If you examine your needs rather than wants, you will quickly discover what the right car is for you. Take a moment to think about what you use your car for. How many people do you need to transport? What kind of driving do you most often do? How long is your commute? Is it important that your next vehicle get good gas mileage?

In too many cases people choose a car because it has an eye-catching style or it is a trendy favorite. If you go in this direction, you may either break your budget or have to go car shopping again soon. Let your needs, not your wants, drive your decision.

Here are a few other questions to keep in mind when you begin your car-buying process:

• Do you want a manual or automatic transmission?
• Do you really need four-wheel drive? Or all-wheel drive?
• What safety features do you want?
• Do you require a lot of cargo-carrying capacity?
• Will you be doing any towing?
• Will the car easily fit in your garage or parking area?