If you plan to buy used, I can't stress the value of a good mechanic enough. If you already know one, awesome. If not, start asking friends and family now if they can recommend one. If not.. pay for a month of Angie's List and find one. This is serious business, and will likely shape your entire experience with your vehicle. Please do not buy a used car until you find a solid, trustworthy mechanic. Seriously.. like for really reals. Once you have that out of the way.. buying a car becomes a truly fun experience. A few tips I picked up along the way.. Don't rush into a purchase. Test drive several options from at least a couple dealers. And make sure each dealer knows you're shopping their competition as well. Little passing comments like "Oh.. so-and-so had a similar car for a lot less" will go farther than you would think. Walk away. Seriously.. even if you fall head over heels in love with a car.. walk away. Go home, make a list of all the cars you liked, advantages, disadvantages, price, millage, MPG, etc. Narrow those options down to two or three and contact that super awesome mechanic you found. Make sure he personally checks out those cars regardless of how "nice" they look or how well they appear to run on the lot. The mechanic will probably charge you $100-150 to check the cars out, but his input could save you literally thousands in a bad purchase. Plan for this cost and don't skimp it. Finally.. haggle. I've seen you around these forums, I'm sure you'll do just fine with this. But come into the office of the car you want armed with as much info as you can get. Kelly Blue Book averages for that car, any similar cars you test drove and what that dealership was asking for it, google searches for the same make and model, anything you could use as knowledge. Be confident. Know what you feel comfortable paying for the car before you arrive and stick to it. And if you have to.. again.. walk away. Oh.. and the mechanic is a great person to ask about a fair price for a car. Best of luck, Ott!