Anyone use Costco Auto Buying Program?

[AZjeff]

Any experience with buying a car/truck through Costco? Can't find any reviews on line with actual dollars saved.

In this tight new truck market it might be more off than the dealers will give.

 

[JeffKeryk]

You have nothing to lose. The dealer will show you the car you want and then show you the Costco price.
No hassle selling.

If nothing else, you then have a price to use for comparison. Some dealers won't touch a Costco deal, but it can be beaten, depending on number of dealerships and specific car demand.
I helped my neighbor get a CR-V hybrid. Costco beat a volume dealer, which surprised me. They wouldn't touch the price.
The Costco sponsored dealership even beat their Costco price; the Costco guy was not there for the sale but they even dropped the price a little more to move the car that day.

Basically, to sell through Costco, the dealer cannot have negative feedback. The prices are very good, but as always, there is no such thing as "the lowest price."
Good luck.

 

[CKN]

Any experience with buying a car/truck through Costco? Can't find any reviews on line with actual dollars saved.

In this tight new truck market it might be more off than the dealers will give.

If anybody is looking for a Ford. Join the Mustang Club-you get two "X-plan" numbers. Take them to the dealership. I don't think all dealers will take the X-Plan, but some will.

https://mustang.org/about/benefits/

 

[totegoat]

Used the Costco deal in 2015 for a new Highlander plus got a discount on filters and stuff.

 

[tombalas]

I used it twice (in 2016 and again in 2019) at GM dealerships, but it was more of an afterthought than using it to find and price the car I wanted. After I had selected the car I wanted at the dealer and agreed upon a price, I sat down with the salesman to do the paperwork. Salesman asked if I was a Costco member, he checked my card, and he told me to expect a confirmation call from Costco, at which point I was entitled to receive a $700 Costco gift card. Had a confirmation call with a Costco rep the following day to confirm that I actually bought the car, took a Costco survey over the phone, and was then mailed the gift card. I was going to buy these cars anyway, so to me it was just found money. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Really, free money.

 

[IveBeenRued]

I tried using the Costco buying service but they don’t allow for custom factory orders. You have to take delivery from the lot. I ended up just getting the Costco price for a similarly equipped vehicle from one dealer and then using it as a maximum price to negotiate down from with a different dealer that was willing to custom order my vehicle.

 

[KGMtech]

I worked at a Ford supplier, we got the X plan deals, but IMHO, I could and did negotiate a better deal myself, Full confession: I was a buyer and negotiated all day long...so if I couldn't do better then it was a mark against my skillset. Having said that, many people are pathetic at or shy away from bargaining, so for them, the X plan or Costco is a nice option.

 

[Tjbouwhu]

Bought a 2021 Acura RDX two weeks ago, the Costco thing didn’t help for that vehicle. What did help was driving a couple extra hours to Chicago, three grand cheaper than anything I could find in Michigan. Save over 11% off sticker.

 

[paulri]

A few years ago, my parents found that the Costco price beat what they had gotten the dealer down, by $1000. After negotiating all they could/would, they told the salesman that they wanted the Costco price and it was that much lower.

 

[sloinker]

I used them once way back in 2001. Seemed that I had to find a car in existing inventory and they applied a discount at the dealership. Some hundreds of dollars. Been many years so the memory is hazy now. Nowadays I find the vehicle I want with the options I want, scour dealer websites and email them all for their best out the door price on vehicles they have in inventory. I contact my credit union and secure my financing and visit the dealer ship that gave the best price. Most of the time the dealer will offer financing less than or equal to my C.U. They don't like to deal in all cash and it may hamper the lowest price. Use financing and pay it off in a quick manner to limit the financial impact. That has been my experience.

 

[CKN]

Costco is now the number one referral source for new cars in the country.

 

[AZjeff]

You can be the best deal maker ever but right now you're not walking in and making a sweet deal on a 3/4 ton truck, if there's one on the lot. The local GMC and Chevy dealers haven't had one for sale on the lot for months, every one is sold in transit. No Tahoes or Yukons either. The GMC dealer has a few 1500 Sierras with the little diesel, people don't want them they want gas. I get the impression there's some sort of Costco discount on ordered vehicles but don't know how much. Nice used trucks are selling close to new prices. Supply chain problems early last summer got them all behind and they haven't caught up yet.

 

[willbur]

Any experience with buying a car/truck through Costco? Can't find any reviews on line with actual dollars saved.

In this tight new truck market it might be more off than the dealers will give.

I did not have a good buying experience and can do better on my own. I was buying a Mazda Miata and Costco sent me to a participating dealer 50 miles away. That dealer wanted an additional $700 over list to "get the car you want". Costco buying service ignored a Mazda dealer 5 miles from me that would sell car at list. This vehicle was in high demand at the time.
I believe the Costco service is good for ppl who don't like to bargain. I read that Costco gets a $300 commission on every vehicle sold thru them. This is my opinion based on my experience and YMMV, as they say. Costco was very appreciative when I informed them of my shopping experience.

