An amount of money you pay upfront on the car to reduce the amount financed.
An amount of money you pay upfront on the car to reduce the amount financed. You may or may not be required to give a down payment based on your credit history and other factors.
Note that if you have a trade-in, what the trade-in is worth can count as a down payment. And in some states, you could get a tax break for trading in your old car.