Everyone is on a budget nowadays and if you’re strapped for cash, when it comes down to purchasing a car, I wanted to give you 5 tips that you can use, when you’re looking to buy a cheap car.

Now, a cheap car is going to be different for everyone.  For you, it may be $5,000, while the guy down the street thinks “$500″ is cheap.  Regardless of how much you’re going to want to spend, you can implement these strategies to find the car that you want a discounted price.

• #1 Start with Auctions: Auctions are by far the best place to go when looking for a cheaper car.  Whether you’re looking for a police auction, or maybe a private auction, there are going to be a ton of them in your area.  If you’re going to go to an auction, make sure that you go ahead of time to see what kind of cars that are going to be on the offer block.  Check out sites such as GovAuctions to find one near you.
• #2 Craigslist: If you’re looking to find a cheap car online, people love to dump cars on Craiglist.  Not only is it free to list, a lot of people are drawn here for any type of deal.  You’re going to want to act fast here, if you’re thinking you’re going to get a good deal.  If it’s a good deal, it’s going to go fast!
• #3 eBay: If you’re willing to travel a far distance, eBay is an amazing place to find great deals.  Search your make, models, or even if you don’t know what you want, you can search based on price ranges.  This is a great way to save, as well as see what’s out there.
• #4 Local Dealer: While I like looking online for the best deals, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to check out your local dealers that have a used lot.  You will find that many dealers don’t take technology to the maximum, and you will quickly notice that a lot of their inventory isn’t even listed online, which can mean a steal for you!  If you feel like not being pressured at the dealer, you can always go after hours.
• #5 Consider Damaged: If you’re a pro at fixing cars, you may want to look into damaged cars.  Sometimes you can land a deal, where you can save as much as 60% off the sticker price.  Make sure that you write out a budget ahead of time, if you’re going to take this route.  You may find that the parts could get awfully expensive.

These 5 tips are the steps that I would take, when looking for a cheaper car.  It’s all going to depend on your budget, and what you’re looking for.  Regardless though, you will find that it’s going to be relatively easy to find a car that you may want to buy.