I think the best approach is first figure out exactly what make/model/extras you want. If you go test drive, try not to engage and don’t give them your cell number.

Then go home and get on the computer and try to figure how many cars there are within 200 miles of your house that meet your criteria. If there are only 2-3, then you don’t have much bargaining power. If there are al lot more, that is better. Then send emails to a handful of dealerships that you know have the a car you want, and state what you want and see what they offer in terms of price. DO NOT speak on the phone or in person to anyone. Just negotiate thru email. Once you reach an agreement with a dealer, then go in and complete the transaction.

I recently bought a car at Passport Toyota and helped a friend buy a car. Passport was fine, but Carmax was definitely much more straightforward, and my friend even returned it without any problem. The model I bought was significantly more expensive than average at Carmax, but the model my friend bought was cheaper than average. Figure out what you want price compare, then choose among the places that have fair prices. You can test drive anywhere.

I like Fitzgerald, because I know Jack Fitzgerald and he’s a decent human being.

Also knew Tammy Darvish, and she was really nice, too. But the rest of the Darvish family are a-holes, and after their feud with Tammy, and how they ran her out of the family business, I’ll never even buy a stick of gum from them.

Conversely, which ones should you stay away from?

Thanks for all of these tips - I am off this weekend to buy.

Fitzgerald Subaru is great. Their OTD cost really can't be beat and they don't haggle, or try to upsell (aside from their service plan, which we've used a lot).

The Subaru "Gold Plus" extended warranty plan is amazing. It's the real deal. You can buy it from any dealership, so definitely read the Subaru forums to see who is selling it for cheapest.

This is part of the reason I buy more luxury cars, the buying experience and service process is so much better. Even used.

Really liked Dar Cars on Rockville Pike. Straight forward and friendly. I went home with the car same day.

I had a good experience at Stohlman Subaru, for the most part. Arriving and getting assistance and test driving was great. No sales pressure at all. Didn't balk when I wanted the cheapest trim model, just found me the two they had and had me choose which color I wanted. When I picked up the car my salesperson met me, got into the car with me, showed me everything, and hooked my phone up for me. Really great experience. 10/10

The not-so-great part was when I went into the office with a different salesperson to sign the paperwork. He was aggressively trying to get me to finance, which I had no interest in doing -- I was prepared to pay cash for the car. He got so irritated at the fact that I wasn't willing to buy a loan from him that he basically stopped talking to me and was literally shoving the paperwork at me, aggressively, to sign. It was pretty unpleasant. 0/10

This was about seven years ago, so things may be different. Even given my bad experience with the one guy, my good experience with the other was good enough that I'd buy a car from there again.

I had a really good experience at Sheehy Subaru. I am not saying there wasn't sales pressure, but it was not sleazy and horrible. Also had a good experience at Farrish Subaru--zero pressure, but the deal was not nearly as good as what I got at Sheehy.

I’m in the market for a Subaru or Volvo. I bought my current Subaru and our VW before that from Stohlman. I had the exact same experience as you OP even when it was clear that the Subaru was going to be MY car. I was 6 months pregnant and clearly showing. I had a print out of the exact car and a price quote from the website. I made an appointment to come in the next day and they magically didn’t have the car we spoke about the day before - but of course they had others with higher trim levels in stock. My husband was entertaining our toddler while I spoke to the salesperson and the salesperson kept walking away from me to drag my husband back into the discussion and didn’t hurry anything along when the kid was clearly done with the visit after 90 min. I told them on the phone the day before “this is the car I want. I am coming with a cashier’s check for the full amount.” Didn’t matter. The whole thing still makes me mad.

So . . . Following because I will test drive 3 cars, by myself, without my wedding ring on and then buy a car from whoever will take my check with as minimal BS as possible.

Costco program. You go in and they give you a piece of paper with the price. No negotiations, so not necessarily the best deal but fair. This was for a new car and we went in as mother and daughter and treated fine.

They’re all terrible, but in different ways.

carmax

Even buying new I find the whole experience really off-putting.
The last 2 times I purchased a car the whole process was dragged out for hours - and they spoke to my DH as opposed to me even though they knew I would be the person who would be owning the car.
I am looking to purchase either a new Subaru OR Mazda - I need to test drive both in order to make a decision.

I am not looking to be cheap and get the absolute best financial deal - I am looking to get a fair deal and be treated with respect.

Any dealerships in the greater DC area (and I am willing to travel - Fredrick / Baltimore / Annapolis / Manassas?)
Just looking for a decent car buying experience