Purchasing a car using Costco?

[happily single]

I was in Costco recently and saw a flyer to save money off the purchase of a new Cadillac using select local dealerships. I was just on the Costco website and it seems the offer is not limited to Cadillac. I didn’t get far into what the discounts are because I don’t want 100 telephone calls and e-mails from dealerships.

im just wondering if their discount is worth it?

 

[OneOftheB's]

I used the Costco buying program to buy my Honda Pilot in 2010 and got a good deal but the best part was I avoided negotiation. I used Costco to when I shopped for a new car in 2020, but ended up beating the Costco deal by about $1800 and had several more features on the car I ended up buying. So, I would recommend you use it as a baseline and go from there. In my area, Costco only deals with one dealership, so you shouldn't be overwhelmed with calls.

 

[happily single]

I used the Costco buying program to buy my Honda Pilot in 2010 and got a good deal but the best part was I avoided negotiation. I used Costco to when I shopped for a new car in 2020, but ended up beating the Costco deal by about $1800 and had several more features on the car I ended up buying. So, I would recommend you use it as a baseline and go from there. In my area, Costco only deals with one dealership, so you shouldn't be overwhelmed with calls.

Thanks

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

I used it to buy a car in 2017, and I loved it. No hassle, the price was the price and it was very low pressure. The only downside was that I had to use a dealer that was not as convenient since they were the one who participated in the program. I was going to shop the price and see if my closer dealer would match it, but I really liked the person I was working with, so I ended up wanting to give him the business and purchased there. I will definitely use it again.

 

[Skippy918]

We used it for our cars we bought in 2016. No negotiation and we also double checked and verified that we got the best deals. Both cars had to be ordered cause they weren’t on the lot. It’s worth it.

 

[tvguy]

Anyone use Costco since the chip shortage started? Dealers here have few cars on the lots, and many want $10,000 over sticker price. Not sure how many dealers want to offer discounts through Costco these days.

 

[bcla]

I haven't actually bought a car through Costco, but I did try seeing what kind of deal I could get on a car that my kid is interested in - possibly a hand me down in the future.

It was a limited edition car, and the sales managed contacted me directly. I didn't get a price, but he sent me an email saying that it was coming in within a month. I think I would have likely gotten a set price that was better than the markups I saw at other dealers for $10,000 over MSRP.

 

[Moliphino]

I did in 2013. I knew exactly what I wanted and the dealership was able to find it at another dealership hours away and bring it in for me. It was quick and easy.

 

[Christine]

Costco car buying is your typical car buying service. Not only does Costco offer it but you may find some credit unions that do this or auto insurance companies that do it. Basically the service does all the "buying" actions for you but in order to that, you will have to agree to the price. This is generally prenegotiated through the buying service and the dealers. It's an easy way to buy a car with no haggling, but if you want "the best" price on a vehicle this is not the way to get it. It's a way to get it and hope for a fair price. While I hate buying cars, I absolutely want the lowest price so I generally endure the negotiations which take hours to days on a new car. If you hate to do that, then a car buying service is probably the way to go but understand that it won't be the best price.

 

[_19disnA]

If you navigate around on the Costco car buying area, there are various disclaimers relating to the chip shortage. Also sounds like the dealer has the option to not offer particular discounts. While Costco is a reputable merchant and I have never used them to buy a car, their site is a bit vague relating to the discounts. Sounds like mostly it is a way to put you in touch with a local dealer and maybe save a few dollars on your purchase.

Unless you live somewhere that has very few dealers, you can always shop around if you aren't satisfied with how a particular dealer operates.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

We went thru the process of using Costco when we were looking for a used vehicle ( 2 years out). I live in a very urban area and we had to travel 25 miles, across state lines to get to the "featured dealer". I did like the no haggle pricing. We didn't purchase at that time but I can see how it could be a positive outcome for some buyers.

 

[barkley]

the best part was I avoided negotiation.

agree. when we used the program there were also a few freebies you got with the purchase from the dealership-i want to say that the first couple of servicings were free of charge and there was something like a $100 gift certificate at the dealership that could be used for accessories, parts or servicing. i also recall that we were able to stack the costco deal on top of the financing deal ford credit was offering at the time. we planned to pay cash outright but figured 'why not' and went ahead and financed all but the first $5K since there was no prepayment penalty to get a $2K further drop in price which we paid off before the first payment was due (did the $5K down on a credit card to get rewards which we also paid off immediately to avoid finance charges).

all in all it was an easy process.

 

[monsterkitty]

We didn't use Costco, but DH did find an independent car broker when he bought his new truck. He got to pick everything he wanted, and the broker ordered the truck at below what Costco and a dealership was charging. The broker also bought our Prius at a very generous price.

We did have to wait longer because of the chip issue, but no long than what the wait would have been with Costco or a dealership.

 

[RamblingMad]

I did this back in 2018. Made the process of buying a vehicle much better. It wasn't the best price, but it was good price.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I was in Costco recently and saw a flyer to save money off the purchase of a new Cadillac using select local dealerships. I was just on the Costco website and it seems the offer is not limited to Cadillac. I didn’t get far into what the discounts are because I don’t want 100 telephone calls and e-mails from dealerships.

im just wondering if their discount is worth it?

My Cadillac dealer bought me a Costco membership I buy so many cars from them.
cost them almost nothing and they can save me 1500 to 2500 per car