 

[CKN]

You can be the best deal maker ever but right now you're not walking in and making a sweet deal on a 3/4 ton truck, if there's one on the lot. The local GMC and Chevy dealers haven't had one for sale on the lot for months, every one is sold in transit. No Tahoes or Yukons either. The GMC dealer has a few 1500 Sierras with the little diesel, people don't want them they want gas. I get the impression there's some sort of Costco discount on ordered vehicles but don't know how much. Nice used trucks are selling close to new prices. Supply chain problems early last summer got them all behind and they haven't caught up yet.

THIS IS REAL WORLD^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[JeffKeryk]

You can be the best deal maker ever but right now you're not walking in and making a sweet deal on a 3/4 ton truck, if there's one on the lot. The local GMC and Chevy dealers haven't had one for sale on the lot for months, every one is sold in transit. No Tahoes or Yukons either. The GMC dealer has a few 1500 Sierras with the little diesel, people don't want them they want gas. I get the impression there's some sort of Costco discount on ordered vehicles but don't know how much. Nice used trucks are selling close to new prices. Supply chain problems early last summer got them all behind and they haven't caught up yet.

It is always supply vs demand. Costco can help, but cannot override the Laws of Supply and Demand. I can't either.

 

[Blagoje]

Any experience with buying a car/truck through Costco? Can't find any reviews on line with actual dollars saved.

Costco runs a referral service that sends customers to dealerships that pay Costco for said referrals. Contrary to what many have come to believe there is no such thing as a "Costco price" or "Costco discount" or anything else. The dealerships set the pricing and the program is marketed as an additional benefit to the paid membership with Costco.

 

[CKN]

Costco runs a referral service that sends customers to dealerships that pay Costco for said referrals. Contrary to what many have come to believe there is no such thing as a "Costco price" or "Costco discount" or anything else. The dealerships set the pricing and the program is marketed as an additional benefit to the paid membership with Costco.

STILL....you have access to the Costco price-and you can take it or leave it. Based on what happened (Costco being the number one referral service in the country) it would appear that many are happy with the services and/or price. There is an advocate at Costco for car buyers that one can use should a perceived problem arise.

 

[Blagoje]

STILL....you have access to the Costco price-and you can take it or leave it. Based on what happened (Costco being the number one referral service in the country) it would appear that many are happy with the services and/or price. There is an advocate at Costco for car buyers that one can use should a perceived problem arise.

Again, there is no such thing as a "Costco price.". Membership with Costco "allows" a member to utilize their referral service.

Let me break this down for you as someone who has worked at a dealership that was part of the program. If we received a lead/referral from Costco instead of sending the customer a price quote via email with our dealership's standard email formatting we sent the exact same email with the exact same price quote with Costco trademarked stationary. We want to put it in the customer's mind that this is some special, exclusive deal that they are getting because they have a Costco membership and Costco promotes the program in the same way as well.

If that gets people committed to purchasing a vehicle without any fuss than it works out well for all involved parties. Costco gets a paid membership and the member will want to patronize Costco to get what they paid for with their membership, the dealership gets at least one sale from that member, and the member believes that they got a deal on a vehicle that they would not have gotten otherwise.

 

[CKN]

Again, there is no such thing as a "Costco price.". Membership with Costco "allows" a member to utilize their referral service.

Let me break this down for you as someone who has worked at a dealership that was part of the program. If we received a lead/referral from Costco instead of sending the customer a price quote via email with our dealership's standard email formatting we sent the exact same email with the exact same price quote with Costco trademarked stationary. We want to put it in the customer's mind that this is some special, exclusive deal that they are getting because they have a Costco membership and Costco promotes the program in the same way as well.

If that gets people committed to purchasing a vehicle without any fuss than it works out well for all involved parties. Costco gets a paid membership and the member will want to patronize Costco to get what they paid for with their membership, the dealership gets at least one sale from that member, and the member believes that they got a deal on a vehicle that they would not have gotten otherwise.

Meet with the Authorized Dealer Contact and have them help you select a new vehicle. View the special Costco Member-Only Price Sheet which shows your exclusive prearranged price on the vehicle you selected.

https://www.costcoauto.com/new_cars/how_the_program_works/How.aspx

So-how is the "special price" arrived at?

 

[Bud_One]

Bought last two vehicles with Costco, 2016 Honda Civic and 2020 Pilot , helped a bit and didn't have to haggle a whole lot.
Received a coupon for 1/2 off any OEM parts . The next vehicle I buy will be through them as well.