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I probably overpay for my cars a little.

Me too....In 2013, after owning my car for 18 years, I said screw it, I need a new car.

So that July I leased a Ford Focus. In December of 2015, maybe 7 months before the 3 year lease was up, I got an email from the dealership that they might be able to offer me an early out on the lease. So I went to the dealership and the first young guy (Jared) who approached me asked me who the original salesman was that sold me the 2013 and I told him they guy was a jerk and I didn't want to deal with that guy again and I would deal him (Jared) . So we sat down and he said they couldn't make an offer at that time but he would contact me in the future if they could.

Well 5 months later (April 2016), Jared called me back and said they could make a deal since I only had 3 months left on the lease. I said OK.

So he asked me what I was interested in and I told him I was happy with the Focus and would get another one. So he asked me what color and I said Red. Then he asked what options and I said everything my existing Focus had. He said he would get back with me.

So the next day he called me back and said he had what I wanted so I said I'll take it. Then he asked me when I would like to pick it up and I said Tuesday of the following week in the morning........He said ok

Drove in that Tuesday, dropped off my old Focus, signed some papers and drove off with the new one.........

All that was done in just two phone calls and a monthly lease payment that I could afford (nothing out of pocket)..........Easy Peezy.

I just don't like the haggling and I find the traditional approach to purchasing a car cumbersome and very unpleasant. Sitting around in a dealership as the sales rep fills out his four square form while looking for an angle to increase his commission is like getting a root canal.

So I just go in there with a price I'm willing to pay (after doing some research), tell them I have my own financing, exactly the options I want and tell them to make a deal. It usually goes pretty quick.

Another tip, I usually don't take a car from the lot. The combination of options and color I want are usually not on the lot and so it has to be special ordered. So it might take a few weeks. I'm okay with that. I'm getting exactly the car I want and not getting rooked into buying a car that might have sat in their inventory for months.

I also try to buy right before the next year's model comes out as they are looking to clear the current year's inventory and willing to give me my price. A new car is a new car. I don't care that it's soon to be "last year's model."

I like the Apple approach to pricing. You want a particular iPad - it's $499 - no matter what. No haggling. In and out.