Buying your first car
The sticker is the smallest number — here's the rest
The biggest purchase most people make before a house, demystified. What a car really costs to own, how auto loans and credit scores set your rate, how a dealership actually makes money, and how car insurance works — calm, judgment-free, never pushy.
4 lessons · about 27 minutes total · 100% free
Saved on this device only — no account needed.
1. What a car really costs (the sticker is the smallest number)
The price on the windshield is the smallest number a car will cost you. Add depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance and fees to find the true monthly cost before you buy.
6 min read
2. Financing a car without getting burned
An auto loan is four numbers, and the payment hides the other three. See what term, APR, credit score and a pre-approval do to the real cost of your car.
7 min read
3. New vs. used, and how a dealership actually makes money
The depreciation curve decides new versus used. Then see where a dealership earns its margin — financing markup, add-ons and the trade-in spread — so you recognize each one.
7 min read
4. Car insurance explained (how the coverage actually works)
Liability, collision, comprehensive, deductible, premium, gap: learn what each piece of a car insurance policy does and how the prices connect, so two quotes become comparable.
7 min read