Because the subject of what can happen when buying a car thru Costco is detailed in another thread, I was wondering if anyone here could walk us thru the step by step process of buying a car using the Costco service? For instance, what exactly do you get info wise from Costco, and what do you get from the dealer you are turned over to? Do you get firm pricing from Costco for a configuration car you build before a dealer gets your contact info? Etc. ....
You sign up on Costco, they send you a spec sheet and direct you to a dealer. Then you go to said dealer and if you like the car you buy it.
I tried to do this with my Golf R, but the only dealer that was part of the Costco program was literally an hour away from me. Which blew me away, since I live in Denver and there are TONS of VW dealers in Denver but the only CostCo dealer was in Boulder.
Anyways, I wasn't willing to drive 2 hours roundtrip without knowing what the price would be and the dealer refused to tell me, so I didn't pursue it.
Just don’t ask for an AWD Mazda3
Costco buying service is based on the True Car platform, just private label. You spec the car how you want and receive an email listing nearby participating dealers, their matching inventory and their best price. Pricing is intended to be upfront.
Price and equipment may vary slightly from what you asked for. The dealer I chose bundled a few extras together that I wouldn’t have chosen but the price came out cheaper than just the ones I wanted based on manufacturer’s retail pricing so it was a relatively good deal and I took the extras.
Print the offer you like best and take it to the dealer of your choice. You will be working with a designated salesperson or manager and they have already agreed to sell at the quoted price.
If you use USAA, their buying service is also a branded version of True Car. I bought a new Accord this way in 2013 and did great. It was easy.
Patrick said:Just don’t ask for an AWD Mazda3
Ouch.
Yea ... I was trying to avoid the AWD issue.
I did try the USAA buying service, around a 2020 Volvo V60 (non Cross Country), but to date all I have are a number of dealers who now have my contact info, but no price from any of them. I was hoping to see USAA’s and Costco’s respective negotiated prices on the same configuration V60, before being contacted by dealerships. No dice so far with USAA, ans it sounds like it would be the same with Costco ??
Sams club has one too. But it can be as little as a $500 savings from what I can remember of my initial google/visit to the site. Meh. 
In reply to einy :
When I bought my V60 this summer, almost the first words out of every dealer’s mouth was “Are you a Costco member?” Apparently they had a good deal going earlier in the year, but I’m not a member.
Duke said:In reply to einy :
When I bought my V60 this summer, almost the first words out of every dealer’s mouth was “Are you a Costco member?” Apparently they had a good deal going earlier in the year, but I’m not a member.
Its only $60 to get a membership, you should’ve said yes.
In reply to Slippery :
You needed to be a member in the preceding calendar year, or similar.
In reply to docwyte :
Why wouldn't they give you a price?
In reply to yupididit :
No idea. They wanted me to come into the dealership. When I explained that I wasn't driving 2 hours to find out their price wasn't competitive they ghosted me.
I ended up using the USAA car buying service instead. That got me quotes from several VW dealers local to me and I went from there.
This works for leases too. I did that with my 2015 Fiat 500e. Clicked the clicks on the Costco website, they sent me an email with the price and specs, etc and I walked it into the dealer. No hassle and got a good price. I could have gotten down to nearly the same with haggling, probably, but it cut out a lot of BS
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The USAA program is the best of the car ‘programs’ in my experience. However for most common cars, you can easily negotiate better than what the ‘programs’ offer.
Either way, don’t be a dumb berkeley, the sales contract you sign is the actual legal agreement for purchase, not some generic computer generated email from Costco.
Also, if you berkeley up, and buy something you weren’t wanting to buy, don’t come here, crying and blame the dealer because you are too dense to to see a basic sale through to completion.
In reply to GarageGorilla :
Dude. Let. It. Go.
So is the AAA service the same? I have access to the two mentioned as well as AAA. Just curious as I don't think I'll be going new anytime in the near future.
Do these buying services actually save money over negotiating with the dealer?
I know a few years ago when I bought Mustang GT for the negotiated price, I found out later that it was better than of "X Plan" or whatever price levels they have for "insert deal/family member" stuff.
In reply to z31maniac :
Since the dealer pays True Car $250 for the sale, I'd say there is at least $250 more room.
z31maniac said:Do these buying services actually save money over negotiating with the dealer?
I know a few years ago when I bought Mustang GT for the negotiated price, I found out later that it was better than of "X Plan" or whatever price levels they have for "insert deal/family member" stuff.
They save a bit of money for people who hate the negotiation process.
If you do your homework up front and know how much you're willing to pay for the car, you can almost always negotiate a lower price than any program offers. I've always been able to beat X-plan pricing.
In reply to GarageGorilla :
um, didn't you just come back from a suspension for posting, well like that? Maybe, just maybe you should stow the "tough guy" bs and try to be a decent human being towards the other forum members.
In reply to GarageGorilla :
This is very clearly not the forum you think it is. Be nice.
The main gain that I see from the TrueCar service is that you don't have to negotiate. You just tell them what you want, go to the dealership that works best for you, test drive, etc. and if its all good, sign on the dotted line.
The negotiation and sales pressure nonsense turns a lot of people off, especially for appliance vehicles they are only getting because they need it, not because they want it. For some the negotiation, etc. its enjoyable and thats fine for them.
Duke said:z31maniac said:Do these buying services actually save money over negotiating with the dealer?
I know a few years ago when I bought Mustang GT for the negotiated price, I found out later that it was better than of "X Plan" or whatever price levels they have for "insert deal/family member" stuff.
They save a bit of money for people who hate the negotiation process.
If you do your homework up front and know how much you're willing to pay for the car, you can almost always negotiate a lower price than any program offers. I've always been able to beat X-plan pricing.
Yeah, I get that people hate the negotiation part. I guess it's different for me since I grew up with a dad that LOVES to negotiate........think the dad in "A Christmas Story" almost. He also owned a used car lot at one point in time.
I don't love to negotiate, but I'm willing to do it for a big purchase like a car.
Even when you're negotiating on your own, the TrueCar info that you can see can be quite useful although I'm not sure it's any more useful than, say, CarGurus.
Either way, IMHO the most important part is that you negotiate as a keyboard warrior and not in person at the dealership. That way you can play off multiple dealerships against each other.
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