If you are shopping for a used vehicle, there is a good chance you will eventually come across one with a rental history.

That can raise an immediate question:

Should you buy a former rental car?

The answer is not automatically yes or no.

How long should you keep a car?

Five years?

Ten years?

Fifteen years?

There is no single number that works for every driver, but the length of time you keep a vehicle can have a major impact on your total transportation costs.

When it is time to replace your current vehicle, one of the first decisions you may face is whether to trade it in at the dealership or sell it privately.

At first glance, selling the vehicle yourself may seem like the obvious financial choice.

Private-party buyers may sometimes be willing to pay more for a used vehicle than a dealership offers as a trade-in.

But that does not automatically mean selling privately is the better deal.

If you have two vehicles sitting in your driveway but really only need one, you may be wondering whether you can trade both of them toward a single new or used vehicle.

The answer is generally yes—you can trade in two cars for one vehicle.

In fact, trading multiple vehicles toward one purchase can sometimes make a lot of financial sense.

If you're thinking about trading in your current vehicle but still have a loan on it, you may be wondering whether you need to pay the car off before visiting the dealership.

The good news is that you can usually trade in a car that isn't paid off.

In fact, dealerships handle trade-ins with outstanding loan balances every day.

The important question isn't necessarily whether you still owe money on your car. What matters more is how much your vehicle is worth compared with how much you still owe on the loan.

When you see a vehicle advertised for a certain price online, what should that price actually mean?

According to recent guidance and enforcement activity from the Federal Trade Commission, the answer is becoming increasingly clear: the advertised price should be the actual price a consumer can pay to purchase the vehicle, excluding only charges the government requires the consumer to pay.

Buying a car can be exciting, but the process goes much more smoothly when you arrive prepared. Whether you are purchasing a brand-new vehicle, a used car, a truck, or an SUV, there are a handful of documents, pieces of information, and personal items that can make the difference between a quick, efficient transaction and an avoidable delay. Most buyers do not need to bring a thick folder of paperwork, but there are several things worth having ready before you head to the dealership.

Why would someone want to buy a car if they do not have a driver's license? In reality, there are plenty of legitimate reasons someone without a valid driver's license might need or want to purchase a vehicle. A parent may be buying a car for a child. Someone may be purchasing a vehicle for a spouse or caregiver to drive. A business owner may need another company vehicle even though someone else will operate it. A person may be temporarily unable to drive but still want to purchase a vehicle for future use. Others may simply want…

Buying a new or used vehicle should be exciting, but there is one part of the process that can occasionally catch shoppers off guard: paperwork. You may already know which vehicle you want, have your trade-in ready, and know approximately what monthly payment you are comfortable with, but if you arrive without the information or documents needed to complete the transaction, the process can take longer than expected. Fortunately, a little preparation can make buying a car much faster and easier.

How much car can I actually afford? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer depends on much more than the price printed on the window sticker. Your income matters, of course, but so do your monthly expenses, your trade-in value, how much money you plan to put down, the interest rate on your loan, your insurance costs, and how much financial flexibility you want to keep after the purchase.