At this time of year, car dealers are screaming for your attention. The ads are everywhere: "YEAR-END CLEARANCE SALE!" and "EVERYTHING MUST GO!"

The giant headlines and shrill announcers have just one goal: to sell, sell, sell so the dealerships can make room for the new models. And that’s a good thing: car and home sales are big forces in driving our economy.

But by dumb luck, I stumbled into a stress-free way to buy.

When SUVs came out, the hype caught my attention and the attention of a co-worker, Chris. On wilderness vacations, we did remote camping. We had to be self-sufficient for days and thought a versatile SUV could be fun.

We both liked the Ford Explorer and hoped for a good deal during "clearance time." Chris scored first, having connected with a broker in Albuquerque who saved him $4,000.

What a great idea! Through my credit union’s broker, I also had a new Explorer within a week, and at $3,000 less than the best price I could negotiate.

When our daughter was born, my wife wanted a safer vehicle than her worn, 12-year-old sedan. Our broker told us, sight unseen, he could beat a dealer’s best price by at least $2,500.

Again at a model year-end sale, my wife picked out a little Explorer Sport. It was roomy enough for a car seat and high enough so she could see the road better.

After the test drive, she went home with our daughter, leaving it to me to try to negotiate a deal. It was Saturday night and the salesman seemed motivated to sell but after an hour, we were still $1,000 apart. I laid a blank check on the table, ready to buy without a broker. There was no way he could do much better.

Neither could the clerk. Too stressed, I walked out.

On Monday, my broker did my bidding. By Tuesday, it was a done deal. Not only did he get the last $1,000, he finagled another $750 off.

There was just one catch, I had to pick it up at an out-of-town dealer. For the price of a few burgers, a friend drove me there. Paperwork done, I checked the vehicle identification number.

It was the exact same vehicle we had driven in Tucson.

Happily, we drove the Explorers for years. I had planned to keep mine ‘til Kingdom come but three years ago on New Year’s Eve in Hollywood, five college students in a van ran a traffic light and hit us head on.

My SUV was a total loss.

Back in Tucson, my broker went shopping. Space and fuel efficiency were now priorities since our daughter was playing sports and we carpooled with her teammates.

Don’t laugh, I told him, but I’d like a gently used SUV.

He hit pay dirt in Phoenix, a year-old Honda Pilot with less than 3,000 miles on it. It was in mint condition, packed with upgrades, but more than our price range. By coincidence, we were going to Phoenix that weekend to visit friends.

During the test drive, I realized I couldn’t afford it. It was loaded, and we weren’t.

Since it had just been traded in, there was no price tag. The salesman guessed $34,000, but "I’ll work the boss" for a better deal.

Ahhh, that "clearance sale" insanity.

Although I said we weren’t buying today, he pressed for a sale. Now in his office, he proudly quoted $32,500. An "unbelievable deal! So low," he beamed.

"So high!" my wife laughed. During the test drive, she had seen the original invoice for $32,000 in the glove box.

With our broker as our secret weapon, we just wanted to go. As the price floated down a few thousand dollars, it took another 30 minutes to escape.

On Monday, our broker scrambled. By 5 p.m., he was the one who had put together an unbelievable deal for us. Delivery included.

"Sold. I don’t know how you do it, but thank you," I said.

"It’s simple. My only expenses are my business license, a phone and a fax," he said. "The dealer makes a little, I make a little, you save a little. Everyone wins."

This is a true story, drawn from Yohem’s 25-year, award-winning communications career with the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Tucson Electric Power, and Southwest Gas. His column looking at the lighter side of "challenges" in the business world appears the first and third weeks of each month in Inside Tucson Business.