Trying to get a new car can be frustrating, especially if you’ve never been through the process before. It’s just a matter of making sure that you can focus on trying to pick up the best financing terms possible for your dream car.

There are essentially 5 ways to get a car loan.

The first step that you have to take is to make sure that you’re looking at not only your desire to get a car, but your ability to pay the loan in general. You should consult with a car loan calculator to get an estimate on what your monthly payments are going to be like. Keep in mind that you could get a better interest rate than what you’re predicting, which means that your payments might not even be as bad as you think.

The second way to a car loan is to make sure that you’re comparing all of your offers. It’s tempting to go with the first offer that you find, but that’s only going to land you in a world of trouble before long. We have a tendency to ignore anything that doesn’t lead to us getting what we want. But reading the fine print can often save you thousands of pounds in interest payments. Comparing your offers and really reading all of the terms and conditions is incredibly important.

The third way to a car loan is to make sure that you know how you will be paying the car loan each and every month. If you can arrange for it to be automatically withdrawn from your checking account, then this is a good idea. You don’t want to try to remember when your payment is due every month. It’s going to end up making you pay extra fees and penalties in the long run — two things that you don’t want. Mailing your payment is also an option, but again — do you really want to? The mail could run late, or your payment could get lost.

The fourth way to a great car loan is to make sure that you take a few test drives before you sign on the proverbial dotted line. You don’t want to just fall in love with a car and find that you really don’t fit comfortably into the vehicle. That’s never the start of a good time.

The fifth is to make sure that your car loan application is filled out properly. The last thing that you want is to find that you’ve given false information (yes, they check!) or that you’ve forgotten to fill in a section. It’s an honest mistake, but it can keep you out of the car of your dreams. Don’t forget these points and you’ll be just fine. Good luck!