Home > CustomerCenter > Buying Tips > Articles

Read more articles Edmunds.com

10 Step Checklist to Buying a New Car

Checklist
By Philip Reed

•  Decide how much you have to spend on your new car purchase.



•  Check to see what incentives and rebates are available on the car you want to buy.



•  Print out the Edmunds.com TMV price on the car you want to buy (adjusted for options, color and region).



•  Look up Edmunds.com Cost to Own for the car you want to buy.



•  If you are financing the car, uses the payment calculators to determine the monthly payment for the car you want to buy (and remember to apply the incentives to the purchase price).



•  Contact the Internet department and simultaneously solicit quotes from multiple dealers.



•  If you are trading in your old car, check its Edmunds.com True Market Value and print out this information.



•  Call the Internet manager to negotiate the best price of the car you want to buy.



•  Once you've reached a good price, ask the salesperson to fax you a worksheet showing all the prices, taxes and fees.



•  Bring your worksheet with you to the dealership so you can compare these numbers to the figures on the contract.



•  Inspect the car for dents, dings and scratches before taking final delivery.
  

Calculate My Vehicle Trade-In Value
Get Financing Information for My Vehicle