Buying a new car can be exciting. But it’s also a complex process through which you can end up overpaying by hundreds or thousands of dollars or with a vehicle that you won’t be happy with down the road. Below are 10 mistakes that car buyers often make that can quickly turn that initial excitement into buyer remorse–and how to avoid them.

You can find more in-depth information and advice on each of the following subjects in Consumer Reports’ new 384-page Smart Buyer’s Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car, available in bookstores. It provides a five-step plan that guides you through every aspect of the car-buying experience, showing you how to simplify the process, find key information, and take control of the negotiations at the dealership.

1. Falling in love with a model.

When spending tens of thousands of dollars on a car, emotion shouldn’t rule the day. Becoming infatuated with a single model can blind you to alternative vehicles that may be better for your needs or make you skimp on thoroughly researching a vehicle’s ratings, reviews, reliability, or safety and pricing information. A wide -eyed approach can also leave you more susceptible to a salesperson’s tactics to get you to pay more than you should. To determine which vehicle is best for you, you should set emotion aside and focus on doing your homework, comparing different models, and assessing your real wants and needs. There will be plenty of time for emotion after you’ve bought the vehicle.

2. Skipping the test drive.

The test drive is one of the most important parts of the car-buying process. A lot of vehicles look good on paper–especially in glossy brochure photos–but the test drive is your best chance to see how a vehicle measures up to expectations and how well it “fits” you and your family. You don’t want any surprises after you’ve bought it. That’s why it’s surprising that many people give vehicles only a token test or, worse, none at all. That is a mistake and a sure recipe for buyer remorse. It’s critical that you take ample time–at least 30 minutes–to conduct a complete test drive and perform a thorough walk-around of any vehicle you’re considering.

3. Negotiating down from the sticker price.

Don’t use the sticker price as your gauge when negotiating a deal. A salesperson may offer you a deal that’s, say, $500 below the sticker price, and many consumers will conclude, often mistakenly, that they’re getting a good deal. Unless the vehicle is in big demand and short supply, you can often get an even lower price by negotiating up from what the dealer paid for the vehicle. When you know the dealer’s true cost, you’ll know how much profit margin it has to work with and can determine a reasonable target price with which to begin your negotiations. You can calculate the dealer’s cost by subtracting any behind-the-scenes sales incentives, such as dealer rebates and holdbacks, from the dealer invoice price. Consumer Reports New Car Price Reports does this for you with the CR Bottom Line Price.

4. Focusing only on the monthly payment when negotiating.

Salespeople like to focus on a monthly-payment figure while negotiating a deal. Indeed, “How much were you thinking of paying each month?” might be one of the first questions to greet you when you meet a salesperson. Don’t take the bait. It’s the first step down a slippery slope of being manipulated with numbers and overpaying for your vehicle. Using the monthly payment as the focus, the salesperson can lump the new-vehicle price, trade-in value, and financing or leasing terms together, giving him or her too much latitude to give you a “good price” in one area while making up for it in another. Instead, insist on negotiating one thing at a time. Settle on the vehicle’s price first, then discuss a trade-in, financing, or leasing separately, as necessary. A leasing tip: Don’t bring up your desire to lease until after you’ve agreed on the vehicle’s price.

5. Buying the “deal” instead of the vehicle.

Automakers have been offering a variety of attractive sales incentives in recent years, from 0% financing and hefty cash rebates to employee-discount pricing programs. These can save you money, but it’s important to remember that any deal is only as good as the car that’s attached to it. Just because you can get a good discount doesn’t mean you should buy the vehicle. After all, you’ll be living with the vehicle for years, so make sure it’s the right one for you. Thoroughly research any model you’re considering and check our Ratings and reviews of competitive models (see our New-vehicle Ratings comparison, available to subscribers). You may find you can get a much better vehicle for not much more money. Also check the reliability of the model (see our Reliability Ratings, available to subscribers). Despite an attractive discount, a vehicle with subpar reliability–and the possibility of hefty depreciation–might not be much of a bargain in the long run. A related tip: Don’t let a special incentive keep you from negotiating. Rebates and special financing are subsidized by the automaker, not the dealership. You should still negotiate the vehicle’s price as if there were no incentive. There’s no reason you shouldn’t get the best price and the incentive, too.

