Buying a new or used car can be a hair pulling event. After the initial surge of elation passes, and the new car smell fades, you’re left with a large piece of metal in your driveway. Avoiding some of the common pitfalls of car buying can help you save money and maximize the car buying experience.

Before committing to buying your next car, research your particular needs, personal finances, and potential candidate cars. Make preliminary decisions about what you are going to buy before you step outside the door. In fact, a very tech savy user could save thousands on a new car purchase by buying online. The reason? You are LESS LIKELY to get suckered by a slick car salesman.

The first things you need to decide before buying a new car, is whether or not you need the new car, and can you afford to not save money on a car purchase? Chances are, your ideal car is out of your budget, but even if you can afford your dream car with the change you pull out of a really big sock, it would be foolish to not save some money. It’s your obligation as a responsible buyer to get the best deal for yourself, and can add a lot of value to the car buying experience.

After deciding, hey, I do need a new car , begin narrowing down the type of car you want. Do you want a gas-guzzling SUV or to buy a pickup truck to carry brick in? Do you have 3 kids? If so, guess what? You can go ahead and rule out two door vehicles right now. Any buyer will regret a two door small car about the 50 th time they put in kids in the back during the scorching heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter.

Okay, so you have an idea of the range of cars to buy to fill your need. Now you need to find out everything you can to save money. The cliché, knowledge is power, applies well to saving money on a car purchase. Have you found out if a used car will suffice? Cars are a unique investment, as they are one of the few expenses in life that the second you drive off a lot are GUARANTEED to depreciate in value. That makes saving money on your car purchase all the more important when the first few miles you put on your new car reduce it’s value by up to twenty percent.

Part of saving money on your next car purchase will require you to do your homework. You need to know things that can help you save money on a new car purchase. Make a point to find out about the MSRP of your prospective purchase before you set out. Also, shop around for great savings on a new car purchase. This is a time of unprecedented sales, rebates, and money-saving incentives, as foreign competition ventures to establish a firm foothold as the number one source of automobiles in the US, and American automakers try to regain lost market share through money saving offers.

Taking advantage of genuine offers (where the price of an automobile is not jacked up immediately prior to the reduction) can save money on a car purchase often as much as thousands of dollars on new and used purchases.

Be ready to shop around. Often the competition to sell you a car is much fiercer in larger cities than small town corner lots. Taking an extra day to consider buying a car out of town after you’ve finalized on a particular car could net you big savings on your new car. Another way to shop around that is fast and low hassle is to check online car lots, and online car auctions. What you lose in not being able to test drive a particular car you gain in avoiding a slick salesman trying to make his commission.

After you’ve done some preliminary shopping around on the Internet, you can take a list of vendors and cars on a test drive. You’ll be equipped with firsthand knowledge of the best prices available and the competition’s offerings. Also, you’ll be less likely to find yourself persuaded to buying the wrong car for you.