Hey Matt --
I can't say for sure on your 2000, but my 1996 and newer cars use the Pop Barrel Fasteners that spread the bottom of the barrel when the center pin is pushed IN, and releases the fastener when the center pin is pulled back OUT. Their still a pain to pull out even when released due to the barbed barrel.
Here's some www samples:
And a wierd tool for popping the center pin back up:
