(MONEY Magazine) – Automobile sales are revving up as we approach the peak of the car-buying season. Through mid-May, sales were up 11.6% compared with the same period a year earlier -- even though prices are also rising, especially among Japanese cars. Those import models have risen an average of 4% since the start of the 1993 model-year last October. But Detroit's Big Three, led by Chrysler, have boosted stickers an average of only 2.1%. Despite the stronger consumer demand and the rising prices, you can still swing a sweet deal on a new auto if you make the right moves. When you head into showrooms, rely on these four strategies: -- Look for a model whose price is actually down from its 1992 level. Companies have cut prices on slow sellers such as the Ford Thunderbird LX -- now listing for $15,897, down an astounding 20% from '92. GM cut the base price of its newly popular Chevrolet Cavalier last fall by 4% to $8,520. -- Bargain hard, especially for Japanese cars. Yes, Japanese auto prices are higher, partly to compensate manufacturers for the weaker dollar and recession-squeezed profits in Japan. But some dealers in Japanese cars have been modifying their old take-it-or-leave-it attitude. For example, though a Honda Accord EX four-door sedan with automatic transmission, anti-lock brakes and dual air bags now lists for $20,100, serious bargainers can land it for $200 over dealer invoice price or, in this example, about $17,100. Don't look for lucrative direct cash rebates on Japanese makes, however. Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Isuzu typically forgo rebates to customers and try to spur sales by paying so-called incentives to dealers. These are cash paybacks manufacturers make to dealers on every sale. For example, the car makers are kicking in $500 in dealer incentive money on the Accord and the Toyota Camry, which starts at a list price of $15,308. Knowing these numbers can give buyers an edge. Dealers sometimes will reduce the car's price by the amount of the incentive or throw in options. To qualify as a skilled car bargainer, know the exact model and options you want before you start dickering. Aim to pay 3% to 4% -- not counting rebates or dealer incentives -- over cost for a car priced under $20,000, 5% to 7% over for higher-priced luxury models.

-- Seek out cash rebates. As sales of U.S. cars have risen this year, the size of their rebates has declined. Still, many popular domestic cars carry fairly generous rebates. The Ford Taurus, which starts at $15,700 and has been America's best-selling car for two years running, has a $500 rebate effective through Sept. 22. Chrysler's popular $14,248-and-up Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan minivans also carry $500 cash-backs through Sept. 30. -- Most of all, shop around. Plan to visit no fewer than four dealers. Start with one of the 2,400 no-dicker dealers who move the merchandise at one price -- typically $1,000 to $3,000 below the manufacturer's suggested retail price. But don't assume the price you hear is the best you can get anywhere. Join the 89% of shoppers surveyed by the Dohring Co., a Glendale Calif. auto researcher, who said they would check the no-dicker price against a haggle- ready showroom down the street. Says chief executive Doug Dohring: ''Customers want the best possible price, and they do not trust the dealer to say what a fair price is. They want to verify it for themselves.'' Good instinct.