[header] How to finance a car [title] Find out how much you can afford up front. [step] If you know the ballpark value of what you want to pay for a vehicle, and how much you can afford to pay in cash, you will know about how much you will need to finance. [substeps] Maximize your down payment. 
A smart way to finance a car is to get as much of a down payment as you can. The more you can pay at the beginning of a deal, the less you will have to pay in interest.