6. Waiting until you’re in the dealership to think about financing.

You might be a whiz at negotiating a good deal, but if you don’t choose your financing just as carefully, you could lose everything you saved on the vehicle’s purchase price, and more. A car shopper who hasn’t researched financing terms is especially vulnerable to being manipulated by the dealership. Not only do you only have the dealership’s terms from which to choose, which are often higher than elsewhere, but dealers also often mark up the interest rate of a loan over what you actually qualify for–a tactic called “interest-rate bumping.” It can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars more over the term of the loan. That’s why it’s critical to comparison shop for financing terms at different financial institutions and get prequalified for an auto loan before you go to the dealership to buy the vehicle. Check interest rates at banks, credit unions, or online financial sites to see which offers you the best rate. If the dealer can offer you terms that are better than what you got elsewhere, you can always choose that deal instead.

7. Underestimating the value of modern safety features.

Today’s vehicles offer an array of advanced safety features. But many buyers don’t know which are most important or what to look for when comparing vehicles. Antilock brake systems (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), and head- protecting side air bags, for instance, are effective and well worth the money. Studies have shown that ESC can significantly reduce accidents and fatalities. The feature is especially important for SUVs, because it can help prevent rollovers. Side-crash tests show that head-protecting side air bags are critical in preventing fatalities in side impacts. Unfortunately, you can’t always depend on a dealership’s salespeople to give you accurate information or reliable guidance about these features. That’s why you should thoroughly research the benefit of all available safety features and look for vehicles that have the ones that will best protect you and your family.

8. Buying unnecessary extras.

Dealerships often try to sell you extras that boost their profit margin but are a waste of your money. They can include rustproofing, fabric protection, paint protectant, or VIN etching, in which the vehicle identification number is etched onto the windows to deter thieves. Don’t accept those unnecessary services and fees. If you see those items on the bill of sale and you haven’t agreed to them, simply cross them out and refuse to pay for them. Vehicle bodies are already coated to protect against rust. And recent CR reliability surveys show that rust is not a major problem with modern cars. You can treat upholstery and apply paint protectant yourself with good off-the-shelf products that cost only a few dollars. If you decide you want VIN etching, you can buy a kit to do it yourself for less than $25, instead of the $200 that some dealerships charge. Also think twice about an extended warranty. It can cost hundreds of dollars. But if you buy a model with good reliability or if you expect to have the vehicle only for five years or less, it often isn’t worth the cost.

9. Not researching the value of your current car.

You could get a great deal on your new car but lose all of the savings–and more–on your trade-in. That’s why it’s critical that you research the value of your current car before buying your new one. Find out what both the used-car retail and wholesale prices are, so that you’ll know what you should be able to get if you trade it in or if you sell it yourself. Typically, you’ll get more money by selling it, as long as you’re willing to put in the additional effort. By knowing your vehicle’s true value and by sticking to your price during the negotiations, you can get your car’s full value, whether you trade it in or sell it yourself.

10. Not having a used car checked by an independent mechanic.

When buying a used car, condition is everything. Even the most reliable vehicle can turn into a lemon if it’s poorly maintained. Before you buy a used vehicle, have it scrutinized by a repair shop that routinely does diagnostic work. A thorough diagnosis should cost around $100, but confirm the price in advance. A good mechanic should be able to tell if the car has been in a major accident or has a hidden but costly problem. Ask for a written report detailing the car’s condition, noting any problems found and what it would cost to repair them. You can then use the report in your negotiations with the seller to adjust the price accordingly.

We’ve all been there in the heart-pounding moments at 3 a.m., when we desperately want to be asleep but somehow cannot get there, when we are racking our brains for what is in our medicine cabinet that might help us along or what soothing things mothers and grandmothers did to help lull us back into sweet dreams. While our sleep can be easily interrupted by a wide variety of factors, the stress that comes in getting and staying asleep doesn’t make any night more restful. Before you pop a pill or crank up the late late late show or melt down in a fit of insomnia, consider these five things that might just be the sheep you should be counting:

1. Identify the insomnia issue. Americans average seven hours of sleep a night and 60% of us report difficulty sleeping at least several nights a week. The bigger problem is, many people leave it at that, never examining why they are awake long before the alarm clock goes off or everyone else is sound asleep.

Where do I begin? The first thing you need to do to cure your sleep struggles is determining if you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or both. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep all night, you’re experiencing insomnia. If you can fall asleep with ease but wake up in the middle of the night regularly, you may have the more-specific issue of “sleep maintenance insomnia”. Most of us have short-term sleep issues like these at some point, but a solid 10-15% of people suffer from chronic insomnia.

Insomnia often occurs during periods of stress and may be impacted by depression, sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome. Rather than focusing on the irritation of being sleep-deprived, try to take a look at both the patterns of insomnia and things going on in your waking life that could be preventing your rest.

