After you figure out what you can spend each month you need to think about how much you can use as a down payment. Just a quick note here. These days it has become commonplace not to make a down payment. People are used to no money down or just trading-in. Unless you own your trade-in outright or have significant equity in it, you'll want to use at least some cash as a down payment.
Any amount is better than nothing.
As we will see later, borrowing money is very expensive. Down payments will lower your monthly payments, save you money on interest and can sometimes earn you better rates on the money that you do borrow. You should end up with a good idea of what you can afford for monthly payments and down payment. Use the calculator below to help you out.