2. Research a car’s features and potential problems

Don’t fall in love with an automobile and rush out to buy it. Do your homework.

Research cars that fit your criteria by searching online and using other sources. You can get information from online sources such as:

• NADAguides: www.nadaguides.com
• Kelley Blue Book: www.kbb.com
• Edmunds.com: www.edmunds.com

Besides checking for features you want, look for problems with the cars:

• Repair records. A used car is more likely to need repairs than a new one. Find out what usually goes wrong with each model you’re considering, and how expensive the problems are to fix. Do a Web search for “auto reliability rating” and check some of the sites you find listed by this name.
• Safety issues. Find out whether any safety problems have been reported. Has the manufacturer issued any important recalls?