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The first step is to figure out as much as you can about what you want, before you go to buy a car. In other words, do your homework. The problem is that nobody knows what the assignment is except you.
The obvious place to start is by figuring out which car you want. Right? Well, if you do that, you're probably skipping a few steps. Let me suggest a better way to think about the process.
Begin by thinking about about what kinds of things you want your car to have, and be, and do - without regard to any specific make or model. To the extent possible, this is the time to decide whether you want a four-wheel-drive vehicle, a station wagon, or a sports car. Decide whether you want a car that emphasizes safety, maybe at the expense of sportiness. Decide whether the sunroof is a luxury or a necessity.
These are personal questions that only you can answer. This section will do a lot of the work for you: it lays out the major questions and suggests some approaches to answering them.
To help you out, we've created a little checklist. Once you've filled it in, it will be a simple rundown of the qualities you've decided are important to your car purchase. Keep it with you when you make a trip to the dealer. When it feels like you're being persuaded to stray from your original plan, pull a hard copy of the list out of your pocket, just to remind you what brought you there in the first place.
Here's a list of factors I'd like to suggest you consider:
What kind of performance do I need?
What do I need to ensure my safety?
Is name brand important to you? What about foreign or domestic?
Are the economy and the car market in my favor?
When you have answered these questions for yourself, look at this worksheet.
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Do I really need a car?
How much can I spend?
What style of car do I want?
How much capacity do I need?