More than one way to buy a car

Even in these slow economic times, we still have to spend money. The washing machine gives out, our clothes become out of date (or too small), or the clunker we've been driving for nearly a decade needs to be replaced.

With the price of just about everything going up and credit harder to come by, this might not be the best time for a big-ticket purchase. But sometimes it makes more financial sense to buy a new car when maintenance on the old one is getting out of hand.

But now more than ever you need to do your homework.

With just about every car manufacturer seeing diminished profits, there's a big push right now to sell. Dealers are offering lots of incentives such as cash back and financing options.

One deal that may sound appealing, but can get many of us in trouble, is the 84-month car loan.


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