So I was looking into where to actually buy a car without getting completely ripped off, and it turns out your state matters way more than I thought. Like, the difference between buying in one state versus another could literally be thousands of dollars just in taxes and dealer fees.

Turns out Oregon is the cheapest state with lowest car prices when you factor everything in—zero sales tax plus they've got the second-lowest dealer fees in the country. Montana's right up there too, also with no sales tax, even though cars cost more upfront there. New Hampshire's another solid option if you're looking at a state with lowest car prices, no sales tax and prices running about 5% below national average.

The thing is, it's not just about the sticker price. I checked data from a few years back and some states were charging crazy dealer fees while others kept them minimal. Alaska's interesting because cars are like 20% more expensive there, but they make up for it with basically the lowest dealer fees in the country. Delaware and Montana also have zero sales tax, which obviously helps.

North Carolina and New Mexico are decent if you can't relocate—reasonable dealer fees even though the sales taxes are a bit higher. Wisconsin's similar, solid affordability even with higher dealer fees than some other states.

Basically, if you're serious about finding a state with lowest car prices overall, you want to look at the combination of three things: sales tax rate, actual car prices in that market, and what dealers charge you to process the sale. Most people just look at the sticker price and miss the tax and fee part, which is wild because that can swing things by thousands.