I have been researching the Element for over 4 months and have decided to work on a purchase for a 4wd EX. My goal is to keep the cost around $20000. I have talked to a few dealers here and they all have played their games, jacking up the price and wanting to extend me to 72 months with a high interest rate. Any suggestions from dealers out there? I got ripped off on my last car deal and I will not let it happen again.

You could first start by going to a site like Edmunds.com and check pricing. Although I usually find they are off some on the pricing with their True Market Value, this should tell you the ballpark that you can expect to pay.

Rates and length of term (60 vs 72 months) is all dependant upon your credit rating. I would recommend getting pre-approved at your bank or credit union and then base your ideal payments off their interest rate and the True Market Value that you find at Edmunds. Then if you have to pay another $500 or so above Edmunds suggested price, your payment will only differ $10/month or so. To figure out your payments, you must also factor in tax, title and license for your state.

Things to avoid when closing the deal are paint sealants, fabric protection or any other added things that are not real accessories. By real accessories, I mean fog lights, running boards, etc. If you are confused by the Edmunds site, then just email me with the particular model you are interested in and I'll tell you an approximate dollar amount you can expect to spend. Best of luck.