The 2Live2Give association is a nonprofit, web-based community founded in October 2008 by Christians, who believe stewardship and financial literacy encompass each other. The association’s website provides its members with information about various financial topics, daily devotionals, and other tools to become better stewards with God’s money.
Car-Buying
Top 10 Tips
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1. Determine how much you can spend. Never spend more than you can afford. You will regret it later by trying to trade out of the car and putting yourself in a deeper hole. Use budgeting calculators or other online tools to determine your monthly cash flows.

2. Narrow your search based on your needs (Minivan or Sports car). Evaluate your current and future situation. If you plan on having children in the next two years, do not purchase a two-seat sports car.

3. Research all the vehicles in this class. You can use the website, www.cudlautosmart.com, consumer reports, or any other means to research vehicles. Just make sure you do the research. Look at the pros and cons of each vehicle and determine how they fulfill your needs.

4. Test drive no more than three cars and do not purchase the vehicle that same day. Do not test drive too many vehicles. When you get home you will only be confused. Instead, select your top 3 vehicles based on your research and drive those which closely resemble what you might purchase. In other words, do not drive a V-6 if you can only afford the 4 cylinder.

5. Know how much the dealer paid for the new or used car. There are many websites available that will give you the invoice price on a new car. The website listed above will give you the Black Book trade-in value, which will more closely relate to what a dealer paid for the used car.

6. Contact dealers for their price online. Do not limit your search to just those dealers within a 10-mile radius of your house. Contact as many dealers as you can within a reasonable distance from your house and shop each of them online. This will save you time and money.

7. Negotiate with the dealers online. After you have received the price on-line for each dealer, negotiate with each of them through email or online to get the best price. Don't be afraid to tell them that dealer XYZ gave me a lower price and ask, "What can you do?"

8. Control your emotions and do not get emotionally attached to any vehicle. The dealer can tell if you are excited and this will work against you in the negotiation process. If the dealer no longer has the vehicle in stock, they will get it in stock again soon.

9. Know how much your trade-in is worth. The website www.cudlautosmart.com is a good resource. For greater negotiating power, do not mention your trade-in until the day you show up to the dealership to arrange the delivery of your new car. This will eliminate the fudging of numbers that goes on with your trade-in.
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