More debt brought on to myself

So I drive a mid-size pick-up truck. I have had it for about six years and overall it is just over ten years old. I have now hit the point where any major maintenance is equal to or greater then what the blue book value is. So what to do? Well I need to downsize to a more fuel efficient car. The other issues that I need to deal with is I want to pick up a car that the Misses will enjoy to drive (argument avoidance here), something that is fun and sporty, and something that I can afford. So it had been bouncing through car dealerships and fending off the sharks just to try and find something that I am going to enjoy driving to and from work.

The biggest annoyance are the car sales people. Since I live near a military base, the first thing out of their mouths are "Are you in the military?" then the next line is "What is your pay grade?" Most of the time I see their brains bring up the pay chart and finding the monthly paycheck that I get from Uncle Sugar. Then they start to walk me away from my choices over to the more expansive cars. It doesn't matter whether I am at a little town or at a big city, the car salesmen always seem the same.
Even worst is how I have read the reviews and looked online at various cars. But I need to look at one up close and in person to figure out what I like. So it becomes a game of hide and seek. I see if I how long I can hide and look at my choices before one of the sharks come swimming by. My current record is about 30 minutes before one of them came by to engage me.
The final thing I hate about wheeling and dealing for a car is listening to them try and nickle and dime me to death. Those add ins such as clear coating, floor mats, the dealers stickers, you name it they try to add it on. It annoys me because I tell them up front as we start to negotiate the price the only add-ons I want and if I see anything else I am just going to get up from the table and walk away. Yet they do it time and time again. It drives me up the wall.