Best tips for choosing a new car

It's much easier to get a good price once you know exactly which car you want. These are the questions worth answering first.

1. How will you use it? Think about a normal week: how many people you drive, how far you commute, where you park and what you carry. Buy for that, and rent or borrow for the occasional long trip.
2. What's your budget? Set it as an out-the-door figure that includes tax and fees (our out-the-door price guide explains what goes into that number). Decide it before you start looking.
3. What will it cost to run? Fuel or charging, insurance and maintenance all add up. A hybrid usually costs more to buy and less to fuel, so it helps to know roughly how many miles you drive a year.
4. Which trim? Trims of the same model can differ by $10,000 or more. Go through the trim list and mark the features you'd use every day.
5. What do you really need? Write down your must-haves, like AWD, a third row or heated seats. Be flexible on everything else and you'll have more cars to choose from.
6. Which colors would you accept? Two or three acceptable colors gives dealers more cars to offer you.
7. Have you driven it? Test-drive the trim you plan to buy, on roads you know. Sit in the back seat, and if you carry a lot, check how it fits in the trunk.
8. How safe is it? The IIHS and NHTSA both publish crash-test ratings online for free.
9. Is a new version coming? A new model year or a redesign can change prices and what's on offer, so check before you commit.
10. Write it all down. Year, model, trim, colors, must-haves and budget. That list is everything a dealer needs to quote you, and everything we need to start a search.