College can be tough when it comes down to your finances and when you need to get around college you’re probably going to need a car of some sort and since you can’t really afford a brand new $20,000 car, you’re going to have to look elsewhere.  Cars don’t come cheap new or used but if you use some of these car buying techniques, you can potentially save a few thousand dollars.

How far are you travelling? - The first thing you want to look at is how far you’re going to travel each week.  If it’s only a few miles a week, you can afford to get a car with high miles.  A car with higher miles is generally going to be less money.  If you travel a lot each week, you’re going to want a car that’s going to be more reliable.  This is how I would put it.  If you drive more than 75 miles a week,you’ll want a car with low miles.

Do you need the car? – If you’ve already been to your college campus, you are probably aware of your surroundings.  Some students found out a few weeks into school that they don’t even need a car because there’s a town nearby and a job can be within walking distance.  If you can walk to your job and other destinations, I would save your money and ditch the car idea.  Save your money!  It will only help you in the long run.

Ask relatives or friends – Before you even go out on the hunt for a car, check with friends and family to see if they have a car they would like to dump off onto you.  The nice thing about buying from a relative or friend is that you’ll know exactly how the car was treated.  Unlike a stranger, you have no idea how the car was driven in the past.

Research if buying new – If you plan on buying a brand new car, make sure that you do you research on your car.  Be sure to check out the top college student cars website to see what kind of car might fit your needs.  Remember, if you’re going to buy new, you’re going to spend more than $13,000, so it’s important you also look into get an auto loan.

Save and buy used- Saving money is always fun and in order to save money while buying a car, I would recommend you check out websites like AutoTrader.com and CraigsList.org.  Both of these websites have thousands of choices where you simply browse for cars in your area.  If you find something nice, simply call up and take it for a test drive.   Always try to talk down the price of the car.