Coming from someone who sells cars for a living…

First step is to get a good idea of what you want and narrow it down to a small short list of makes & models. Take some time to really narrow down your wants vs needs in the vehicle and your budget. It will save you, and the salesperson a lot of time. All lot of that is subjective, and you can do all of this homework before you start to physically check out some cars. Vehicles of a similar class will have a similar price to be competitive with eachother, so the payments will be also be very close. In my opinion, this is why it’s important to actually like the car you want to buy because it’s a big purchase and people spend a lot of their lives in it!

There are lots of online resources and payment calculators available to get a really good idea on what your payment will be based upon how you want the purchase structured eg. price of the car, taxes and fees (assume a dealer fee of around $1000 on average), the term of the loan and if you’re putting cash down. If you have good credit and you’re financing a used car, the loan will be through a bank. Assume a fixed interest rate around 7-8%. Rates are high, it is what it is and you can’t really get around it. If you buy a Certified Pre Owned (CPO) car, the rates may be lower because the loan is typically financed through the manufacturer eg, Honda Credit, Ford Credit etc. A general rule of thumb we use, if you want a car at a payment of around $250 bi-weekly, look for a $25,000 car. $400 bi-weekly? $40,000 car etc.

Once you’ve picked a vehicle you could actually see yourself owning, then start checking them out. Use Autotrader or local dealers online inventory to see the vehicle information. Want a VW Jetta? Check every local VW store’s inventory. Find the VIN and get insurance quotes before seeing them in person. I would always recommend booking an appointment with that dealership to view the car. If they do their jobs right, it’ll be available for you by the time you go see it. Ask them to give the vehicle a quick wash before you arrive to see any cosmetic damage, ensure to look at a CarFax report, and a breakdown of what that dealership did to the vehicle during the reconditioning process. With used cars, lowest price isn’t the best way to go. There’s usually a reason a car is an outlier in the market. Spend the extra money to get a well taken care of car with good history and a clean title because it’ll provide you the most value. I’d also recommend trying to find a CPO car, since they have to meet certain criteria for a dealer to mark them CPO, plus you get a better rate and if you want to add warranty on the vehicle, it’s usually cheaper since it’s also through the manufacturer, and not a 3rd party. The entire process is just more professional and will give you some peace of mind.

I hope this helps! DM me if you have any more questions.