Until just now I never looked at the "Dealer Deals" forum. Just the forum title alone gives me that sense of walking onto the parking lot of an auto dealership......
When I can I try to shop local or at least in my home state in order to help my local economy. And besides, if I do get a raw deal I have local courts or a State Attorney General to go to for help.
When I do need to purchase something that I can't find local, I go to forum members, either here or on other pond forums, who I know and trust because of their good reputation.