costco auto purchase program

[alancw3]

i was in costco yesterday and picked up a flyer on their auto purchase program, thinking about buying a honda odyssey to cart my bikes around. has anyone ever used their program and if so was it worth while. supposedly they assign you to a dealer in your area and a contact person in the dealership that provides the dealer invoice and costco member price. just thought it might be an easier way to purchase an automobile.

[huey]

I have no experience with the Costco purchase program. However, I do work in the automotive industry and am a car nut. The absolute easiest way to buy a car in through the internet. Send an e-mail out to all of your local dealers telling them what model, trim, color etc... that you want. Negotiate the bottom line price, which should be no more than $100-$200 over dealer invoice. Then negotiate your trade in. It is this simple. If you have any further questions please let me know.

Brad

[malcolm]

I agree with the internet suggestion. Before you contact them research it at edmunds.com or something similar.

[cookieguy]

USAA's auto purchase program is painless.... Price was some nominal amout above the so called dealer cost... I dealt with the fleet manager (GM), straight up business deal without the usual nonsense....

Don't get me going about Toyota dealers....I came in as a cash customer and their "closer" kept insisting on trying to sell me "value packs"...I had a certain amount of glee telling him that if he opened his mouth again I'd walk....amazingly effective

[Lanternrouge]

i was in costco yesterday and picked up a flyer on their auto purchase program, thinking about buying a honda odyssey to cart my bikes around. has anyone ever used their program and if so was it worth while. supposedly they assign you to a dealer in your area and a contact person in the dealership that provides the dealer invoice and costco member price. just thought it might be an easier way to purchase an automobile.

I used it and it was ok. I'm sure I could have saved some money by going in and negotiating it myself, but it did save some hassle. I imagine that it's similar to the USAA program in that you get a decent price, but not as low as you can get by yourself.

[alancw3]

thanks for the replies. that is what i pretty much thought. it's the hassle and b.s. elimination more than an additional money savings over just walking in off the street. contacting the dealer on the internet may be the best way to go. either that or even through ebay. seems like a lot of dealers are now selling new cars through ebay. i guess distance gets to be the obstacle there.

[Birddog]

The real pain comes when the F&I guy gets into the act. Last few times my wife has handled it. She tells them in no uncertain tems that if we weren't in and out in 30 mins, the deal is off. They have complied every time. We have one dealer here who is notorious for hammering on you for up to 8 hrs trying to get all their add ons. I've been told the real money is made in the F&I office. Have your financing in place, and let the dealer have a chance to beat it.

Birddog

[davep]

Last time I bought a car, about 4 years ago, I had a check from an online auto loan company in my pocket. I told the F&I guy the rate I got and could he beat it. He couldn't and then started to get insulting. I almost walked out, but instead just gave him the check and drove away in a new car.

[mwos]

I tried the negiotating over the internet but decided to use AAA to buy my Honda CRV. All the work was done for me, including setting up my loan. The car was delivered to the local AAA office so I didn't see a dealer.

The price was right on with the quotes I got over the internet and with followup phone calls from the dealers.

Even at the end of the model year, CRV's weren't discounted very much.

Kathi

[Birddog]

I told the F&I guy the rate I got and could he beat it. He couldn't and then started to get insulting
Sounds like they all take the same course on customer relations. It's no wonder most people think of car buying on the same level as root canals and hemorroidectomies (sp?).

Birddog

[slowgoing]

in my experience, higher volume dealerships are more likely to leave you alone in the finance stage. Once they realize you're not buying a warranty, they move you out the door quickly so they can spend more time burying those in line behind you. And yes, they tend to make as much, if not more, on warranties than on the car itself.

[alancw3]

i have actually read where the most stressful and unpleasant purchasing experience in life is purchasing an automobile. boy have the auto companies really missed the boat. i am amased that the auto manufacturers continue to give franchises to those dealer that have bad reputatiions. when it comes down to it all the manufacturers are concerned with is a dealer that can move product and has the financial ability to pay for it's cars. it is because of the hassle that i was even considering using a costco like program. i'll have to look into the aaa program. thanks again.

[Ginger]

Yep...
Find the highest volume dealer in your area and call a salesman. Know what price you want out the door and what you want in financing (and what you can get in financing, my credit union was points better than local banks or the dealer) Make the deal over the phone. You never have to go into the dealership except to sign papers, drop the check, pick up the car.

Higher volume dealers are all about moving product...lots of it. Getting product off their lot is their main concern.

It isn't so much "being a customer" as "doing them a favor" buying your vehicle from them. I had a bit of an issue because my sales guy got promoted, however it's amazing how compliant the sales guys are when they have the car on hand and you won't back off your agreed to price. "How did he do that" "I don't know, and that's not my problem, it's yours. Figure it out and call me back."


(Oh...and don't be afraid to ask for a price below invoice. If the dealership is a high enough volume one, you just might get it...)

[Serotta PETE]

[QUOTE=mwos]I tried the negiotating over the internet but decided to use AAA to buy my Honda CRV. All the work was done for me, including setting up my loan. The car was delivered to the local AAA office so I didn't see a dealer.

The price was right on with the quotes I got over the internet and with followup phone calls from the dealers.

Even at the end of the model year, CRV's weren't discounted very much.

Kathi[/QUOTE

I had the same kind of experience with the PILOT i bought. The internet allowed me to establish a baseline for price and then AAA beat it by a small amount. Also, since I do not sell my used cars privately, I went to CARMAX to see what they would give me - then I knew the min for a trade -n that was needed to close deal.


THe internet, Edmunds, AAA, etc are all good tools to get to the "best" price.

Good hunting