What are the steps involved in buying a car?
A. Here are the main steps you’ll have to follow: • Decide how much you can spend on the vehicle. • Decide whether you’re going to buy a new or used car. • Decide which cars fit your needs and interest you. • Research the candidates. • Select one. • Determine exactly how much it costs and how much you want to pay for it. • Negotiate for the best price. • Buy — and enjoy! To learn about the ins and outs of the car-buying process, check out the Fool’s How to Buy a Car area and ask any questions on our Buying and Maintaining a Car discussion board. Also, check out these previous articles, on new vs. used, pricing cars, and the real cost of car ownership. Here are a bunch of additional car-buying resources for you, which I shared in an earlier article: For details on specific cars, as well as get general advice and information: CarsDirect.com, Edmunds, Autobytel.com, MSN Carpoint, Autoweb.com, Autosite.com, and Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports is a for-pay site, costing about $24 per ye
