<prompt> Human: My Mom is willing to cosign a loan with me. Between money she offered and what I currently have in my savings, I can scrape together about 2k for a down payment. I figure I can afford 600month for payments, but that means I wont be able to move out of my parents house until its paid off. Theyre OK with that, Im not really, but Ill put up with it if I have to.Obviously, Im researching used cars. Im hoping to find a decent price for a decent car through used car lot or craigslist, and, yes, I will have anything I look at checked by a reliable mechanic before purchasing.So, what do I need to know about applying for a loan? Will my Mom need to be there in person, or will she be able to fax documents in?  <response>: When going to a dealer: 1 Always get financing first. Go to a bank, credit union. wherever and apply to get pre-approved for a car loan. If you dont, you will get a terrible loan. Dealers get kickbacks from lenders for steering buyers into high interest loans. When the dealer asks about financing, show them your pre-approval paperwork and tell the dealer to beat it. They will every time. 2 Never talk payments. Negotiate the price of the vehicle.3 Force the salesperson to make the first offer. Ask them whats the lowest price they will take for the car. 100 of car salespeople will ask you to make an offer. Refuse. They will say they cant tell you the bottom price. You have to make an offer. Walk away. They will give you a price if you show them your not playing. 4 You have to be prepared to walk. 5 Visit the lot at night and look. 60-70 of the time a security guard will come out. Just tell them what your doing. They dont want to spoil a saleand are bored so most of the time they are helpful. They will usually know how long a vehicle has been on the lot, etc. Take a notebook or smartphone and record mileage, condition, etc of the cars your interested in and check them on edmunds.com when you get home. 6 Its not a good idea to test drive and buy on the same day. Give yourself a day to cool off. Most of the time you will decide on a different car. 