Call dealership, ask if they have car X, and will they sell it to me for price Y?

Right.

I've always been baffled when I hear that purchasing a new car is one of the most stressful things a person will ever do.

People make too big a deal over it. What's the worst that will happen? You might pay more money for the car than your neighbor paid for his. BFD. Buy a new car, pay $1000 more for it than the best you could possibly have done by spending days shoppoing around in other cities, insulting salespeople and making an ass of yourself... well, after three years that comes to less than a dollar a day. Get a life.

Plus, in my experience, if you treat the dealer right, allow him to make a reasonable profit on the transaction, chances are you're going to be treated well in return. Trust me, the guy who managed to screw the dealer out of every last nickel on the sale of the car is not the guy who's going to go to the head of the line when he needs an emergency repair.

tanstaafl.