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Free Money Finance has an excellent article up on buying a car via the web. He has several helpful hints on how to play one dealership against another. The article was originally published in a national magazine (nice!).

I will definitely use his suggestions as I purchase my next car, likely this fall. I used the web to contact several dealers when I bought my current car, a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, but I just used it to research the car and contact a couple of dealers.

One issue I will have is test driving. The car that I am currently looking at (the Honda Fit) is apparently in short supply in the Sport trim. The Honda dealer closest to me closed and the next closest is a terrible dealership to work with. I may have to find another dealer to test drive the car, assuming that they have a Fit Sport.

I’m also looking at the redesigned Elantra, I’ve had no problems yet with my current car but it doesn’t have enough cargo room to transport both our 3 year old and our 50 pound dog. The Fit is a hatchback, so it solves that problem plus it gets about 20% better gas mileage. I also like the Toyota Yaris, but the cargo room on the sedan is even less than the Elantra and the hatchback is ug-lee.

I’m also doing the smarter thing and looking late model used cars in the same price range. I think I may be able to get a Pontiac G-6 with around 20,000 miles for the same price as a new Fit Sport. It’s a bigger car to haul stuff, but it also uses more gas. I like the way it drives (we already have one) but it would depend on how many miles the car has. GM’s 100,000 mile warranty on 2007 models is a huge check in it’s favor. The warranty is one reason I am seriously considering the Elantra as well.

It would be all over if VW hadn’t pulled the diesel engine out of it’s Golf/Rabbit model. If I can find a low mileage Golf TDi, neither the Fit nor G-6 stand a chance.

But go check out Free Money Finance’s suggestions, he may be able to save you money on your next car! (it helps to read that sentence in dealership commercial voiceover voice).