海角大神

Maybe you think $4.45 is a bit steep for your morning latte, but the price is not exactly up for debate. Not so in the auto industry, where haggling still reigns. And because聽a few wrong turns in a car deal can cost聽you thousands, the stakes are pretty high.

So how can you know you鈥檙e getting a good deal on a car, most likely the second-biggest purchase of your life?

First, ask yourself: What kind of shopper am I? Do I just want a fair price, or am I looking to go the extra mile to grind out the best deal possible? Saving money matters, but so do time and effort. Either way, be prepared to do聽some negotiating.

When you鈥檙e ready, the easiest way to keep track of the entire聽car-buying process聽is to break it into categories.

鈥淩emember, only one step at a time. Never let a salesman bundle [prices],鈥� says Ray Lopez, author and former car salesman. Here are the four areas to focus on.

Price of the car

Online pricing guides give averages of what people have paid in your area for the car you want. Check聽Edmunds,聽Kelley Blue Book聽and the聽National Automobile Dealers Association, and pick one with the most favorable numbers.

ZIP code and certain options, such as color, can significantly alter pricing, so be as specific as possible.

And if you want the best price, shop around your area for multiple offers. This doesn鈥檛 have to take up your whole weekend; just聽email dealerships聽and have them send you prices.

Extra-mile shoppers:聽Consider shopping different areas with lower average prices. This can be as simple as driving to the next town over, or as involved as buying a plane ticket. It may save $500 if you fly to a cheaper spot and drive the new car home, though it could also take all day and a lot of extra effort.

Trade-in price

The trade-in process can get a little rocky. Customers occasionally get swept up in the excitement of the new car and forget to get themaximum for their trade-in.

Start with the same basics as pricing a car you want to buy:

• Check online pricing guides for your car鈥檚 trade-in average.
• Compare quotes from local dealerships. Some dealers may be unwilling to give you a quote until they see the car in person.

With those numbers in mind, negotiate your trade-in like you would a new car. Make sure to ask the dealer to spell out each price in the deal separately. You don鈥檛 want to be enticed by a great trade-in payout and miss the higher new-car price.

Extra-mile shoppers:聽Getting your car detailed can give your car 鈥渃urb appeal鈥� and bring you a higher trade-in price. Such a cleaning can cost around $150, but you stand to gain even more when trading it in. And if you really want to impress, vehicle reconditioning services can fix all the dings and dents in your old ride. Make sure it鈥檚 one that advertises paintless dent removal. Repainting a car lowers its resale value.

Financing

Now focus on your monthly payments, loan length and interest rate. Your dealership can offer you an interest rate, but it鈥檚聽not your only option.

鈥淚f you have prearranged financing, you can go in and say: 鈥楥an you match this rate or can you beat this rate?鈥� So you have leverage,鈥� said Matt DeLorenzo, managing editor at Kelley Blue Book.

It鈥檚 wise to get preapproved before you hit the dealership, so take a little time to聽compare auto loan interest rate offers聽from different lenders.

Also remember new cars depreciate quickly. After your first year, the car is worth 20% less. Don鈥檛 wipe out your savings, but shoot for these down payments when financing your car:

• Used cars: 10% down payment + three years of loan payments.

• New cars: at least 20% down + five years of loan payments.

NerdWallet鈥檚 auto loan calculator聽can tell you how much you鈥檒l spend, including the total interest you鈥檒l pay.

Extra fees

If you鈥檝e been waiting all day to drive your new car home, it鈥檚 understandable you鈥檇 want to move through your contract quickly. But there鈥檚 an important last hurdle: extra fees. Here鈥檚 a list of commonly acceptable fees:

• Sales tax:聽Different for each state and can vary by 0.25% by county.

• Documentation fees:聽Dealerships charge for preparing your documents. Only 10 states cap this fee. If your state doesn鈥檛 have a limit, search the average fees in your area, and make sure your dealership isn鈥檛 grossly overcharging. If the dealership鈥檚 cost is above average, you can leave or ask the staff聽to lower the price of the car to accommodate.

• Registration:聽Dealerships charge to register your car through the Department of Motor Vehicles. This varies by the price and type of car.

• Delivery charge (or factory destination charge):聽Typically required, but beware. Sometimes dealers try to add their own dealership delivery charge 鈥� don鈥檛 pay that one.

Any other fees, such as 鈥渄ealer fees,鈥� 鈥渧ehicle acquisition fees鈥� or 鈥渁dvertising fees,鈥� are common add-ons that you can negotiate. Have your dealer explain every extra charge, and ask the staff to remove any you don鈥檛 agree with. If you鈥檙e stonewalled, re-evaluate whether the deal is still the best one possible.

DeLorenzo added: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to accept everything the dealer places in front of you. Say: 鈥榃ell, I鈥檓 not interested in paying that.鈥� The ultimate power lies with the consumer, because you can always walk.鈥�

Nicole Arata is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:聽narata@nerdwallet.com.

This article first appeared in NerdWallet.