Consumer Reports recently offered a handful of tips when it comes to buying a new car to make the best out of a less-than-ideal situation. We've distilled them down into a few simple points to follow.

Figure out financing ahead of time

Per

Consumer Reports

, it's a great idea to determine what you can afford monthly and as a down payment, then arrange your financing.

Before heading to the dealership to look at automobiles, arrange financing from your bank or credit union. This gives you a benchmark against which to assess dealer financing, which may or may not be a good deal.

Sometimes, manufacturer subsidies can help dealers provide lower interest rates than banks. And by prearranging your financing, you might be able to pull the trigger on a car, truck, or SUV that's generally scarce the moment you find it.

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Don't go too big on your loan

With dealers marking up their inventory, it'd be easy to pay too much for your new vehicle. Consider what you'll get for your car when you trade it in down the line if you pay 20% over MSRP when it's new.

For example, if you buy something that depreciates $15,000 in three years and paid $10,000 over MSRP when you bought it new, it costs you $25,000 to own it for that short term. In short, overpaying now will come to bite you later—so maybe chill out a bit before signing anything.

Do your research and check the inventory yourself

Local dealers may not have exactly what you want, so it's important to check the website or call before making the trip. You may need to check many sellers to locate anything similar; if local dealers don't have the car you desire, look elsewhere.

But with new vehicle

inventory issues

, the car you're looking at might be gone by the time you get to the dealership.

You should also do your research. Naturally, you want to see and test drive the car before signing a sales or leasing contract, especially for used automobiles.

You'll also want a short list of competitors to test-drive and a strong understanding of trim levels and amenities because you may not see your preferred configuration in the showroom.

Buy something that's reliable—and be willing to compromise

If you find yourself paying more than typical for a new car—which will be likely—you'll want to hold onto it for a while. And even if the dealer has the model you want, it may lack some features.

You'll need to determine which features are most important to you and whether they'll make or break your choice of new vehicle.

When it comes to price, be aware that large pickup trucks and SUVs with all the bells and whistles have had the highest price rises, while smaller cars, sedans, hatchbacks, and front-wheel drive SUVs have seen smaller increases.

If you can't afford the monster pickup truck, it's OK to drive a sedan for a while so long as it does what you need it to do.

Be sure to save where you can

On top of avoiding spending too much on a new vehicle, you shouldn't be

paying too much

for your car insurance either.

The best way to save on your car insurance is to shop around—and you can leave that work to

Jerry

. Jerry customers save an average of over $800 annually to insure their vehicles.

If you hate gathering quotes and you’d rather leave it to someone else, the Jerry app sources quotes from 55+ insurance companies, like Nationwide, Safeco, Progressive, and Travelers. Jerry even helps cancel your old policy once you’ve made your pick.

MORE: 8 Tips for Buying a Car As Inflation Soars

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