Best way to buy a new car

Hey there... hope you are doing great. I know higher gas prices has our family talking about our driving habits.. and If buying a new or used car is on your "to do" list...you might have to think twice about trading in your SUV.

I found these great tips from www.bankrate.com when car shopping.... you might want to think used cars... experts say a new car can lose up to 30 percent of its value the moment you drive it off the lot.

The best deal may be a car that has low mileage and is only 2 or 3 years old.

No one can tell us where gas prices are heading... Cars with higher fuel ratings may stretch your gas dollar further....Also, be aware that for 2008, the government economy ratings have been revised downward to better reflect the actual mileage the car gets.

One way to avoid getting burned on your next car purchase is to have your financing in place before you set foot on a dealer's lot.

A good resource should be your credit union, which typically has the lowest rates. Another place to shop is the Internet, where lenders offer essentially preapproved loan checks that you can take directly to the dealer.

Look at the vehicle you own as if you were a shopper. Is it clean? Does the paint shine? Are there dings that could be cheaply fixed? The difference between a car that looks well cared for and one that looks a little shabby can be thousands of dollars.

Also, if you still owe money on your trade-in, make sure you can get enough to pay off the loan. Don't roll the balance into the loan on your new car.

And if filling up your suv.. is draining your pocketbook.. not such great news if you are thinking about a trade in....A study by CNW Marketing Research says dealers will welcome you with open arms when you come to buy that new car, but they'll treat your SUV trade-in as if it has the plague because it's going to sit on that used-car lot for an eternity - if not longer. if you bring a full-size SUV in to trade, you'll find that it's worth about $3,000 less now that gas is $4 a gallon than it was a year ago.

Safe Travels...

Blessings,

Robin