Car buying tips: Find links to kelly blue book, nada guides, edmunds, carfax and some good tips to help you save time and money on your next new or used indiana car purchase.

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"Information is Power" and doing your research should save you time and money! Many car shoppers ask us how using the Internet will help them save money and time. Are there lower prices online? Will I get a better deal? These are good questions and the answers are simple. A common perception among Internet car shoppers is that there are better deals on the Internet, compared to just walking on the car dealers lot. In reality, the biggest difference is that the Internet car shopper has access to loads of online information about blue book values, and invoice prices that several years ago were hard to find. These shoppers will usually want a better deal primarily because they possess that information. Finding and buying a new or used vehicle doesn't have to be stressful. Gathering information online and going to the dealer well prepared, will change the way you view car buying. Much of the stress occurs when you have inadequate information and must make a purchase decision on the spot. Follow the easy steps below and make car purchasing faster and easier! 1. Determine what you need 2. Establish a Budget 3. Do your online search 4. Qualify Dealers 5. Make your purchase

Kelley Blue Book Links new car prices used car values trade in values Edmund's Links New Vehicles Used Vehicles Other helpful links: Monthly Payment calculator Info about Leases Links to Car Manufacturers DON'T BUY A LEMON! Look up the Vehicle History First!

1.  Determine your  Needs: Determine what types of car or truck you are interested in. A few questions you must answer are:  New or used, minivan, car, pick up, SUV? Do you want a new vehicle or will you settle for used if you can get a better vehicle? Keep all of your options open. Make a list of why you need a particular type or style. You will probably own this vehicle for at least 3-4 years, so think ahead. Make a list of the types, makes and models you are interested in. To get the  invoice prices on new vehicles or book values on used, we recommend using the following 3 web sites Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and NADA. Why use all three? Because they are all a little different in terms of the values they display. You will have a better idea of what you should pay for your used car, or what your trade in is worth. Keep in mind that the supply and demand of vehicles will affect what you will actually pay at the dealership. Some hard to find or newly released vehicles will sell for sticker and in some cases above! To compare vehicles surf through our  Classifieds with Photos. 2. Develop your Budget: You can now start to realize your actual budget and look only at vehicles that are in your budget. Newlyweds think ahead, you may be financing for 4-5 years, so a 2 door coupe may not be practical. If the type of new vehicle you need is out of your budget, then you should consider a good used vehicle. Shoppers with bad credit should expect to pay a higher interest rate than good credit shoppers. Buying a car is a great way to rebuild your credit. If you need credit help, don't worry. Many dealers offer second chance financing as long as you have some down money and a job. Do not be bullied into buying from a second chance dealer because most Dealers now offer it, and you need to shop around for the best interest rates and quality used vehicles. Know your Payment and Price Range before you hit the streets. Don't let a salesperson tell you what you can afford. Click here for our easy to use Monthly Payment Calculator. If you want to know what the current loan rates are, just contact your bank or credit union and ask. Know ahead of time what the loan rates are and remember, your credit rating will also effect the loan rate. To compare interest rates with different banks in your area click here Do not assume your bank or the dealer is giving youthe best interest rate available. Example of a simple loan computation: Loan amount $20,000 Interest rate 8% Length of loan 48 months Monthly Payment would be $488.25

3.  Begin Online Search:

Already know what you want? New or Used? Price Range? Using the Internet to find a vehicle allows you to shop hundreds of sites all over the nation. How far are you willing to travel for the right car? Hard to find vehicles may require several hours on the road and in some cases a plane flight.

Two Great places to start your online search!

Free New and Used CarFinder Service Rather than driving around searching. Type in as much information as possible about the car(s) or truck(s) you are looking for on our CarFinder Form. Be sure and include your e-mail address and/or phone number. Your requests are sent to Member Dealers that will contact you back via e-mail or phone with the information you need.

Classifieds with Photos. We feature new and used vehicles with actual photos. Rather than walking around dozens of dealers lots and wasting weeks searching, bring the car lot to your desktop. Find the vehicle you like and contact the seller direct without spending a second of time on the street.

