Like you, I've bought a lot of cars from all over the country. I've found the easiest and cheapest way to get to the dealer is to rent a car from someone like enterprise from your local depot and drop it off at the dealers nearest depot. Usually works out cheaper than public transport.
Thanks for the reality check. It's all good stuff. Buying a car should be a nice experience, but boy oh boy it's not. A lot of good points
@chumley24