I've bought my last 3 cars over the Internet. Every dealer I know of has an "Internet" sales guy.
What you do is to do some homework on what people are paying for a certain car in your area. Edmunds and KBB are good resources.
They also help figure out about what the dealer pays for a car. A little Google search will also usually help you know if the manufacturer is currently giving the dealer some marketing incentives. If they are, this lowers the price you should pay by an equal amount.
Then you email the car dealership with an exact offer. It works best if you go to their website and look at their inventory and make the offer for a specific car that they have. But, they will usually make a dealer trade if necessary.
I always do cash and no trade in to simply things. However, financing is a possibility, too, because dealers usually get a small kick-back from a finance company. Selling your car private party ALWAYS brings you a better price than the dealer will give you for trade-in. Dealers like to not have to work to sell a car. So cash, no trade-in, and choosing a car already on their lot makes for a quick and easy sale for them, too.
If the dealer says no to your offer do NOT negotiate. Send the offer to another dealer and another and another. If you get 3 or 4 "no's" then it probably means your offer is not realistic.
No dealer is going to sell a car and not make some money. So the offer has to be reasonable.
When a dealer says yes, they usually ask for a deposit on a credit card.
Then you make an appointment, show up at the dealer, sign the paperwork, give them the check and it's done. No haggling. No BS. No middle man car buying service. And a good price, usually about the cheapest you'll get at least partially because the Internet sales person usually gets less commission than a regular dealer sales person who deals with walk-ins.
I've never found an easier, quicker, better way to buy a new car and always get a good deal that you'll feel good about long after buying it.
