For many of us, purchasing a car is the first major purchase that we will make, as well as the second-largest purchase, and the most frequent major expenditure that we will make during our lifetimes. In contrast, purchasing a house is usually our largest, or most valuable, major purchase, but most of us will buy many more cars than houses during our lifetimes. 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