Capital One Auto

[dspii]

Remember you don't have to use all of the 30k....10% is rather high. You can get some great cars that get great MPG for a lot less. I picked up a fully loaded Focus for $250 a month with nothing down. Try to get a car that's going to retain MOST of it's value....It's your money spend it as you will, just remember how you got to this board.

Read my earlier posts on this thread.......some good advice, straight forward and non-judgmental.

[TwentyTwelve]

A lot of good advice in this thread. I want to add that there are websites like edmunds and truecar where you can find out the invoice price, rebates available, holdback, and average amount paid locally for the vehicles you are considering. You can use that information to deal with the sales people and get the best price possible.

Also, when I was applying for a loan and deciding on the term, I could hear that woman from the credit counseling videos saying to NEVER get caught up in a 72 month loan. I think with a cap one blank check, you shouldn't worry too much about this. With the blank check, there is no penalty or extra fee for paying it off early. I applied for 60 months, which makes my monthly payment fairly reasonable. My goal is to pay it off asap and right now I can pay extra on it. But, if something were to happen to one of my jobs, I could still make the minimum payment without getting in a big financial bind.

And I fully agree with dspii that just because they gave you x amount doesn't mean you have to use it all.

[wmunn]

I used the edmunds true market value tools to ensure I paid a fair price for my car. Your out the door price is surprisingly higher than you would think, by the time you add the tax, title fee, registration, and perhaps an extended warranty if you intend to keep the car a long time. I did really press the dealer with questions on every single item on the paperwork to be sure I understood exactly what it was, and if it seemed high to me, I really grilled them about it. I was able to save around $800 in things I felt were questionable, and called them on.