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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 3418787" data-attributes="member: 19675">1)  The first place I look when car shopping is the Consumer Reports reports on the cars that interest me.  You should be able to find their annual omnibus almost anywhere they sell the magazine.  Each car gets a mini report and you'll even find histories covering the past 5 or so years of reliability- which also illustrate potential problem areas for each model.Hondas generally do pretty doggone well in reliability.  Nissans are usually equipped with better gadgets, especially in the sound system.  Both are good manufacturers, as is Toyota.2)  You might also consider checking out 2006 models that have been used as loaner program cars by rental places or dealerships.  They generally have about 5K miles or so and have depreciated enough that their price has been dropped to a very affordable level...and they also tend to have good warranties.You might just be able to get a slightly better car for the same price.3)  Look for hidden deals.  Occasionally, you can find a car that has been sitting on the lot and has to be moved because the new inventory is coming in.  The best deal of this kind I ever found was a $44+K fully loaded Mazda Millenium with 300 miles on it that had been sitting on the lot for 20 months...knocked down to $29K.4)  One thing to check out before you buy is the hidden costs.  Check out the expected annual maintenance costs- a good import may break down less frequently, but may have more expensive per-unit parts costs.  Check out how much it costs to insure the cars you like- the last time I went shopping, there was a $400/yr difference between two of the cars on my list.5)  Check to see if any organization of which you're a member (including banks!) has any automobile buying services.  They can save you big bucks.6)  Get your financing assured before walking into the back room to do your final negotiations- it can save you MAJOR bucks in interest.7)  Never, Never, NEVER let the salesman catch you falling in love with the car.  Always be prepared to walk away.  If you aren't, you'll get locked into paying more than you really want.8)  You're generally better off selling your car privately than to the dealership.  The first car I traded in I got $500 for...and one of my buddies would have given me 2X that (I didn't know that at the time).</blockquote>

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