Used car salemen have the reputation of being scummy.

New car not so much. Check the price on the internet and stick to it (plus local taxes and fees). It's the finance manager you have to worry about. He/she will try to push all the extended service plans onto you.

Also try asking in /r/askcarsales

Sadly the dealership mafia has gotten laws passed that you need to buy through slimy salesmen and dealerships unless it's a new American company (so if you're interested in Tesla you can buy one from their store and walk out, otherwise you'll be talking to the sleezebags).

No real "best way" when it comes to new cars besides being a smart consumer. Know what MSRP is, know what acceptable dealer fees are (ideally none, just buy the thing!). Shop around and get OTD prices and LEAVE THE LOT without buying to compare on your own time. This is easier with new cars as you have MSRP on your side (beware they'll spook you with "oh but you'll neverrr find a car like this in 2023's wacky markets!")

So: "yes" dealerships suck and are a weird remnant of the 1960's that stuck around due to cartels. But "no" you don't necessarily need to get screwed by them.

My advice would be to watch the 1999 comedy "suckers". Aside from being a great flick, you'll come out with a basic idea of the most blatant ripoffs to dodge.

I hate shopping and haggling for cars. I used Costco Auto last time and the process was pretty easy.

Best way to purchase a new vehicle is to purchase the new vehicle from an authorized dealership that has great reviews. Do not pay over MSRP, and I recommend not buying any of the add on dealership packages. Ensure that you look over the new vehicle before signing papers.

Find out what the car is selling for before going into the dealer.

Go to your bank and find out what they can do for a car loan. They love to give loans to customers with good credit.

Do not discuss down payment until you find out the final price of the car.

Do not discuss down payment until you hear the financing plan and compare it to the bank offer.

Be willing to say no.

When you choose to buy the car, adjust the financed amount by your down payment.

Some folks enjoy haggling, my dad included. Me, not so much, but my experience getting preapproved (through autonavigator, in my case) was easily the best. Enter info, find desired car, get approval, print and bring to the dealer. They still made me meet with The Finance Manager, but he just did paperwork while I read my new manual. It's probably even better with a private seller. Good luck!

If you’re buying new then research what you want.
Search for dealers with that product that are not doing the dick move of added dealer profit or like some of my local dealers, adding a bullshit $6k package to a 35k rav 4 hybrids, of nitrogen in the tires, paint sealant and fabric protector. Hopefully they have a unit you can test drive also

There are dealers only selling for msrp

Then you are most likely going to have to negotiate how much of a refundable deposit you will need to put down and wait six months or so for delivery

How much money have you saved for the car purchase?

If you buy a used car take it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase once-over. Even if you are buying from a dealer. Make sure you compare what you are buying to other cars of the same year, model, mileage. Test drive the cars you are interested in. This includes driving slow, fast, on the freeway, making turns, going in reverse. If you have to take along a salesperson have then be quiet so you can listen to the car. Don't let them blather about how wonderful the car is. Notice whether the car pulls to the left or right (with hands barely on the steering wheel). Brake hard. accelerate hard.

Do not buy extras. That's where dealers make their money. No extra warranty, no extra coatings, no rust proofing. You will be pressured and have to say no about 50 times. If they get too annoying start to leave. They hate losing a sale.

I narrow down which cars I am interested and go test drive them all. Once you know what you want, do the build and quote in their website so that you know which options you must have and what packages they come in.

Example, I only buy manual transmissions. This makes some cars unavailable and others way more expensive because you have to buy a "sport" package.

Now you know msrp of the exact car that you want. Some dealerships will let you order it for msrp if you can wait. This is a great way to go because you get everything exactly how you want it.

Another option is to try going through Costco or consumer reports. They will give you a quote that is usually a good price, then connect you to a dealer who will honor it. I am not sure how this is working lately with the insane car market.

just find the car you like online and buy it for that + faxes and state fees, decline all other options, its incredibly easy in modern times.

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Did all of my haggling through email. Knew exactly the type of car I wanted and that I wanted to pay all up front and no financing.

Emailed a few nearby dealerships, they all asked me to come in and I refused. Asked them for the price for the car I wanted. I would send the offer to other dealerships and ask if they can beat the price. Did this a few times until dealerships would not go any lower. Arranged to pick up the car and got it with no problem.

This was about five years ago though and I know the market is different now.

Most dealers hate this but honestly, go figure out which vehicles you like / might want, and ask for quotes via internet / email. You’ll get a ton of spam but it’s time efficient for you. The dealers hate it because they know getting you INTO the dealership is the most effective way of closing the sale, but each dealership has a salesperson or two that is more goes for quantity and will deal over email.

Make them negotiate against each other this way. You’ll get the best offer within a few days and you’re good to go.

Get The Informed Buyer on Amazon for $3. It's written by a guy who spent decades in car sales. I've used the techniques in the book to save thousands of the purchase of 4 new and used cars.

He also has a podcast called Deal Talk where he covers the steps as well as other tips and tricks.

I've bought used from CarMax for the last several we've cycled through. Had a good experience every time. Yeah, their price isn't always the lowest, but they've been well maintained, clean vehicles with no issues.

Find out the most hassle free way to get it. With Ford, if you can get X-Plan, you bypass all of the dealership games and markups and get it for just over the invoice price. My dad got his F-150 during peak pandemic pricing for around $12,000 below MSRP because of X-Plan pricing.

1. Pick the car you want.
2. Contact dealer 1 and ask for best price out the door
3. Contact dealer 2 and say “I want this car. Dealer 1 quoted me $X out the door. Can you beat it?”
4. Contact dealers 3/4/5 and repeat. Go back to Dealer 1 and repeat.
5. Arrange financing from bank/credit union, and buy from whoever gave you the best price.

Contacts can be done entirely by email.

My new policy is to pick the car I want, compete dealers off each other, and insist on picking up the car straight off the truck. No dealer tint, coatings, VIN numbers, don’t even put the front license plate bracket on car.

1. Do your research on the fair market value for the specific vehicle and condition you want.

2. Do research on how much your insurance premium would cost for the car.

3. Save the money to purchase the car in full. No loan unless 0% interest (unlikely to find this). Don’t purchase for any price over the FMV.

4. Don’t purchase vehicle unless you know your budget can afford the monthly or semi-annual premium.

Have your credit union financing ready. When you have a final price, pull that out and ask them if they can write a better loan.

Decide now what vehicle you want, check credit union & Costco buying services. When you know what you want, with what features, go shopping on SuperBowl Sunday, just before kickoff. Once the game starts, most sales types will want close the deal and go back to the break room. Source: got a new truck during World Series with that city's team competing.

One thing I always do when buying a car: once you've found the one and decided you're going to buy it, tell the salesman, “if you fill it up with gas, I'll get it.“ Saved yourself $50 and they have never turned that down.