New car shopping sites

No CarMax in my state. Closest one is four hours away, which I guess isn't too bad.

 

Don't buy a new car. But if that's non-negotiable, do a lot of poking around at Edmunds.com. A subscription to the Consumer Reports website is well worth it. They have a lot of information about the shopping/buying process, as well as reviews of cars and extensive reliability data. Carsdirect.com is also good for finding out what the going rate for specific cars is -- you can even buy a car through that site.

Also, it's best to make financing arrangements before you start actively shopping. Talk with your bank/credit union; they might be able to offer better rates than the dealer and, at worst, you'll be able to compare what you got at the bank/credit union with what the dealer is offering.