What I learned years ago:
When purchasing a car, used, or new, from a dealer, laugh at the sticker price. It's inflated to allow the salesman to dicker. You can also find out how much the dealership spent to purchace the new cars on his/her lot, from the manufacturer. That gives you bargaining power. Only uninformed people purchase a car at sticker price.
Example: I was in the market for a used Dodge Caravan, when my children were young. I went to a local dealership and found a vehicle that interested me. DW thought the price was reasonable. I began speaking with the salesman, and pointed out rust bubbles under the paint in a few locations, and worn tread on the tires. I also noticed excessive grease/oil on top of the engine. I said that I would purchase the vehicle at the suggested price, if the rust was removed, and the paint matched against the existing paint, new tires were put on the vehicle, and the gasket that allowed oil seepage was replaced. The dealership happily did the work and accepted my cash.
You can also bargain for big ticket items such as large appliances, such as dishwashers, refrigerators, and other such items, sometimes, even in big ticket stores such as Sears. If they can't lower the price, you can often get them to throw in other items for the price of the appliance. This usually works with furniture stores as well.
The seller's job is to take as much of your money away as you will allow. your job is to hang on to as much of your money as you can, while still paying a fair price. Therein lies the principle of dickering. DW was very surprised how much you can get from a dealership, if you go in with knowledge, and take a good look at what you're purchasing.
Oh, one more thing, if you are truly excite about purchasing something, keep your emotions invisible. That is a surefire way to get the seller to put pressure on you to spend more than you need to. Try to look objective, and like you know what you are doing. Remember, if they can take more cash away from you, they will.
I would trust a good, local, known mechanic to not overcharge me. Their is still integrity in the world. But it rarely exists in dealerships, or big business, at least as I've observed.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
That old dog is not interested in relearning old tricks. Perhaps I'll feed him PB&J sandwiches until he pitches in. 
TMI Addie! 
) has a lot of recipes, but not one of them is formatted the usual way. It reads like a novel full of love for friends and food, with the recipes in the body of the "story", maked with a recipe title in bold caps.
