The traditional car buying experience is often seen as an overwhelming task. But thanks to the Web, customers can save time and enter a dealership precisely knowing what they want to buy.

How many times have you started the process by visiting different car dealerships? Purchasing a new or used car is a significant investment and you will hopefully be keeping your vehicle for awhile. You likely have certain features and options in mind, which will help narrow the scope of which models you will consider. But because you want to find the best car to meet your needs, the process can be intense and arduous.

Many car companies and dealerships are posting their inventory online so you can search for a car to best suit your needs. If you begin with the website as your first step, when you walk into the dealership, you have a narrowed list of vehicles that have the features you want, in your price range and you don’t have to waste a lot of time driving around from one dealership to another.

There are three different types of auto retail sites available for car buyers and each has its own unique advantages.

The Coast-to-Coast Dealer’s Website

When browsing online for your car, one of your primary concerns may be selection. CarMax is an online car dealership with a large inventory, located in several states across the country.

When you visit the site, you enter the make, model, price range and other details for the type of car you want. You are asked to enter your zip code, and then given a list of available vehicles at locations near your zip code. You can compare models, pricing, features, mileage, and other details.

If you aren’t sure what type of car you want, this is a good option to check out as many cars as possible in your price range.

The Local Dealership’s Website

The local dealership is probably the best option if customer service, in addition to selection, is important to you. The difference is similar to shopping at a large retailer versus the small specialty shop owned by a local family known for their contributions in the community. But whereas that small specialty shop may not have an inventory comparable to the big guys, the local dealership may not only offer a comparable selection of cars, but services that you won’t find at the larger auto retailers.

Conklin Cars is a new and used car dealer with several locations in Kansas. When working with a dealership that has several locations, you have the advantage of a large inventory, and working with specialists at each location. Customers who have visited the Salina car dealer site, for example, can also visit the company’s Newton car dealership and Hutchinson auto dealer sites online or in person to compare models, features and pricing.

But in addition to searching for cars based on brand, make, model, new, used, and even “building” the car you want, customers can also send questions to the dealerships’ parts and service technicians. Rather than running all over town to try and find the right part your car needs, or taking the car to a mechanic that may not be familiar with your car, you’ve got both covered at one location. This works well because it gives you a one-stop-shop option for not only purchasing your car, but care and maintenance after purchase.

Other notable advantages of using a local dealership include better, low-pressure sales and customer service, in addition to unique services. At Conklin Cars, sales reps are trained to create relationships with customers for any of their car buying or car service needs. For example, customers can rent a vehicle from Conklin Cars, a unique feature of this local dealership not found at many auto retailers.

Brand Name Shopping

If you have a particular brand in mind, visiting the company’s main site is probably your best option. A manufacturer’s website will offer a comprehensive look at all of the company’s offerings. Saturn, for example, is known for its low-pressure, no-haggle pricing. Like most automotive brands, the site is quite comprehensive with a photo gallery of different models, pricing, features and other valuable information to help you make an educated decision on which one of their vehicles will best suit your lifestyle.

Modern technology has created an opportunity for the car buyer to save much time, effort and stress when shopping. Depending on whether you want a vast inventory, a local resource capable of providing all of your car service needs, or you’re focused on one particular brand, beginning the car buying process online is a smart move. If you know your budget and enter the dealership with a clear decision on which cars you want to see, you’ve got the hardest part of the car-buying process covered, and all that will be left to do is make a decision and go through the paperwork.

When it comes to getting the best car loan, you need to do a four-step process. You need to first determine you financial situation, shop for a car, do some research, and then go back to the dealership. When you go through the buying process without skipping a step, you will surely get the best loan that you will ever find.

First, you need to determine your finances. You need to know how much you can spend before you go for a loan. You need to make sure that you can afford the car financed and live comfortably. What you need to do is sit down and think about all the extra money that you have at the end of the month.

You will want to subtract gas money, car maintenance, and then you will find a reasonable amount for a car payment. You need to be able to subtract all your bills and expenses from your income to get your disposable income. This will give you an idea of what kind of money you can throw around. You will want to make sure that you leave a percent in your account for costs that pop up every now and then.

When you go to the dealer to find out what you can afford. You take your estimated purchasing power and tell your dealer. Clearly, state that you can pay whatever, however, makes sure that includes all the fees of purchasing a vehicle. You may need plates, registration fees, taxes, interest rates, and so on.

Once you have looked over some cars, you can them jot down some pin numbers to get a car report to make sure that you are getting the most for your loan. Then come back to the dealership and haggle if you must. This is the time when you go home and you research everything. You need to research creditors, you need to research the car, and you need to ask around about the dealership.

You should go home and compare interest rates. You can get many of the quotes for free, and then you can find out whom you want to file with. You want the lowest rate possible so that you don’t end up over paying too much for a vehicle.

Then when you go back, try to ask the dealer to lower your payment or your monthly payments. This is when you need to take full advantage of discounts and sales or rebates. You should also ask your dealer if there is anyway that they can get you a loan with a lower interest rate. They may go back and crunch the numbers and you’ll find it to be a great experience, but then some times you have to settle for an interest rate less than desirable because of your credit rating.

In 1990, General Motors capitalized on consumer’s intense dislike of the auto purchasing process and introduced the Saturn. Saturns were, and are still, sold at a flat price with no dickering, dealing or haggling. Today, almost 25% of car buyers purchase vehicles from flat price, or no-haggle, dealerships. But are they truly saving money?

At no-haggle dealerships, cars are priced at a flat rate that typically includes a standard options package and a built in profit for the dealer. Additional options may be sold in flat-rate packages or a la carte. At regular dealerships, cars are displayed with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price but everything including options, warranty, financing and dealer profit is negotiable.

Research has shown that educated consumers pay much less for cars at regular dealerships than at no-haggle dealerships. This is because regular dealers set average profit goals over time. For example, if they sell five cars, the average profit per car should be a certain amount, say $1,000. That means of those five cars, three could sell for $1000 profit, but the dealer could make $2000 and $0 profit on the remaining two cars and still hit their goal. At a no-haggle dealership, the profit goal is fixed per car, meaning that while you will not pay $1000 more because you have poor negotiating skills, you will also not save $1000 if you have good ones.

There are certain people who historically do benefit from purchasing cars from no-haggle dealerships. Young adults, women and minorities in particular, have historically paid higher prices than other groups at regular auto dealerships and may benefit from no-haggle pricing. In fact, reacting to the trend of more and more young people turning to no-haggle dealerships for their automobile purchases, Toyota introduced the Scion in 2003. The Scion is a small car that comes with trendy options packages and is priced and marketed directly at young people who don’t want to negotiate to purchase their car.

Therefore, if you are willing to do the research and confident in your negotiation skills, you will almost certainly save money at a regular dealership unless you want a Saturn or Scion. Then you’ll have to pay the same price as everyone else. However, if you’re timid, too busy to research or spend time making a deal, or in one of the groups that historically are offered worse deals, you may be better off at a no-haggle dealership.