When it comes to negotiating your best deal on the car you’ve got your eye on, first and foremost you have to do your research and homework on all the various parts of putting a car deal together.

At a high level, this is all the pricing, rebate, and dealer incentive numbers you can find on your perspective car. You’ve lined up your financing so you know what you qualify for, how much you qualify for, how long you can finance, and what your monthly payments will be based on a few different financing scenarios. And (if applicable) you know the actual cash value, and retail value of your trade-in.

If you don’t have a firm grasp on the aforementioned, proceed no further (don’t show up at a dealership) until you do.

But if you have, and you feel confident, let’s talk a bit further about negotiating.

Rule number one when it comes to negotiating and car deals.

Never – negotiate from the MSRP down… You’ll never get to the price you want.

Always negotiate from invoice price or dealer cost up.

Since you’ve done your homework, go to the dealership with your opening offer in mind. Be confident in yourself and the fact that although you certainly aren’t going to offer sticker price, your number will be fair and not ridiculous. If you offer up something totally ridiculous for the selling price from the dealer, you’ve wasted your time and haven’t really opened the negotiating process because your offer won’t even be viewed as serious. Keep your offer within the ‘win-win’ window.

When you know your numbers and you come across as confident (because you are) the sales people and the others at the dealership will be aware of this and will spend less time trying to ‘work’ you.

Give yourself room to eventually feel good. By this I mean, don’t table your first offer with the price you have in mind that you are willing to pay. Think about it for a moment; by definition there is going to be some negotiating going on here, so you certainly don’t want to begin at the price you want to be and simply hold firm. This may sound easy but this is truly a point where many miss the mark. Many people feel uncomfortable about starting below their target price, but it is an absolute must when it comes to successfully coming close to or hitting your pricing goal.

If the salesperson or the dealership is the first to offer up a number to get things going, rather than you countering with an actual dollar amount simply let the salesperson know that his number simple not within your budget and they need to come back with a better offer. By doing this, your goal is to get an even better opening price without tipping your hand.

Remember, a dealership is always going to take a couple shots at maximizing the deal for their side first.

Keep in mind that negotiating is just that… negotiating. It isn’t a one-way street where you get everything you want and the dealership simply acquiesces. There is plenty of give and take and it may not (actually hardly ever is) limited to just the price of the car. In other words, if you feel like you have to come up a bit off your offer or counter offer, see if you can get some return value for your effort such as some complimentary maintenance, even floor mats or something.

When you do this it keeps the negotiation alive and lets the dealer know that you are serious about putting together that ‘win-win’ deal that works for both parties.

Stay open minded during the process and treat the entire car buying process as a negotiation package. There are numerous avenues that you can probe for negotiation during the car buying process. It’s not just the price. However, don’t agree on the price and then start trying to negotiate other items. Once you’ve said yes to the price, you lose your leverage. Remember it’s the entire package.

Finally, always keep in mind that without you… there is no deal for the dealer. If you reach an impasse… if you have to… walk. Don’t rationalize giving in against your better judgment because you really want the car, or that you’ve spent the better part of your day at the dealership. Remember the dealer and the salesperson have their time invested as well and don’t want the deal to fall through either. Be patient, keep the negotiation communication lines open and chances are you’ll be rewarded with a new car at a price you feel good about paying.

The price of gasoline increases everyday, and it doesn’t stop. It continues to rise even as you read this article. However, there are gas saving tips that you can do to be able to save some money and maximize your use of gasoline.

Buy your gas first thing in the morning or late at night. Gas is denser at a cooler temperature. You will be getting more for your money when you stock up your gas in the morning or late at night than stocking up during the day.

Compare gas prices within your community and look for the one that offers the best value for your money. Here’s a hint - you can check gas prices online. This way you will not need to drive out just to compare prices in your area. This will surely help you save some gas, too, right?

Keep your car well-maintained. Cars in top condition do not consume too much fuel. Tune your car regularly so that your fuel consumption will be reduced by 20 percent. Always check the condition of the tires, too. Make sure they are inflated and aligned properly. Under inflated tires will increase your fuel consumption by 6 percent. Another important parts of your car that need to be monitored are your oil and air filters. They need to be changed regularly in order to keep your car running smoothly. The overall health of your car greatly influences your gas consumption.

When driving, always stay within the speed limits. If you are driving too slowly, you will consume a lot more gas. If possible, you should sometimes use overdrive. This will help save fuel as well as improve the wear on your car engine. When you go out, make a list of all your errands so that you will be able to get all of them done in one go. Remember that you consume too much fuel if you keep on cold starting your car engine.

These are just a few gas saving tips that will help you save money and maximize your fuel stock. Gas prices are increasing to ridiculously high prices these days and of course, it is important to save money whenever you can.

I have written many articles and the ones about cars are always the most popular. I know why it is and it is because cars are just a lot of fun. Most of my articles have been about older muscle cars and newer muscle cars and which is better and why. One thing I think I can safely say is, whatever generation you prefer it is better than being a “ricer”.

A “ricer” is one of those import cars you see cruising around the city streets lowered down to the point the body is almost scraping on the ground. They usually have huge fart pipe mufflers sticking out from under the rear bumper. I don’t even really understand the point of those mufflers because they don’t even sound good. A “ricer” usually has a driver that has the back of his seat leaning way back but the driver is somehow sitting up to be able to see and reach the steering wheel. Coming from someone that lives using his common sense the whole idea of these “ricers” make no sense to me.

Why spend all this money on a Honda Civic with teal green paint and no power. Why spend even more money to lower it down, throw wheels on it that probably cost more than the car and then try to be cool by sitting straight up while the back of your seat is nowhere near your body?

While old generation muscle car owners and newer generation owners disagree over which cars are superior I think they tend to agree about the fact that their love of their cars actually makes sense compared to the people driving around those “ricers”.

I personally like both generation of cars. I would love a late 60’s or early 70’s Mopar. I would really love a 69 Z28. I have owned several 87 turbo Buicks. I just bought myself an 87 Chevy IROC with a 350 TPI. They all have their great things about them. When I see any of these classics drive by I usually like to get a good look at them. When a “ricer” drives by I find myself chuckling because they just look so ridiculous to me.

I certainly don’t mean to offend anyone who may drive one of these imports. It is your money and you can spend it however you like. I understand the fascination with cars, it is a guy thing. I just don’t understand why it is a Civic or an Accord. This is not to say some imports are not impressive cars. Toyota Supra’s, Nissan 300 ZX twin turbos, and the new 350Z�s are nice cars. They are excellent performers, great looking, and they handle far better than the American cars I mentioned above. One advantage they certainly have over American cars is their reliability.

But, when I think of buying a high performance car to have some fun in it is the American cars they come to mind first. They have power, looks, and an intimidating presence about them. They also tend to be cheaper, unless you get into the real collectible muscle cars. There is just something to pulling up to a friend and hopping on the gas with the right foot and holding the brake pedal with the left and taking off a few miles of rubber. You can’t get the same effect from a front wheel drive 4 cylinder.