How to beat the car dealers at their own game

Buying a car is a pretty daunting experience for most people. When you combine the size of the purchase with the less than stellar reputation of the car selling industry, many of us break out in a cold sweat at the idea of visiting a car lot.

Doing some research into the industry as I prepare to buy a car, I found some great resources:

A former used car salesman offered readers of Consumerist 3 great tips for buying a car: do your car shopping in December when car dealers are desperate for business, bring your own financing from your own bank, and watch out for an unseemly tactic known as "the squeeze."