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I traded in a car to buy the one I have now, but it wasn't worth much so I didn't worry about what I got for it. The girl gave me $400 trade-in for it, so I was lucky. The advice about calling around is good. And checking with Blue Book values, too. They have a web-site I think.
As far as buying the car, your biggest power is walking away. The one I bought I knew I was going to pay retail, no way around that. Ok, no problem. No real haggling on price. But my sister-in-law bought a car the normal way, i.e. *not* the hottest car in the market. They made the guy an offer, he rejected it outright, they said thank you and walked away. Three weeks later, the guy called back and asked if they still wanted the car, and gave them the price they wanted. The dealers are going to want to sell you something they have on the lot, right this minute, and to make the deal yesterday.
So if you're looking at a car that will hang around for a bit, make a low offer, and see what happens. Make offers with a couple of dealers. They'll whine about how they're not making much money on this car, but is that really your problem? If they're still talking to you, it's still possible.
Good luck! Picking out a car was fun. Oh, and get pre-certified for your loan before you go- the dealership will usually beat the interest rate in order to keep your loan. And if they by chance don't, then go back to the place that certified you.
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