Owning a Car

• You have just graduated from high school and need a car for transportation to work and to school. You would like to purchase a new car that has a three-year warrantee so that you don't have to worry about used car repairs. You can afford a down payment of $3,000 and monthly payments of $500 or less.
• Use the New Car Pricing section of Edmunds to build your own window sticker price. Choose the price range section to begin your research. You may also use the other web resources below to determine the total cost of the car, including the base price, options, and sales tax.
• Use E-LOAN or People's Bank to find an auto loan in Connecticut.
• Use insurance.com to determine the cost of auto insurance for your car. Read the Insurance Information Institute's auto insurance basics.
• Print the Auto Buying Worksheet (pdf format), and answer all the questions.

Auto Resources

• About Auto Buying
• All Things Automotive
• American Automobile Association
• Association of Consumer Vehicle Lessors -- provides objective information on vehicle leasing including comparisons to buying a vehicle.
• Auto-By-Tel -- user can easily compare both new and used cars to determine the best possible deal.
• Auto.com -- automotive news and reviews from the Knight Ridder newspapers.
• Auto Lease Guide
• Automobile Magazine
• Auto USA
• AutoTrader -- largest used car trader on the web.
• autoweb.com -- easy to read with specifications set in legible tables.
• Car and Driver Magazine
• Car Club
• Car Safety ratings -- from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• cars.com -- this site is best for consumers who have already decided on a particular model. It also has extensive used car listings.
• CarsDirect.com -- allows a consumer to purchase and finance a car.
• Carsmart
• Car Quest -- national buyer's agent.
• Consumer Reports on Autos
• Edmunds -- one of the more comprehensive sites for auto information including prices, rebates and auto reviews.
• IntelliChoice
• InvoiceDealers -- provides a list of dealers by region and the price at which each is willing to sell the car you want.
• J. D. Power and Associates -- view ratings on vehicles and auto insurance providers
• Kelley Blue Book -- useful site for obtaining price information for new and used cars; also gives estimated trade-in values.
• Keys to Vehicle Leasing -- from the Federal Reserve Board.
• msn.autos -- excellent views of cars; 3D surround video gives a detailed tour of some cars.
• Nadaguides -- consumer pricing on new and used cars.
• New York International Auto Show
• New York Times Automobiles
• Yahoo Cars -- wide-ranging information on various aspects of car purchasing including links to sites that offer financing, message boards, chat rooms, and on-line auction for buyers and seller of used cars.

Automakers

You may also do your own search using Alta Vista, Dogpile, Excite, Findspot, Lycos, or Yahoo.

Send mail to padaley@optonline.net

Last update: 22 November 2006