This is good advice- do your research on true car, car guru, find out Costco pricing.

Figure out what you want to pay and send emails or texts.

I bought my last car all by text. Had never met sales guy til I went to pick it up. I had to drive an hour but got a special order that took 5 months for less than the Costco price and that dealer could not get me the car since they didn't have allocation.

Having a baseline, being patient and willing to swap stuff can be good if you're not picky. I have been known to check inventory and ask for a color they do not have for a little more wiggle room on something they do have on lot.

I thought of a couple of ditional points while I was on the trainer:

Even if you are prepared to pay cash, consider financing. If you live in a state with no prepayment penalty, sometimes you can get a discount on the price of the vehicle if the dealership thinks you are going to finance. Reason for this is that banks will buy the contract from the dealership. If the dealership knows they're going to be selling the contract to a bank for $400, they might be willing to give you an additional $100 - $200 off if you are financing. Then you simply pay the cash to the bank at the first payment, maybe pay $10 or $15 in interest, but save a couple hundred on the net price.

Also if the factory has special financing offers like zero or .9%, and you can put the money in an interest-bearing account with a higher yeild, you are making money by financing. If interest rates at the bank dip below the interest rate on your loan, simply pay off the loan.

Depends on the rate, if factory financing is 0% it's a no brainer.

Forget Friday, plan your final visit for the last business day of the Quarter. Good luck, be sure to give us a post-mortem...

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

If you go the extended warranty route, know your stuff. Dealer tried selling me on a warranty for 3k when I knew I could get it for far less somewhere else. Called him on it and and he matched my quote. Also, you have 3 months to decide if you want warranty (toyota), so don't get bullied.