I've traded way too many vehicles in the last few years. My strategy is just to find what I want on Autotrader, email the dealer, and cut them off (and tell them why) at the first instance of their BS games.
My last two overwhelmingly positive experiences:
2020 F250 purchased in 2022 from Leif Johnson Ford in Austin. Bought sight unseen, they delivered to my driveway in CS. Zero issues. The finance guy did try to push gap insurance, but that was it.
2021 F150 purchased in 2023 from Lonestar Chevrolet in Houston. Had the deal done and everything ready to go when I arrived one evening. They missed a signature somewhere in my paperwork and actually drove to my office in CS that week to have it corrected.
You can definitely purchase vehicles from the big dealers without the games and headache, you just have to be selective and not get emotionally attached to a vehicle. And you'll almost guaranteed have to buy from outside of BCS.
