When you're planning on buying a new car for yourself you want to make sure that you find a car you'll enjoy for the next while because it's often a fairly costly purchase. You should also make sure that the vehicle you buy will be able to cater to your needs for the next few years because if it doesn't then you might be stuck trying to sell it and looking for one that does. The first rule to remember when buying new vehicle is that once you take it off the lot the value of that car goes down about 30%, so make sure you choose a car that will be suitable for some time to come. It can take awhile sometimes to find the right car at the right price, but taking the time to shop around is very important and you'll be glad you did.

Typically the first thing you need to determine when you're looking for a new car is what you need in a vehicle, meaning if you have a family or are expecting kids then you might not want to get a two-seater. You need to plan for things like this and that is why before you even go to any dealership you should write down what you want in your vehicle. A recent trend the past year or two has been people looking at buying into alternative energy vehicles or vehicles with good mileage. If you're still not ready for an alternative energy powered vehicle then make sure you find a vehicle that is good on gas, because the way gas is rising it's becoming unfordable to even buy for larger vehicles.

Once you have decided what you want in your vehicle you should then go around to the different dealerships and price out what's available. There are always new offers becoming available and the car industry is very competitive, so the more shopping around you do the better deals you'll find. You should find at least one model from each dealership that meets what you're looking for in a vehicle and then from there you should compare them with the models from the different dealerships. After creating a short list you can then take them for a test drive if you'd like and then once you feel you have decided on a vehicle you can go ahead and buy it.

You'll need to make sure all of your finances are in order when you plan on buying a car because you need to make sure the dealership can accept your credit. In most cases you won't have a problem though and it doesn't take long after signing the contracts before you'll be out on the road driving your brand new vehicle. Remember to try and get a vehicle that is easy on gas so that you don't burn a hole in your pocket every time you need to drive somewhere. The key is to price around the different offers available to you and then from there you can start narrowing down the choices based on features and affordability.