Car battery or alternator?

I would start by getting the battery charged.....then move onto the alternator. If you know someone handy with a wrench you can test the alternator after the battery. After that if it still does not start it would mean the starters shot. The starter and alternator replacement can tend to go hand in hand for some models of vehicles. Saturns were notorious for it.

At this moment, your battery doesn't have enough amperage to start the car. You have been extremely lucky to have not had battery trouble before this! OEM (original equipment manufacturers) battery's that car companies install when they're new are not as good as what's available today. 3-4 years on an original battery is about all you can expect. If you plan on keeping your car, select a battery with the longest free replacement warranty period and the most cold cranking amps at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

Good or bad alternators have nothing to do with the starter motors ability to spin the motor at start-up. Available amperage of the battery starts the motor. A bad alternator will contribute to a battery voltage discharge but will not help start a car.

*After you install a new battery, have someone hook a volt meter to it with the engine running. If the volt meter reads between 13.5 -14.2 volts, your alternator is charging the battery normally and supplying all the electrical systems on the car with adequate amperage to operate them.

Could be just one or both.

Stores such has advance auto perform free tests on batteries. Have them check yours out.

If the alternator is bad, a (good) battery could be fine but its just not being charged by the (bad) alternator.

If the alternator is fine, a (bad) battery could be charged just fine but will not hold it long enough.

well i would say the battery - get a new one - after you put it in - clean the cables - if it holds charge when vehicle running then it was just the battery - if it drains after 20 min. then it would be the alternator

sounds like the battery to me or the battery terminals need to be cleaned. the alternator don,t start your car. all it does is keep the battery charged.

either one, or both, get the alt checked first then go from ther