Insecure about car shopping? Do it online

Last time, I did that thing people do. Go to dealership. Point to nearest passable automobile. Grunt. Agree to pay 437 percent interest. As that money pit collected years and dents and bad brakes and miles, I knew it was time to be smart. I would save a down payment and buy a new, or at least newish car. This time I would not be a fool. I would do the work, secure my own loan. But I was worried. While many car salespeople are good, fair people, I nonetheless look like a Cabbage Patch doll. Would I be taken seriously? I employed that magnificent tool of deception called the Internet. If people can make themselves look 40 pounds lighter in sexy Facebook photos, surely I could manipulate a deal on a car.

Every dealer is different, and every car is different. Some dealers this year halted incentives or raised prices because cars were in short supply. But it's a fluid situation, and if this economy has taught us anything, it's that haggling is always worth a try.

I identified the car I wanted. Mazda 3. Sporty. Stick shift. Starting price of $17,500. I browsed ads in the newspaper and went to a site called Truecar.com, which compares what others in your ZIP code have paid.

I e-mailed several dealers.

What followed was a period of gleeful, drunken power. For all they knew, I was Donald Trump burning dollar bills for sport. When a dealer sent a quote, I'd counter that Bob down at Mazda Factory of Florida had offered it cheaper. Could they beat it? It went back and forth like this until some dealers dropped out.

One dealer offered a 2011 model with power locks at just $500 more than another dealer's stripped 2010 model — if I came in that instant . It was the last day of the month and he needed the sale. It was tempting, and I paced outside my office in torment eating a cupcake for a while. But I needed time to secure my own loan. I would only come the next day, I said firmly. He agreed.

Bank of America approved me for a 3.4 percent interest rate. I wrote the dealer back with exact specifications of the car and the price down to the penny. I made sure to mention the pearly white paint, which I knew cost $200 more, and which I knew he forgot about.

I arrived with research, correspondence and loan papers in a stack, business card of another dealer clipped on top for good measure. I wore flats and jeans because I didn't need to look scary anymore. The Internet had done that for me!

"You're organized," the guy said, a bit flummoxed.

Spotnicks Cabbage Patch Bar Coleslaw Wrestling October 16, 2011 ...

Spotnick's Cabbage Patch Bar will be hosting the Coleslaw Wrestling event on October 16, 2011.

This event will be located at 549 Tomoka Farms Road, Samsula, FL 32168.

The Coleslaw Wrestling will be held at 12pm.

There will also be a bikini contest at 1pm, a T-Back pull at 5pm, a Wet T-shirt contest at 7pm, another T-Back pull at 9pm and another bikini contest at 11pm.

Wet-T shirt contest and Buns contest will be taking place again at 12am.

Musical entertainment will include Chrome Heart, Gender, Unchained Chaos, and Santana.

Other entertainment will be Blue 88, After Indiana, and Corn Fed.

So come on out and enjoy yourself!

For all your Motorcycle Event information check out the Motorcycle Monster .

For more information about this event, Please see below.

Oct 12 - Oct 16 Ormond Beach, Florida . The Hawg Dawg Saloon - Biketoberfest will be taking plac eon October 12, 2011 through OCtober 16, 2011. As the largest bar in the area (with four total serving bars), the Hang Dawg Saloon offers a great time to bikers from near and far during Bike Week and Biketoberfest. It is the first venue on th…

Jun 7 - Aug 31 Kissimmee, Florida . The Art In Motion Shop Talk Happy Hour event will be held on every Tuesday, starting on June 7th, 2011 and ending on August 31st, 2011Time:-Begin: 5:30pm-End: 8:00pmHave some free beer,Bring stuff to grill, Play in the biker backyard, Carve on the carving table,and much more.

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