Dearlers are in the drivers' seat, but there are things...

Dearlers are in the drivers' seat, but there are things car buyers can do to make their purchasing experience smoother.  Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.

You can't always get what you want.

New cars are in short supply, auto prices are soaring and consumers are scrambling.

But there are some things that shoppers can do to make the buying experience smoother, said Benjamin Preston, auto reporter at Consumer Reports, and Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert at NerdWallet, a personal finance information company in San Francisco.

 $1.2B in unclaimed money. Is any of it yours? ... Crescent Duck Farm ducks back on local menus ... What's in store with the weather Credit: Newsday

LI hospitals took $4.8B in property value off tax rolls ... Police: Human remains found in Nassau park ... LI to pay greater portion of SNAP food benefits

 $1.2B in unclaimed money. Is any of it yours? ... Crescent Duck Farm ducks back on local menus ... What's in store with the weather Credit: Newsday

LI hospitals took $4.8B in property value off tax rolls ... Police: Human remains found in Nassau park ... LI to pay greater portion of SNAP food benefits

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