

When you buy an older vehicle, you can expect a lower price. You’ll want to find a balance between cost to buy and cost to own. Our car insurance hub provides tips to help you find the right insurance coverage, while our used car rankings and reviews include information on the cost of ownership for different vehicles. That includes the cost of interest on your car loan, how much you’ll have to pay to insure your new-to-you ride, parking, and maintenance costs. While the monthly payment does need to be affordable, you need to look beyond it to get a proper idea of the total cost of owning the car. Setting a used car buying budget isn’t as simple as looking for a pre-owned car, truck, or SUV that gets a monthly payment you think can manage. Consider Add-Ons, Warranties, and Insuranceġ. Set a Car-Buying Budget You Can Afford Research, Test Drive, and Inspect a Used Car Consider the Certified Pre-Owned Car Option In this guide, we'll take you through the steps you should follow to find the right used car, secure affordable financing, pay a fair price, and minimize the chances that you'll get a vehicle that's unreliable, overpriced, or unsafe.įollowing these steps and car-buying tips should help you buy the best used car for a fair price: In the age of the coronavirus pandemic, there are even more steps you have to take to protect yourself and your family. Staying safe while purchasing a used car has always been somewhat of a concern. It’s more financially risky because you don’t have the safety net of a new car factory warranty. Successfully buying a pre-owned car can be more complicated than buying a new car.

But, choosing a vehicle with a good predicted reliability rating and low ownership costs can help you saa tremendous amount of money.


There may be more maintenance required on a used car that's out of warranty, and its financing may be a bit more expensive. You pay far less than you would have if you had purchased the car new. When you buy a used car, the original owner absorbs the pain of its steep depreciation during its early years. When you buy a new car, the second you leave the dealer's lot, it starts to rapidly depreciate, losing a significant amount of its value in the first few years of ownership. The single easiest way to save money when buying a car is to purchase a used model instead of a new vehicle.
