Purchasing a used truck is a huge commitment that you do not want to approach lightly. It is easy to walk on a lot and fall in love with a truck that stares back at you. It may be overpriced and hard to obtain a loan for. You may have the cash in hand to buy it outright, but you need to take a step back and go over the list below. Better yet, before you even start looking get a sheet of paper and write down the answers that you have decided upon, so you have it handy.

1. Know What You Want-The reason you are looking to buy a truck is something personal that only you know about. You need to sit down and write out why you plan to use it. Is the truck going to be used for work, for hauling some of your toys back and forth to the lake and campground, or are you wanting an off-road beast that can allow you the pleasure of playing in the great outdoors. Whatever the reason, write it down. If you need the truck to meet more than one task, write them all down.
2. Do Your Research-Using the details from the first section start doing some online research. Car and Driver is a great resource to use. Compare the trucks that you are considering. When buying a used truck you may want to find out what years and what brands are going to offer you the best options and that are the most reliable. Remember that not all trucks are created equally. Not all trucks have the options that you may need. Once again, while doing research do not allow yourself to fall in love with one particular truck. You need to use the list from the paper in front of you and write down a couple of choices that you want to look for.
3. Type-Even though this is covered above, it needs to be addressed in more detail. In the past all that you had to choose from would have been a diesel or gas-powered truck. Now, electric and hybrid versions are available. If you are wanting to help the environment, you will want to go for one of these types. But make sure that the truck can do the job that you need it to do, otherwise it is just a purchase to give you the ability to blow some money.
4. Budget-Now you need to take the time to do the task that many of use prefer to skip. A budget needs to be written down so you know exactly what you can afford to pay out every month. Write that down in the third spot on your paper. Do not go over that amount no matter what. If you are planning on paying cash outright, put that number on your sheet of paper. You need to have a set amount before you go down to your used truck dealer.
5. Financing-Unless you are planning to pay outright for your used truck you will need to have some type of financing available. You can always go through the car lot and apply through them, but they may not give you as good of terms as your banker will. There are many online websites available to you so you can apply for a couple different loans through various lenders and take the best offer.

That is all there is to it. The reason that you need to write the first few steps down is so you have something to focus on. The salespeople will always try to upsell you, and they may not even consider what you are wanting and needing. If you have done all the steps above, you will be educated and will know what you want.