I'm a regular reader, not a med student/doctor, rarely a poster (sometimes I offend inadvertently), but here is something that I found extremely useful when I got a new car two years ago:

Go to this consumer reports link:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/customer-service/consumer-reports-advice-and-prices-on-buying-a-new-car/index.htm?page=new-cars§ion=:cars&pdxview=CRO

It is for Consumer Reports Bottom Line Pricing. I bought a couple of Consumer Reports "New Car Price Service" reports when I was researching cars. They boil everything down to "what you should be able to buy a car for" if you are getting a good deal. It cuts out all the BS - all the jargon that other sites talk about - dealer invoice, holdback, incentives, etc. Very useful and a well spent $14. I basically hit right on that number and had peace of mind knowing that I didn't get screwed.

Good luck.

-M

Agree with you on the hating car shopping. I got royally screwed on a my last car despite trying to be careful. I attempted to get the BBB involved (as this dealt with an increase in % after I had signed so my payment was absurdly high) but was told that, while not nice, it wasn't against any rules.

Good luck and I hope you get something that lasts for a long time.

I recently tried to sell my car only to find out that it had been declared a wreck/write off in a collision prior to my ownership. Good times. I hope that car lot owner gets an anal fistula for that one. And the tranny (transmission--not an actual Transvestite) died in my BF's 2005 Subaru forester this week. Just as an aside...hope your haggling is going well!