into the dealership, you will be in a better position to haggle if you are armed with information.

Before trading your car in, you should know how much it is worth. You should be aware of the true value of your trade-in. This ensures that you can secure the best possible sales price for your new vehicle.

You might not want to car shop, but you do not have to stress out about it either. There are a lot of things you’re able to do when you want to make this experience more pleasant. Use the tips you just learned to have less stress and to locate a great car.