Thank you all for the great advice! I decided to use carsdirect.com to buy the vehicle and was working with them, but they couldn’t find the exact car because the main and secondary color choices weren’t available in So Cal. We decided to check out Mossy Oceanside to find another color to give to Carsdirect.com and there it was, the original color I wanted (apparently it must have just arrived because it wasn’t even on the dealer’s online inventory until the next day).
Bought it from the dealer using the Carsdirect price.
I’d really recommend using Carsdirect.com, they give you the upfront pricing for your car before you give them any information, and after giving them your contact info., they are very “non-pushy”. They’ll call you and confirm what options and such you selected and search their inventory. I didn’t make it past this point, but I was impressed with how easy it was. They always ask “Do you want us to call you back?”
I also found a cool tool on the DMV website I’d like to share that calculates your registration fees and tax so you know what the final amount will be at the dealership. I used it prior to my purchase (changing the final for the rebate and trade in) and ended up within $22 of the final total:
