Tip #1: Shop From Home Ahead of Time 

We recommend these free tools and resources to help you with the car buying process. 

If you are shopping for a used vehicle, Automoblog has a tool where you can see the inventory of the dealers in your area before you contact them. We have a similar search tool for new vehicles as well. Both will show you a price quote as well as any dealer discounts and manufacturer incentives.  

If you are not sure about a particular dealer, Cars.com offers this dealership and salespeople review tool. 

Tip #2: Always Have a Down Payment 

In the long run, a down payment will save you money on financing a new car. We recommend putting at least 20 percent down, and 25 percent if you can swing it. Having money down lowers your monthly payment and lessens the amount you are financing.
Data from Cox Automotive shows the average payment on a new vehicle exceeded $530 in 2018 or about 10 percent of the median household income. In May 2019, Kelley Blue Book noted the average transaction price for a new vehicle was $37,185, up four percent from May 2018. 

Talk about sticker shock!

Sometimes, the higher MSRP is offset by longer long terms, like 72 or 84 months. However, we don’t recommend going any longer than 60 months if you can help it. While longer loans lower the monthly payment, at the rate vehicles depreciate, it’s better to save up for a down payment and take a shorter loan of 48 ...