Brand websites such as Ford, Dodge and BMW contain basic MSRP information along with manufacturer rebates. This means that any pricing you find on a website will be limited to the discounts that the manufacturer is offering based off your location.

Online pricing companies such as Edmunds and Auto Trader provide the MSRP, Invoice and Market Prices for vehicles. Edmunds also provides quotes from local dealers which eliminates the need for you to go to the dealership and haggle with them on the price.

Vehicle Research

An important part of financing or leasing a vehicle is doing research on the vehicle before you buy. Luckily, most of the information that you’re looking for on most vehicles is available online. Whether you use YouTube for videos or sites like Auto Trader or Consumer Reports, there is a plethora of resources.

Here’s a list of popular places you can do vehicle research:

• Auto Trader
• Consumer Reports
• Edmunds
• Canadian Black Book
• Kelley Blue Book

Auto Insurance

Auto Insurance is needed whether you decide to lease or finance a vehicle. And every auto insurance provider is going to have different rates, discounts for where you work, organizations you may be a part of etc. Doing your research and shopping around can literally save you hundreds of dollars a year. Plus, if you find a company that’s substantially cheaper you may be able to get into a higher priced vehicle.

While there are a number of options for auto insurance companies, a few that make the shopping process easy are:

• esurance
• Kanetix

Get Out of A Lease Early

If you’re in a lease and want to get out of it early you can contact your leasing company to see what the buyout option is to get out early. You can use these services to get out early:

• Lease Busters
• Swapalease

Credit Scores and Ratings

Having good credit is the key to getting lower lease and finance payments for your vehicle. There are different credit bureaus in Canada and the USA which means that each will have their own credit score/rating for you. When you’re ready to start your car buying journey it’s important that you have an understanding of what your score is. Get your report using one of the services below:

• Transunion
• myFICO