Costco's Auto Program

Swipe79 · 11-03-2019, 11:18 PM

I'm just curious if anyone here has experience using this program? I've heard mixed reviews about it.

Is there a website where people share their "Costco Special Pricing" - I couldn't find one but I would have thought it would be out there.

Swipe79 · 11-04-2019, 11:33 PM

I'm surprised - no one?

Dacubs · 11-04-2019, 11:52 PM

we used it, but that was 12 years ago...was definitely a lot easier since I hate all the haggling.

sorry, wish I could help ya more

TheHeel · 11-05-2019, 07:11 AM

I have been wondering about this too.

Watching.

dizzyduff13 · 11-05-2019, 06:42 PM

I used it when I bought my truck 2 years ago. Got a couple thousand off the price of the truck. From what I remember they just made a copy of the membership card for the file. Smooth process overall.

Swipe79 · 11-05-2019, 09:48 PM

I'm going to drive over to the dealership in Spokane this weekend - it was the closest member of the program. I will be driving past two other Honda dealers to get there...

pingbling23 · 11-05-2019, 10:52 PM

Do your research before you use something like this. That 2k off that you think is a good deal maybe leaving thousands on the table. Just special ordered a wrangler for my wife for 7% under fwp (dealer offered 5% no strings attached, extra 1% for tread lightly membership and extra 1% for financing through them). 6k under msrp. Find a forum for what you want to buy and research what dealerships are willing to sell things for. I’m having to drive 3 hours to get it but it’s definitely worth several thousand dollars.

billsfan34 · 11-05-2019, 11:00 PM

Every dealership sets their own pricing for the vehicles through the Costco program.

Usually it will be anywhere from $500 over invoice to $1000 under depending on the vehicle.

Dealer added options will be extra but those should be discounted as well.

Which Honda are you looking at?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

alpine · 11-06-2019, 12:40 AM

This is off the question you asked, but have you checked out any sites such as Edmunds to find the true invoice price on the car you are looking to purchase? The info is out there. I would also check any Honda Owner Forums or Reddit. There is some great advise on sites such as Reddit about getting the best price & finding out what the average true cost is for the vehicle you want.

Also, check the Doc fees the dealership charges. This is pretty much straight profit for any car dealer. The big auto dealers in Nevada usually charge $400 for Doc fees. IMO, this is ridiculous.

Even though I live in Nevada, I purchased a vehicle in Colorado. I didn't set foot in the dealership. This dealership had no Doc fees. Nobody would touch the price I paid for my RAV4 in Nevada or Oregon. I saved around $3000 & that included shipping to my front door. Since my credit was decent, I also got 0% financing.

Also, make sure you have your financing in place first or check what rates Honda is offering. If your paying cash, you can get a killer deal.

There is plenty of fat built into the price a car dealer charges through Costco. The Costco price I was quoted on my RAV-4 was around $3000 higher than the price I actually paid. You can pretty much beat that price by getting some written quotes through the Internet. There is plenty of competition out there unless you are looking for a limited vehicle.

I would also check & find out what the invoice cost is on the options you want. If you have a trade-in, watch out. This is where new car dealers are making a good percentage of their over the top profits.

If you have problems or have a 2 year basic maintenance warranty included, the local Honda dealer will do it. They will still get paid by Honda for doing the oil change / vehicle inspection, etc.

Hope this helps.

Swipe79 · 11-06-2019, 12:40 PM

Looking at a Ridgeline RTL - I need something a little bigger than what I have now and would like it to be easier to load up Kayaks in the back. We were looking at larger SUVs or a full-size truck but I want it to also fit inside my garage. The Ridgeline is a pretty good match for what we were looking for and Honda is a dependable brand.

I currently drive a Nissan XTerra - which has been a fantastic rig, terrific off-road and in the snow but has it's drawbacks and is getting a little tight when everyone is in the car and we add the dogs. I also have to use a ladder to load the kayaks onto the roof racks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billsfan34

Which Honda are you looking at?

This is great information - thanks for sharing. I've purchased a number of cars in the past so I have some experience and I plan to visit all three dealers and CarMax (they have a 2019 with 1900 miles on it) to see who can offer the best overall value. I really just wanted to see if the Costco thing was worthwhile or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpine

This is off the question you asked, but have you checked out any sites such as Edmunds to find the true invoice price on the car you are looking to purchase? The info is out there. I would also check any Honda Owner Forums or Reddit. There is some great advise on sites such as Reddit about getting the best price & finding out what the average true cost is for the vehicle you want.

Also, check the Doc fees the dealership charges. This is pretty much straight profit for any car dealer. The big auto dealers in Nevada usually charge $400 for Doc fees. IMO, this is ridiculous.

Even though I live in Nevada, I purchased a vehicle in Colorado. I didn't set foot in the dealership. This dealership had no Doc fees. Nobody would touch the price I paid for my RAV4 in Nevada or Oregon. I saved around $3000 & that included shipping to my front door. Since my credit was decent, I also got 0% financing.

Also, make sure you have your financing in place first or check what rates Honda is offering. If your paying cash, you can get a killer deal.

