Taking it out for a spin
With your detailed list completed, it's time for some hands-on experience with the vehicles that seem best suited to your needs and desires. The Internet can be helpful here, as well, as you may be able to check what kind of vehicles your local dealerships have in stock.
When you arrive at a dealership, expect to feel pressure to buy the second your shoe hits the lot. Just remember, test-driving does not obligate you to buy. What may have sounded like the perfect vehicle on paper may prove not to be the right one once you're behind the wheel. You may discover that the seats are uncomfortable, the interior is cramped, the step-in height is difficult for you, cargo would be difficult to load, or the ease of seat removal is not all that easy. Once on the road, you may feel you need more power, or would be satisfied with less. The vehicle may have a blind spot, marshmallowy handling, spongy brake feel, or too much road noise. Walk away without guilt and then move on to the next vehicle on your well-researched wish-list.
Mind over money
Once you've narrowed down your vehicle list to just a few models, you'll have some financial decisions to make. Do you want to lease or buy? Leasing may be a nice fit if you prefer to get into a brand-new vehicle every couple of years, or don't want to cough up a large down payment (or any down payment). It may also be a good alternative if you don't plan to drive many miles each year. All leases have mileage limitations and require that any miles exceeding the limit be purchased by the lessee on a per-mile basis. So if you normally drive 20K miles a year and a lease only allows 15K, those extra 5K miles may become very costly. Some shoppers lease instead of buy because they can write off most or all of the payment for business purposes. When you lease, the burden of the vehicle's residual value is on the leasing company, but remember that most of the financial benefit goes to the dealer. When you buy, you'll own the vehicle outright.
Once you've determined which of these financing options is right for you, make sure you've got the credit to back the deal. Order a credit report to check your FICO score. Developed by Fair Isaac & Co., this score is a method of determining the likelihood that credit users will pay their bills-the higher the score, the better your credit rating.