[Jeph]

Here's what I believe...

Most dealerships put forth a diligent effort to screw you in every which way possible. That's why I avoid those. And my experience working at dealerships doesn’t instill much confidence in the cars themselves.

Private sellers can be shady too sometimes. But if you get lucky, you can probably find a deal there.

Ultimately, I like Carmax.com. I trust them and their cars. They deliver (so you can buy from the dryer/safer climates). No one else generally offers a money-back guarantee like they do. They don't sell cars that have been majorly damaged. I have not personally met a person that has been displeased with them (I put little trust in “well ‘my friend’ went there and…” stories). You may not find the cheapest deal, but you know you're getting an exceptional car.

Here's an added bonus, sign up for an inventory alart. They'll email you any time a certain car (with certain options/colors/mileage) arrives on any of their lots. Let them do the searching for you.

(at the time of this post, carmax.com had 2 tiptronics listed)