Maybe it's a personality flaw, but I have this inherent distrust of anyone that refuses to "haggle." I mean, yeah, sometimes it can be something of a hassle to have to haggle over every little detail, every last dime. But for the most part, I live in a bartering world.

It's not always about getting the best deal. Heck, most of the time when you're bartering you're coming in from a weak position and that means you're really just knocking off some of the markup. But for me it's not so much about the "deal" as the "game." When I'm bartering or haggling for something, it's all about making the footing equal. It's all about getting ME and THEM on the same turf. It's a way to assure that I have some measure of control over the situation.

I guess that's why it bugs me so much that there are businesses out there that refuse to barter. It's expected from the retail industry... the price is what the price is, etc. But when it comes to things like buying or selling a car there's a tradition and expectation that we'll be doing a little give and take. These days, though, car dealerships are trying desperately to move away from this time-honored tradition.

Terms like "No hassle pricing!" really bug me. What they mean is, there's no hassle for the dealership. By setting a "no haggle" policy, they're saying that the price is the price, etc. They want you to believe that they're offering you the lowest, best deal without cutting into their own profits. Perfectly reasonable. Except no system is without corruption. And if you think the "no hassle" price is the best you can do, then I have a car I'd like to sell you.

I had a recent experience with CarMax. As car companies go, I kind of like the vibe at this place. The vehicles go through something of an inspection process to weed out the truly un-sellable. And the prices are generally reasonable. And there's the whole "We'll buy your car even if you don't buy ours!" thing, which really does kind of work for me.

I was trying to take advantage of this particular feature last week when I took my 2003 Pontiac Vibe GT in to sell. I recently purchased a Ford Explorer, slightly used, lots of miles, but plenty good enough for me and my humble production business. The issue at hand was that now I had two vehicles, which meant twice as much insurance money going out each month, twice as much for maintenance, twice the parking space, that sort of thing. Also, my plan was to get away from a car payment and have a vehicle that was totally paid off.

Now I'm no fool... I realize that every business exists to make a profit. But on this fateful day I took the Vibe in and was fully armed with information. I knew what my vehicle was worth based on age, condition and mileage. I had my good friend in the car insurance industry give it the thorough once-over and give me HIS estimate of its worth (based on the database they use in the industry). Everything jived. Knowing the worth of the vehicle, of course, is only half the battle. No one wants to give you what it's worth because they have to sell it for more than they paid in order to make a profit.

So I knew the upper limit of what I could get, and with this info in hand I expect to go in and haggle my way up to something acceptable. Enough to pay off the remaining balance and free me from my monthly payment.

I took with me all of the service records and other information I could find. I take very good care of my car, because I love it. I'm not selling it because I didn't like it! I was trying to be smart about the BUSINESS of owning a car and managing finances.

But as it turned out, CarMax was not interested in the least in whether the car had been maintained. They wouldn't even bother to look at the information. Instead, they took the car and did a 10-minute visual inspection. Actually, they may have hooked up a computer and checked the car's systems, I have no idea. Because the car itself was taken from my view and hidden away while I was placated in a waiting area.

Within a few minutes, though, I was brought back into the office with the sales guy and told what the amount would be.

It was about $4,000 less than the actual value of the car.

When I informed the salesman of this, he assured me I was wrong. Then he assured me that I was a liar (yep, he sure did). He printed out a page from a site that had my car set at a firm $5,000 LESS than the value I had from multiple sources!

I'm not new to bartering... I made a counter offer. That's when I was informed that CarMax has a "No Hassle!" policy and will not budge on the offer. I was also told that I had only three days or three hundred miles to mull it over and then it was gone.

I'm not a hard man to please. I just want fairness and respect. And in this case, I got neither. Would I advocate buying a car from CarMax? Sure. The prices are pretty decent. You won't get the courtesy of any control over the situation, but if you have the money it's not a bad way to go. Just make sure to have the car thoroughly inspected by someone OTHER than CarMax, since they obviously don't care about the car's history.

Would I advocate selling your car to CarMax? No. At least, not outright. Use it for trade? Maybe. But do your homework. Know the value of the vehicle before ever setting foot on their lot.

Personally, I have no intention of doing business with anyone that wants to dominate the deal and refuses me the right to have any control whatsoever. I'm just funny that way.