There's a perfect storm in the automotive industry.

Interest rates are at record lows (down 18% for buyers who have good credit in the past year), oil and gas prices remain cheap and the average U.S.-owned vehicle is over 11 years old, according to WalletHub's 2015 Automobile Funding Report. In its survey of 150 automobile financers nationwide, WalletHub reports that the"great areas to start" are carmakers (where speeds will be 49% below average) and credit unions (23% below average).

Not so with large banks (where loan prices are 10% above average) and regional banks (where prices are 43% over average). Research researchers deem them"secondary options" for auto buyers this summer, which sounds an understatement.

For customers seeking to shift into higher gear on a new car or truck buy have advice.

Andrea Woroch, customer savings urge from Santa Barbara, Calif., was forced to buy a car when the engine in her 2005 Jeep seized lately.

"I had put a budget first," Woroch says. "The key for car buyers there is to review your now monthly invoices versus earnings to figure out a comfortable monthly payment that you could spend. Begin researching car choices which fit within that budget. Doing it the other way round will often lead you to overbuy and get trapped feeling fiscally strained."

Woroch also advises using Kelly Blue Book or TrueCar.com to find the estimated average cost paid and fair market price for cars you are considering. Check Costco too, she says.

"Costco members are agreeing to an exclusive automobile pricing program for participating retailers that are usually beneath the maker price. Make sure you have your member card ready if you are asking about this cost, or consider linking to the year. The one-time fee will be paid for by the savings you receive from the warehouse deal," she states.

Your best move is to take the deal private When trading in your old car is part of the deal. "If you have to sell your present car, you can expect to get 15% to 25% more from a private party versus what you'd get trading it in to a dealer, depending on the car's condition," states Kelly MacRae, vice president of strategic and financial planning for Beacon Pointe Advisors at Newport Beach, Calif."Additionally, if you decide to buy your vehicle from a dealer, timing is all.

Be sure to buy, if you decide on a used vehicle. "The VIN is a vehicle's fingerprint and is essential for tracking a vehicle's lifetime -- its use, abuse, and demise," says Kristen Andersson, head of communications and strategic marketing at San Francisco-based Instamotor, an online vehicle sales market.

Be certain you receive a mechanical inspection too. "Placing up a vehicle on a lift is the only way to uncover hidden difficulties."