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They're called used-car superstores, and with their computer-assisted shopping, huge selection, spacious showrooms and no-haggle price policy, they are designed to eliminate everything that Americans have come to know and hate about buying a used car.

So far, there are only 10 of these soft-sell operations scattered around the country, but that number is expected to mushroom in coming years. CarMax, owned by the Circuit City Stores electronics chain, opened the nation's first used-car superstore in Richmond three years ago; it now has five outlets and plans to build 75 to 85 new ones around the U.S. over the next five years. Republic Industries, headed by Blockbuster Video founder Wayne Huizenga, plans to open five AutoNation USA superstores by the end of this year--mostly in Texas and Florida--and get 12 more up and running next year. Republic is also acquiring Car Choice, which has two superstores in Dallas and Detroit that will be folded into the AutoNation chain.

To see whether the superstores really are super, we dispatched five MONEY staffers to go through the motions of buying a car at five CarMax and Car Choice superstores in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. We then tried to find similar cars at traditional dealers located within a few miles of the superstores. Our findings: Shopping at superstores was far more pleasant and efficient, but dickering with a dealer always got us a better price, generally $100 to $300 less than the superstores' for a similar car. Here are the details:

--The shopping experience. The superstores are bright, clean and airy. Some have snack bars and supervised playrooms where kids can entertain themselves while mom and dad kick tires. You use a computer terminal to help find the cars you're interested in. By touching the screen, you specify the make and model you want and the amount you're willing to spend. The computer shows you all the cars that fit your requirements. It will also print out a sheet showing a picture of any car, a list of all its equipment, and the price--plus a map indicating where the car is located on the vast lot--usually 16 to 30 acres--adjacent to the showroom.

Conditions at the traditional dealers varied widely. But their used-car lots were generally crowded and badly organized. And sometimes the physical setting was rank. Correspondent Steve Marsh describes one particularly run-down Florida Ford lot: "The sales office is a mobile home on a muddy mound. Inside, you encounter a linoleum floor, crumpled paper wads and overturned coffee cups. The lot itself has cars crammed together, and it's swarming with bugs."

--The salespeople. The people we dealt with at the superstores were almost always attentive, polite and friendly. But, while they didn't try any high-pressure sales tactics, many seemed brand new to the business and didn't know much about cars. Meanwhile, the salesmen on the traditional lots ranged from helpful and knowledgeable to ill-informed and rude. Many tried to steer us toward models that cost more than we wanted to spend.

--Selection. The typical superstore has at least 500 cars on hand; most traditional dealers carry fewer than 100. For our test, we looked for 1994 Ford Tauruses. (We chose the Taurus because it has been America's best-selling car for the past four model-years.) The superstores typically had 10 to 15 Tauruses, including both 1994 and 1995 models. The offerings at the traditional dealers were much spottier; some had no Tauruses at all.

--Condition. The superstores say they fully inspect every car they sell, making all necessary repairs. Traditional dealers generally repair major defects. While we didn't do mechanical appraisals of the cars, the superstores' inventory appeared to be in better shape than the dealers'. All vehicles on their lots were shiny on the outside and spotless inside, while some of the dealers' cars had dirty interiors.

--Repair history. Knowing a used car's repair history can provide valuable clues about its condition. But none of the superstores could supply us with this data. Some dealers, however, had the names and phone numbers of the cars' previous owners or could check the repair records on a computerized database.

--Warranties. Car Choice covers all repairs for one year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. CarMax gives a 30-day, 1,000-mile warranty, as do some of the traditional dealers. Also, the superstores say they will take any car back without question within five days (or 250 miles). But with many old-style dealers, once you drive it off the lot, you're responsible for anything that goes wrong. Dealers rarely permit returns.

--Prices. The '94 Tauruses we saw at the superstores were selling for $9,800 to $13,999, depending on mileage and features. CarMax boasts in its press releases that its prices average $1,000 below those listed in the NADA Official Used Car Guide--the National Auto Dealers Association's average retail prices for used cars sold through dealers. But the prices on the Tauruses we saw at CarMax ranged from $500 below the NADA average to $325 over it. CarMax responds that the $1,000 figure is an average for all the vehicles it sells and that because of its popularity, Taurus is priced closer to the NADA average.

The superstores say their prices are not subject to bargaining--and they're not. Every effort we made to negotiate was met with a polite but firm refusal.

One thing you can say about the regular dealers: They do like to deal. They were quick to knock a couple of hundred dollars off their original asking prices. If we turned down their first offer, they usually followed with more cuts. And showing a superstore's printed quote certainly turned out to be a good bargaining tactic (see the Shopping Tip on page 162).

The lesson: Superstores make the process of choosing a used car so easy, you may not mind paying a few dollars more. But if you know your way around a car lot--and can handle the high-pressure sales hustle--you'll probably save some money buying your secondhand wheels the old-fashioned way.