1. You should purchase your new car at or around Christmas time because with everybody buying their Christmas presents, not many of them are looking to buy a new car, and it forces dealerships to increase their sales strategies.

Salesmen are more willing to haggle down to your prices to close the deal.

2. You can also get a good deal from July to October because that is the time of the year when dealerships are trying to get rid of their inventory to make way for new models.

3. Purchasing a car online is becoming a really great way to get a new car. Just wait for good rebates and incentives online and shop around.

Print out your information from the best quotes and bring it to the dealer that you would be most willing to work with.

Bringing in lower quotes from another company could be your best bet in getting a good deal.

4. When you go into a dealership, a good place to start is to bring a copy of your credit rating with you.

It can lower your interest rates on your car loan. Your car dealer should not know more about you than you do.

5. You can avoid a common scam that dealerships pull. They will tell you that your financing fell through and that you have to respond by paying more money on your loan.

Do not believe it. Itis another reason for you to get a copy of your credit rating.

6. Another common scam by dealership salesmen is for them to tell you that they have found you a lower rate, but that they want you to re-sign your loan papers.

Usually, that is a downright lie. Once they pull up your financing information, they have the upper hand if you do not know the details of your credit information.

7. Dont bring in a car for trade in if you still owe money on it.

The dealership rarely pays the rest of the loan on time and as a result you will have to pay a great deal of late fees to the bank.

If you do decide to bring a car in that you owe money on, get it in writing from the dealership that they will pay the balance on the car within 10 days.

8. Sometimes a dealership may not have all of your options and must order the car directly from the dealership.

If this happens they will often ask you to pay $500-$1000 for a deposit on the car.

Try not to pay more than $500 and be sure to pay using a credit card because sometimes the dealership will tell you that there was a price increase on the vehicle and will want more money.

If you pay with a credit card you have room to dispute the amount being taken from you. If you pay by check, you can consider the money gone.

9. You should never buy a car when you are in desperate need for one because a dealer will see that and take advantage.

10. You should never wait until an old car is dead before searching for a new one because you should give yourself time to shop around for one and get the best deal possible. Desperation often clouds your judgment.