Due to their high costs and the fact that the majority, if not all of these purchases are made on credit, mistakes made during these transactions can be extremely expensive and their effects felt for many years. Using a systematic process to evaluate these purchases helps reduce the potential of costly mistakes. The car-buying process can be broken down into four major steps: research, select, buy, and maintain Read each of the four activities and put them in their proper sequence. Be advised that the action isted is not the only action needed in that step other activities may be included in each step. Step Activities Test drive the car and meet the salesman at least once to ascertain if he or she is someone you want to do business with Negotiate the lowest price by getting bids from ot least three dealers and hold firm to your target price when selecting the source of your car Keep the interior of the car clean and repair the brakes as needed Identify your existing cars trade-in Valve using online sources and several dealers