MIAMI -- Everyone looks forward to owning a new car, but few can say they can look forward to buying one.

There are ways you can get around the headaches and hassles of car buying.

When Martha Lora set her sights on buying a new car, past experience had her dreading the process.

"I've only owned two cars. The previous one I owned -- I didn't even feel happy coming off the lot," Lora said. "I felt good because it was my first new car, but not because of the deal."

This time around things were different. Lora educated herself through a consumer advocate Web site created by a South Florida man.

"A lot of people go into buying a car completely uninformed and really the most important thing you need to know is how much should that car cost," Jeff Ostroff said.

Through the site, consumers can figure out the actual cost of a car and how to negotiate the best deal -- sometimes without ever stepping into a showroom.

"You present them with a reasonable offer that just came over the fax machine, hand it to them with a silver spoon -- somebody will bite," Ostroff said.

Some South Florida dealers are stepping up their own consumer awareness efforts, too. One even gives buyers the opportunity to drive the competitions' cars and provides a 10-day free trial on new cars.

"Like a new Acura, you can buy it and if you don't like the car within 10 days or 500 miles, you can bring it back and get all your money back with no questions asked," said Rick Case, of Rick Case Acura. "We want to make sure that the customers are happy with their car."

Once you arm yourself with the right information, car buying can be a breeze -- just ask Lora.

"This time I knew exactly what the numbers were going to be walking out and that was a great thing," she said. If you have a car to trade in, Ostroff said that unless it's not worth driving, you can put several hundred dollars in your pocket if you sell it yourself. Also, check out your credit score before you consider financing. Ostroff said that if your score is below 680, he wouldn't advise trying to finance through a dealer because you won't get the best rates or terms.

Click here to learn more about simplifying the car buying process.