Experts at Edmunds suggest capping car expenses (payment, insurance, fuel) at 10% of your take-home pay.

A popular finance guideline from Money Guy suggests putting 20% down, paying it off in 3 years, and keeping the payment under 8% of your gross income.

Listed on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist , these are often cheaper but offer no consumer protection.

Offer "Certified Pre-Owned" (CPO) vehicles, which include factory-backed warranties but cost more.