When you are trying to get an honest deal when buying a vehicle, you can often be fooled into the worst deal ever. It takes knowledge of the buying process and the techniques of the salesmen in order to get the deal you need. Don’t let them fool you! Take advantage of these helpful tips!

Never, ever skip the test drive when you are car shopping. You have to get behind the wheel of that car and see how it feels before committing to a buying it. Make sure you try a variety of driving conditions, including surface streets and interstate driving. Do not forget to try pulling it into a parking space in a shopping center.

Take an extended test drive. Don’t just take it for a quick spin through the neighborhood by yourself. Instead, enlist everyone who will be regularly riding in the car to share their opinions. Ask the dealer for a full afternoon test drive so that you have the chance to take it on the freeway to check things like the pickup and the blind spots, and spend some time really feeling the comfort of the interior.

When buying a compact or subcompact car, make sure that it has enough room for each person who will drive it. The car may be your daily driver, but it may not have enough leg room for others in your household. If there is a chance that someone else will drive the car occasionally, bring them along while shopping.

Is there a specific feature you really want? Is it, heated seats or a sunroof? Before you even approach the lot, find out which cars in your price range actually offer this feature. This will reduce the time spent on the lot looking at cars you don’t want as the feature isn’t available.

Read all the documents that are presented to you when you purchase a new car. They will usually have a large stack for you to sign. Don’t feel pressured into signing anything that you do not understand. If you do not understand something, ask about it before signing. Until you sign your name to all the paperwork, you can walk out of the dealership and not owe a dime.

Many people who have bad credit end up at a buy-here pay-here dealership. Be very careful of these types of dealers. Usually they buy cars at auction for little money and the majority of the money they make is off of the high interest rates they charge. If you have any choice, always get a loan from a bank, not the dealership.

Don’t hand over the keys to your trade in until the deal is signed. If they have your car “hostage,” they can use it to pressure you to buy the new car. Wait until the deal is done to ensure you keep control of the situation at all times during the transaction.

Do you feel better about negotiating a deal on a car now? You should! Take the tips you’ve read with you, and learn more as you go along so that you won’t suffer the grasp of the salesman. It’s time you found the deal that is right for you and your family.