There is plenty of fat built into the price a car dealer charges through Costco. The Costco price I was quoted on my RAV-4 was around $3000 higher than the price I actually paid. You can pretty much beat that price by getting some written quotes through the Internet. There is plenty of competition out there unless you are looking for a limited vehicle.

I would also check & find out what the invoice cost is on the options you want. If you have a trade-in, watch out. This is where new car dealers are making a good percentage of their over the top profits.

If you have problems or have a 2 year basic maintenance warranty included, the local Honda dealer will do it. They will still get paid by Honda for doing the oil change / vehicle inspection, etc.

Hope this helps.

Swipe79 · 11-09-2019, 03:04 PM

I ended up going to all three dealerships and ended up doing really well on the purchase. The Costco pricing was around $32,000 on the model I wanted and I was able to get another dealership to beat that price and they did better on my trade than anyone else (pretty much gave me the cash price I was planning on asking when I sold it). Ended up with a really solid deal on a super nice truck.

11-03-2019, 11:18 PM	#1
Swipe79 Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 13,161 Swipe79 XFactor	Costco's Auto Program I'm just curious if anyone here has experience using this program? I've heard mixed reviews about it. Is there a website where people share their "Costco Special Pricing" - I couldn't find one but I would have thought it would be out there. __________________ Have a nice day!

11-04-2019, 11:33 PM	#2
Swipe79 Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 13,161 Swipe79 XFactor	I'm surprised - no one? __________________ Have a nice day!

11-05-2019, 07:11 AM	#4
TheHeel Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 15,543	I have been wondering about this too. Watching. __________________ 48,230, 52,879, 40,400, 4,780 Pending Deals:

11-05-2019, 06:42 PM	#5
dizzyduff13 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 2,271 Lasker007 dizzyduff13	I used it when I bought my truck 2 years ago. Got a couple thousand off the price of the truck. From what I remember they just made a copy of the membership card for the file. Smooth process overall. __________________ I Collect Jeff Francoeur

11-05-2019, 09:48 PM	#6
Swipe79 Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 13,161 Swipe79 XFactor	I'm going to drive over to the dealership in Spokane this weekend - it was the closest member of the program. I will be driving past two other Honda dealers to get there... __________________ Have a nice day!

11-04-2019, 11:52 PM	#3
Dacubs Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chicago Posts: 11,836 pharmkid97 pharmkid97	we used it, but that was 12 years ago...was definitely a lot easier since I hate all the haggling. sorry, wish I could help ya more

11-05-2019, 10:52 PM	#7
pingbling23 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 15,954 pingbling23	Do your research before you use something like this. That 2k off that you think is a good deal maybe leaving thousands on the table. Just special ordered a wrangler for my wife for 7% under fwp (dealer offered 5% no strings attached, extra 1% for tread lightly membership and extra 1% for financing through them). 6k under msrp. Find a forum for what you want to buy and research what dealerships are willing to sell things for. I’m having to drive 3 hours to get it but it’s definitely worth several thousand dollars.

11-05-2019, 11:00 PM	#8
billsfan34 Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 2,746	Every dealership sets their own pricing for the vehicles through the Costco program. Usually it will be anywhere from $500 over invoice to $1000 under depending on the vehicle. Dealer added options will be extra but those should be discounted as well. Which Honda are you looking at? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

11-06-2019, 12:40 AM	#9
alpine Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NV. Posts: 1,236	This is off the question you asked, but have you checked out any sites such as Edmunds to find the true invoice price on the car you are looking to purchase? The info is out there. I would also check any Honda Owner Forums or Reddit. There is some great advise on sites such as Reddit about getting the best price & finding out what the average true cost is for the vehicle you want. Also, check the Doc fees the dealership charges. This is pretty much straight profit for any car dealer. The big auto dealers in Nevada usually charge $400 for Doc fees. IMO, this is ridiculous. Even though I live in Nevada, I purchased a vehicle in Colorado. I didn't set foot in the dealership. This dealership had no Doc fees. Nobody would touch the price I paid for my RAV4 in Nevada or Oregon. I saved around $3000 & that included shipping to my front door. Since my credit was decent, I also got 0% financing. Also, make sure you have your financing in place first or check what rates Honda is offering. If your paying cash, you can get a killer deal. There is plenty of fat built into the price a car dealer charges through Costco. The Costco price I was quoted on my RAV-4 was around $3000 higher than the price I actually paid. You can pretty much beat that price by getting some written quotes through the Internet. There is plenty of competition out there unless you are looking for a limited vehicle. I would also check & find out what the invoice cost is on the options you want. If you have a trade-in, watch out. This is where new car dealers are making a good percentage of their over the top profits. If you have problems or have a 2 year basic maintenance warranty included, the local Honda dealer will do it. They will still get paid by Honda for doing the oil change / vehicle inspection, etc. Hope this helps. Last edited by alpine; 11-06-2019 at 12:53 AM. Reason: add info.

11-09-2019, 03:04 PM	#11
Swipe79 Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 13,161 Swipe79 XFactor	I ended up going to all three dealerships and ended up doing really well on the purchase. The Costco pricing was around $32,000 on the model I wanted and I was able to get another dealership to beat that price and they did better on my trade than anyone else (pretty much gave me the cash price I was planning on asking when I sold it). Ended up with a really solid deal on a super nice truck. __________________ Have a nice day!