What You Can Afford to Spend Examine your budget and determine how much you can afford to spend on the purchase of a new automobile. If financing the vehicle, the monthly payment is affected by the amount of your down payment, the length of the loan period, and the interest rate. Once you decide how much you can afford to spend, stick with it. Don't be pressured into committing to larger payments than you can comfortably afford. Options will increase the total cost of the vehicle, so make sure you really want or need the ones you select.
Test drive the vehicle.
Drive the car on different types of roads and drive it long enough to check the acceleration, braking, steering and stability. Try to listen to any car, wind and road noises during the test drive. Read the fine print in the advertisements carefully. Ad prices usually do not include tax, license and title charges. Manufacturer incentives affect new vehicle prices.