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If you plan to purchase your car with cash, you already know the exact amount you can spend on a car. If you plan on financing, however, you'll need to review your budget and determine how much you can afford for a monthly payment. The amount of your monthly payment varies depending on the term of the loan, the total purchase price of the car, and your credit score. Generally, your monthly payment shouldn't be more than 20 percent of your monthly income. Factor in insurance premiums, maintenance, and fuel costs. Import and luxury cars generally have higher average yearly maintenance costs. Sports cars and other high-performance vehicles typically cost more to insure. Make a prioritized list of the things you're looking for in a car, such as passenger seating, hauling capacity, legroom, and fuel efficiency. Then search manufacturer's websites for models that work best for you. Looking at how much a car sells for new can give you some idea of what that car might cost used. For example, if you're looking at a new car that costs $20,000, you can safely assume that a 5-year-old of the same model would cost around $10,000. Once you have an idea of the makes and models you're interested in, you can figure out the ages of those particular cars that would fit your budget. Keep in mind that different makes and models depreciate at different rates. It's mostly the mileage (number of miles or kilometers the car has been driven) that determines the price of a used car. For example, a 2-year-old car with only 20,000 miles (32,000km) on it would be more expensive than a 2-year-old car with 100,000 miles (160,000km) on it, everything else being equal. Demand for a car can also affect the cost of used cars. For example, if you live in a mountainous area and SUVs are extremely popular, you're not likely to get a good deal on an SUV locally because sellers know somebody will eventually buy the vehicle at whatever price they want. Just looking at a model on a website doesn't tell you anything about how that car drives or how comfortable you'll feel driving it. If you're interested in a particular model, go out and drive one to see how it feels. You might also consider renting the car for a weekend to get an extended test drive. Renting a car for even a single day can alert you to issues you wouldn't notice on a 10-minute test drive. It also gives you the opportunity to drive the car along your normal routes to work or school. If you have friends or family members who have that car, you can also ask their opinion on the car. You might even be able to drive theirs to try it out, which could save you some time and money. Websites such as AutoTrader and CarGurus offer a wide variety of used cars that are currently for sale. You can set limits for your search such as age, mileage, and other features so your results reflect your car preferences. You can also expand your search nationwide or search in larger regional areas to look at how local demand might affect the price of cars in your area. Some cars listed on these sites are for sale by individual owners, but most are listed by dealers. The contact information for the seller is included with the listing. There are other websites, such as Carvana and Vroom, that will sell you a car completely online and deliver it to you. Car dealerships near you often have hundreds of used cars available. In many areas, car dealerships are clustered on a single road, or in a particular part of town so you can easily visit several dealerships at one time. Some dealers focus exclusively on used cars. New car dealerships are typically associated with a particular car manufacturer. Their used car offerings may be mostly from that manufacturer, but they'll also have other cars that customers have traded in. There are several online forums, such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, that allow owners to sell their cars directly to other people instead of going through a dealership or other middleman. You may be able to get a better deal on a car if you buy it directly from the owner. You might also try AutoTempest. This aggregator site pulls Craigslist car ads from multiple areas so you don't have to search Craigslist multiple times. You might be able to find a better deal if you're willing and able to travel a short distance to get the car. Be cautious when buying directly from an individual. Bring a friend with you if you go to look at the car, and to meet the person during the day in a public place.
Decide how much money you want to spend. Decide what characteristics or features you want and need. Identify models in your price range that best suit your needs. Arrange test drives for cars you're not familiar with. Start searching for your car online. Visit local dealerships for a broad selection of cars. Scour listings from individual sellers.