2. Take note. Consider keeping an informal sleep journal next to your bed. There’s no need to make a journal another stresser but logging some simple information – the date, the time you woke up, how long you stayed awake before you felt sleepy again, your stress level on a one to ten scale – might offer you some helpful information in addressing the insomnia yourself or with a doctor. Although you might know, for example, that you have a high-stress job, it might take a little journaling to connect midnight wakings with Thursday staff meetings or an upcoming deadline.

How will this help? Taking note of how often you have sleep problems and exactly when may also strip away any of those tendencies to say “I NEVER sleep” or “I’m an AWFUL sleeper.” Instead, you’ll have some more concrete information that will move you from “I often am awake from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.” or “When bills are due, it takes me longer to fall asleep.” This kind of real understanding will lead you to a solution much easier than sitting (or laying or pacing) in your frustration).

3. Use your daytime activity to support your nighttime rest. It probably isn’t a surprise that even small amounts of exercise will help you rest easier at night. Adding in a walk after lunch or some yoga at your desk will pay off when it is time to turn in.

What about food? Avoid drinking and eating things that will affect your ability to relax or stay in bed. If spicy food gives you heartburn, try not to eat it at a late dinner. If drinking all your water for the day sends you to the bathroom four times before dawn, make a commitment to do most of your hydrating before lunch. Caffeine, sugar and alcohol are also common thieves of sleep, so be aware of when you are consuming them, in what quantities and how the impact your personal sleep patterns. If you must eat close to bedtime, choose a small amount of carbs paired with a protein (oatmeal with skim milk, yogurt with granola, whole grain crackers with soy butter, sliced apple with cheese are all healthy choices to late night snacking).

4. Really prepare for bed. As a mother, I don’t know a single parent who doesn’t have a well-established bedtime routine for their children. As a mother, I also find myself falling into bed with barely any transition time or closure on the day. At what point do we forget why the songs-stories-snuggles end of the day is so critical to the beginning of our night?

There’s no need to ask your husband to read you Goodnight Moon and rub your back while singing Frere Jacques (but if that works, hey, why not?). Do weave some soothing rituals into the half-hour before you want to fall asleep by reading a few pages, stretching, meditating, listening to calm music or just breathing deeply. Releasing the day in these ways will help you let go of those nagging to-do lists and anxieties and prompt your brain and body that it is time to relax.

What are some other routines I can do? Setting a cell phone or watch alarm may cue you to keep a regular bedtime. Lavender essential oils or pillow sprays may soothe you as you settle in and counteract the chaos of the day. Finally, turn off the television, laptop and any other gadgets that make you unnecessarily accessible to life and work outside your bedroom. Finally, there’s one thing from your childhood that may still work like a charm when you are having trouble sleeping. Warm milk may really help you drift off because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that converts melatonin and seratonin and could induce sleepiness.

5. Create a bedroom that seduces you into sleep. Do you notice on cable home make-over shows how often couples ask for a renovation that will make their bedroom into a haven? Our frenetic schedules, cluttered homes and tight spaces may mean we stack up so much in our bedrooms that there’s no way to escape, even to sleep! Taking a weekend to clear all that out will help you make a healthy sleep environment and may have an immediate impact on how restful you feel in that space.

Many experts say that your bedroom should be a place reserved only for sleeping and sexual intimacy (see? once again, it comes back to the snuggling). Keep this in mind as you are moving your desk, filing cabinets, sewing machines, mountainous laundry piles and kids’ toys out of your room and into places where no one needs to sleep.

How can I dial down the action and dial up the allure? Keeping your room cool and dark, choosing pillows and bedding that are comfortable and you enjoy settling in to and adding black-out curtains behind your window treatments will help set the stage. Remove the television. If this pains you or your partner, consider moving it out for a month to see if it helps. If it must stay, keep it in a cabinet or armoire that closes or cover it with a scarf so you have one more marker for turning off when you turn in.

If the stress of your days still seeps in, keep a worry book by your bed where you can write down what (literally) could keep you awake that night. Or if the to-dos are what’s nagging at you all night, keep a stack of sticky notes and pen next to the bed so you can transcribe them right away, knowing you can pick them up in the morning.

Still wide awake? No! These posts won’t put you to sleep but they might help you out if you need some ZZZZs:

• Help me out!: What’s your bedtime routine?
• 4 ways to get a good night’s sleep
• How much sleep did you get last night?
• Get rid of your under-eye circles
• Undercover: Sleep masks