Anyone bought a car through Costco's no-hassle program?

[FP]

Need to buy a new car. Last car I bought was completely done online (back in 2000) and I didn't even see the car until I picked it up. It was a great experience and I want to avoid the hours of haggling in a car dealership.

Their program apparently gives you access to a special member's only pricing sheet at the dealer. This sheet tells you exactly what the dealer's invoice, MSRP and "special" pricing is on the vehicle and all options. You basically pick the options and add up your price. Apparently they have a 98% satisfaction rating and I do not doubt it considering they are Costco.

Anyone ever tried this program?

Mods: If this should go in the garage feel free to move it. I figured it would get more exposure here.

 

[RossMAN]

http://www.costcoauto.com/

A co-worker purchased a new car through them last year and said it was easy and hassle free.

 

[Vette73]

Probable not the best deal you can get but less hassle. So just depends what you want and can afford.

 

[Kaieye]

I remember buying my minivan seven years ago and the salesman showed me the price. I believe that I got a slightly better price by haggling with him for a little while.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Kaieye
I remember buying my minivan seven years ago and the salesman showed me the price. I believe that I got a slightly better price by haggling with him for a little while.

Thats what I was thinking. get the price from Costco then go to the dealer and just say i want X off of this price. If they say no then buy from costco. Seems a little easy but if they see a firm price offered they will usually beat it will little work.

 

[WildHorse]

``

 

[Pliablemoose]

Here's the coolest way I've heard to buy a car...

Spec it out & fax what you want to several dealerships... Tell them you'll call back in 2 days for their offer....

No hassles...

Honestly, just bringing in a printout that shows what they're paying helps a lot, once they realize they're not working with a complete moron, the offers are much better.

I've looked at fleet sale prices before & they were barely competitive.

And for what it's worth, unless you're loaded, buy a used car & save a wad of $...

 

[dud]

Before you try a buying service (which will NOT get you the best deal) try buying it yourself first. I bought my wife a new car in July using this technique that I gleaned from a number of websites:

1 - MAKE SURE that you know exactly what you want. Go look at the car and take it for a test drive. Go home. If you are sure you want this car then go to step 2.

2 - Go to the manufacturer website and conduct a dealer locator based upon your ZIP code. Print out the list of dealers within ... say 100 miles from your house. This will be your most important document (before you sign a contract).

3 - Go to each dealer website and request a quote, preferably about a week before you plan to buy (and preferably the LAST week of the month).

4 - Grab a folder and staple the dealer printout list to the front. As your quotes come in print them out and put them in the folder. Write the quoted price on the list next to the dealer name.

5 - Wait a day or so and then start contacting the Internet Sales Manager at each dealer that has not yet provided you with a quote. Make sure that they know that you are VERY CLOSE to making your buying decision. This is a true statement since you are waiting for their quote.

6 - I found that as you talk to each manager (on the phone) and get closer to getting your last quote the managers will ask not only when but how much your best quote is. Remember to have a realistic "target" price in your head, based upon the information you have available on the NET. All you need is to have ONE (1) dealer come in with a low bid (I had two) and the finish line is near. When the Internet sales managers start asking about your low bid you have the number that you need. I received a VERY good quote from a dealer about an hour away ... when I called my local manager to ask "Where's your quote?" he sent me one almost $1,000 more. He then called me back and asked if it was acceptable ... I told him that I had a MUCH lower bid (and I read it to him over the phone). He then emailed a second quote beating that and all was done.


Don't forget incentives in the equation ...

 

[JulesMaximus]

I avoid no haggle dealerships. No haggle just means that an acceptable level of profit has been written into the sales price and you aren't free to negotiate further.

I haven't bought a car through Costco though. It is certainly worth looking into. I'd probably send out a few internet requests to see if dealing with them directly can get you a better price.

 

[FP]

Originally posted by: dud
Before you try a buying service (which will NOT get you the best deal) try buying it yourself first. I bought my wife a new car in July using this technique that I gleaned from a number of websites:

1 - MAKE SURE that you know exactly what you want. Go look at the car and take it for a test drive. Go home. If you are sure you want this car then go to step 2.

2 - Go to the manufacturer website and conduct a dealer locator based upon your ZIP code. Print out the list of dealers within ... say 100 miles from your house. This will be your most important document (before you sign a contract).

3 - Go to each dealer website and request a quote, preferably about a week before you plan to buy (and preferably the LAST week of the month).

4 - Grab a folder and staple the dealer printout list to the front. As your quotes come in print them out and put them in the folder. Write the quoted price on the list next to the dealer name.

5 - Wait a day or so and then start contacting the Internet Sales Manager at each dealer that has not yet provided you with a quote. Make sure that they know that you are VERY CLOSE to making your buying decision. This is a true statement since you are waiting for their quote.

6 - I found that as you talk to each manager (on the phone) and get closer to getting your last quote the managers will ask not only when but how much your best quote is. Remember to have a realistic "target" price in your head, based upon the information you have available on the NET. All you need is to have ONE (1) dealer come in with a low bid (I had two) and the finish line is near. When the Internet sales managers start asking about your low bid you have the number that you need. I received a VERY good quote from a dealer about an hour away ... when I called my local manager to ask "Where's your quote?" he sent me one almost $1,000 more. He then called me back and asked if it was acceptable ... I told him that I had a MUCH lower bid (and I read it to him over the phone). He then emailed a second quote beating that and all was done.


Don't forget incentives in the equation ...

I will probably still do this but the Costco deal seems pretty straightforward as they give you exactly the invoice amount, the MSRP amount and the special Costco negotiated price on the vehicle.

The trouble is I have researched the car and have seen 4 different "invoice" values for that the dealers pay. The Costco program says they take hold outs and kickbacks in account with their prices which you won't normally see on an invoice sheet.

I'll try the method above and the Costco method and see which one yields a better deal.

Thanks.

 

[lokiju]

My brother did.

Saved himself a few grand on a Mazada 6.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: dud
Before you try a buying service (which will NOT get you the best deal) try buying it yourself first. I bought my wife a new car in July using this technique that I gleaned from a number of websites:

eh, costco's service doesn't require you to buy the car from them or lose a deposit. i just see it as part of the quote process. just like you should go to carsdirect and get one there. if no other dealer matches or beats it, then you take it. if other dealers are willing to go lower, then take theirs. no reason not to try it.

 

[Slew Foot]

Funny, I was going to try this out this weekend. I was going to get the costco price, and then email the local dealers and see if they can beat it.

 

[xochi]

I used Costco to by my Toyota Tacoma Truck in 2006. At that time Tacomas were in demand and many dealerships were not in the negociation mode for their pricing.

I beleive they used the 1% above "Invoice" pricing model. Worked out to be an Ok deal and it didnt require the usual back and forth BS. went in to sign paperwork and was done in about 45 min.

 

[FP]

Originally posted by: xochi
I used Costco to by my Toyota Tacoma Truck in 2006. At that time Tacomas were in demand and many dealerships were not in the negociation mode for their pricing.

I beleive they used the 1% above "Invoice" pricing model. Worked out to be an Ok deal and it didnt require the usual back and forth BS. went in to sign paperwork and was done in about 45 min.

I don't think you can beat 1% above invoice. If that is true in my case I will immediately buy the car. I almost feel bad they are getting such a small margin!

 

[dud]

PLEASE don't confuse "invoice" pricing with what the dealership pays for a car. When determining EXACTLY what a dealer has in a vehicle you should deduct incentives and dealer holdback from the "invoice". Now you can see why selling at "invoice" is less painful for the dealer.

 

[FoBoT]

i tried to, but since Saturn already has no haggle pricing, it wasn't available