Kelley Blue Book Links	Edmund's Links
New Vehicle Invoices Used Vehicle Values	Current Rebates New Vehicles Used Vehicles

There are many different car buying services, classifieds, Dealer web sites etc... online. Use as many different services as possible, because it will give you a broader range of responses from dealers, and you will have more vehicles to choose from .If you are not quite sure about the exact vehicle you want, go to your local dealers and test drive different vehicle(s). Take good notes and narrow down your choices.

Visit all the dealers on your list and do not be pressured into buying anything unless you are 100% certain it is a good deal and it's what you want. Use common sense and do not let your emotions get the best of you. This is one of the main reasons many people end up buying a type of vehicle they regret several months later. If a salesperson tells you it won't be here tomorrow, don't worry, if it is gone, buy something else, but do it under your time frame. When shopping online, in many cases you can narrow it down one dealer, and only make one trip to purchase the vehicle.

Important: Bring your notes with you when you go to the Dealer. Bring a pen and notepad with you and write down notes, prices, stock numbers etc..

Use all your information gathered, eliminate dealers that won't work with you, and purchase after you have made your best decision. Doing more research will help your efforts when negotiating a good deal.

Important areas to address when finalizing your deal are: Have your notes with you to avoid mistakes.

Selling price of vehicle: At this point you should have already researched the value of the vehicle you are buying. New or used, you should be aware of the blue book on used and the dealer invoice on new. Not knowing this will cause you to overpay for the vehicle.

New Car pricing: Dealerships are required by law to provide the MSRP on the vehicle window sticker. It is also referred to as the Sticker Price. MSRP means "manufacturer's suggested retail price." In general, the majority of vehicles will sell for less than MSRP. But the salesman will try to keep you on the sticker price and negotiate down. Cars in demand and new releases (the PT Cruiser) may sell for several thousand dollars over MSRP. Remember, MSRP is a suggested sales price and you are by no means required to pay it. Once you have the Dealer Invoice that is what you will negotiate with. (Dealer Invoice is the price that the dealer pays for the vehicle)

Used Car pricing: Used car selling prices are often compared to Kelley Blue Book values. The Kelley Blue Book values and NADA are used as measuring sticks for many lenders when determining your loan amount. You should always check the high and low blue book values and try to stay at or below the lowest value using excellent condition as the standard. Check the classifieds for similar vehicles, and what they are selling for. Another great place to look: INAutoNet.com Classifieds with photos

Your trade in value: Again, you must know what the book value is on your current vehicle. When doing a blue book rating, make sure you are honest about the true condition. If it is not in excellent condition don't put that down. A dealer will give you an online trade evaluation based on what you tell him. If once you get to the dealership the vehicle does not match the description you gave, it will slow down the process. Click Here to link to Kelley Blue Book Trade In Values

Do not expect a dealer to give you top dollar for your trade. If you absolutely want top dollar for it, you will have to sell it yourself. When researching book value for a trade in, you must use the low blue book not the retail value.

Interest rate: This will effect your monthly payment and the amount of interest you pay, so make sure you are aware of what is the current rate in your area. Call your bank or credit union for current rates.

Length of loan: If you need a 6+ year loan to get the payment you need, you are probably getting in over your head. A lot of things can happen in six years, marriage,children, divorce, job transfers, layoffs, promotions, injuries. Try to purchase something that allows 2-4 years on the loan. DO NOT TEST DRIVE VEHICLES YOU CAN'T AFFORD AND THEN STRETCH OUT THE LOAN TERM SO YOU CAN! Stretching out the years will lower the payment but it will cost you more over the long run.

Down payment: The amount you put down will directly effect your monthly payment. If you want to bring down the monthly payment, increase your down.

Insurance rate for that vehicle: Too many people forget about this until it is too late. Make sure you check the monthly rate for the vehicle you are buying. Some types of vehicles carry much higher rates so check ahead with your agent or go online to one of the services and get a free quote. Do not buy a vehicle until you know your insurance rate.

Check all paperwork and contracts carefully, and get all promises in writing. If they verbally tell you something and it is not in writing you may not get it. Never leave blank spaces on a contract to be filled in later. If you do not understand parts of the contract don't sign until you do! Remember, no one is holding a gun to your head so don't buy until you are 100% sure of your decision.