How to Narrow Down Your Options When Shopping for a Car

You’re ready to purchase a vehicle and have already begun scouring the Internet for the latest promotions and deals on new or used cars.

Whether it’s your first ride or next ride, car shopping can be a fun, exciting experience. But on your quest to find the perfect vehicle, you’ll most likely have some important decisions to make when narrowing down your car options.

Making the right decision can be overwhelming — we get it. That’s why we compiled a list of ways you can narrow down your options while car shopping.

• Determine your wants vs. needs
  When shopping for a car, you’ll want to ensure your ride-in-progress meets your needs. To determine this, you can either think through or write out a list of all the reasons you’re purchasing a vehicle in the first place. Do you have a lengthy commute to work and want to cut down on gas costs? A fuel-efficient car may be a good option. Or, perhaps you have a large family — a truck, SUV or van with more passenger and/or cargo space may be something to consider. Whatever the case, prioritizing your needs to narrow down your car options will most likely help you in your decision-making process.


• Do your research
  Once you have solidified your needs, the next step is researching the car options that best fit your needs. You can start by narrowing down which car type(s) is/are most suitable for your situation based on your usage, style preferences and the number of passengers you expect to accommodate (SUV? Truck? Van? Sedan?). After that, you can move on to determining your car vendor preferences and whether you plan on purchasing new or used based on your car budget.


• Identify your auto financing options
  It’s more common than not to finance a vehicle rather than pay cash, so you should consider your financing options. While traditional finance companies and lenders require positive credit history to get approved, we understand that life happens and that everyone deserves a second chance. Credit Acceptance works with more than 12,000 car dealerships across the nation enrolled in our auto finance program to approve bad credit and first-time car buyers for financing. Click here to learn more about pre-qualification


• Go for a test drive
  So, you’ve finally narrowed down your car options and are one step closer to making a purchase. That’s great! But before you make any final decisions, it won’t hurt to take your potential soon-to-be ride for a spin so you can get a feel for how it drives and you’ll know for sure if meets your requirements.

If you’re embarking on your car shopping journey and need help getting approved for financing, a car dealership enrolled in the Credit Acceptance program can help. Whether you have bad credit or are a first-time car buyer, an enrolled dealer can approve you through our program. And once you’re approved, you can improve your credit by making on-time car payments!

Simply fill out the auto finance pre-qualification form on our website to get started.

Click here to begin your online pre-qualification process