<prompt> Human: Title says it all for the most part. As a part of my new salary 35k I will be paid an additional 300 dollars on my last check of the month to cover my transportation costs. My commute is only about 30 mins to and from work.I do not want to get stuck paying more than a car is worth because I got myself locked into a 60-month lease with a maxed out monthly payment. I would love to lease to own or possibly buy from a private seller that offers a monthly payment option, if that even exists. I have read over most of the Auto threads on here already and found mainly people looking to pay cash outright from some 00 Toyota or trying to get out from under a huge care loan.Any advice on how to walk into a dealership with confidence and be able to break down my own payment goals?Thanks in advance-BradPS, live in Michigan  <response>: I dont understand the problem. Use an online calculator to see how much car you can afford to buy on 300mo over a reasonable loan period 3-4 years in my opinion. Then look for good quality used cars that fit the bill. If you want to buy from a private seller, youll need to go to your credit union or bank to discuss whether they will offer financing for you and what the terms would be.Dont go into the dealer and say I can afford 300mo because theyll probably try to sell you a car with 300mo payments for 6 years. Instead, look online at the used car inventory, find what you like, research the true valuemaintenancerepair history typical for that car, and then go to the dealer with a total fair price in mind. 