[guitarman]

Nice write-up.

I've used several different methods to purchase my vehicles, but the common denominator is being ready, and appearing ready, to purchase the vehicle when the right deal is struck. If you appear to be "just shopping," you'll never get the best deal. I do my "just shopping" when I'm still in the research mode and I do it at dealerships I have no intentions of buying from. Then, when I'm ready to buy, I go to the dealership I want to do business with. The last car I bought, I went in at 7:30 pm on the last day of the month and said, "I'm ready to purchase a car tonight!" That got their attention and got me, I feel, a good price on the vehicle.

And I totally agree with you that being prepared with lots of information, including what you can find on this site as well as Edmunds and others, will pay off.