Anyone use PenFed (or Costco) car buying service recently?

[Anonymous]

I’m having a hard time getting accurate inventory and pricing information from area dealers for a Toyota. So I’m thinking of seeing if a car buying service would be helpful.

[Anonymous]

I tried over the summer with Costco and basically none participated in it because there was no inventory.
I ended up calling a place in WV and driving there when the vehicle was delivered - did it after work. It was no big deal. Saved a ton of money over what local Toyota dealers wanted.

[Anonymous]

Costco, yes, but for Mazda -- if you're already a member, worth trying with Toyota!

[Anonymous]

I bought a used Honda for my son thru Penfed auto buying service.
Good search engine.

[Anonymous]

PP - what dealer did you use in WV, and were they reasonable or slimy?

[Anonymous]

They are free so try it. I negotiated a better deal on my own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP - what dealer did you use in WV, and were they reasonable or slimy?

University Motors. It was a great experience. We essentially had everything arranged in advance, signed and were out the door in 30 min or so.

[Anonymous]

I had a good experience with Costco buying a Toyota but I'm not in the DMV. I had to input what car I wanted and they sent me to the nearest dealership with stock. Pretty painless.

[Anonymous]

I’m thinking of getting a Costco membership just to use this, but can I see which models are excluded beforehand? The website lets you enter your zip code, pick a model, etc. but I assume that doesn’t automatically mean there are participating dealers, right?

[Anonymous]

I bought a car just yesterday. I ended up getting a better deal at the dealership without even trying.

I walked in with the PenFed and Costco (and Amex) prices in hand, but didn't mention them. I simply asked for the best "all in" price the dealer could give me and it ended up being lower than any of them, though just by about $200.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m thinking of getting a Costco membership just to use this, but can I see which models are excluded beforehand? The website lets you enter your zip code, pick a model, etc. but I assume that doesn’t automatically mean there are participating dealers, right?

Costco and PenFed both use TrueCar. You can use the TrueCar website directly. At some point, they may charge a fee or membership. But without out that, I can still see available cars and dealer discounts plus calculate taxes/fees and see dealer fees. And, get a price quote I can take to the dealer. So it seems like everything you'd get with going through Costco. I don't really think TrueCar will get you great savings. You're probably getting the standard "internet price" you can get directly from the dealership website. But you don't need a Costco membership to access it (or most of it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought a car just yesterday. I ended up getting a better deal at the dealership without even trying.

I walked in with the PenFed and Costco (and Amex) prices in hand, but didn't mention them. I simply asked for the best "all in" price the dealer could give me and it ended up being lower than any of them, though just by about $200.

What kind of car though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m thinking of getting a Costco membership just to use this, but can I see which models are excluded beforehand? The website lets you enter your zip code, pick a model, etc. but I assume that doesn’t automatically mean there are participating dealers, right?

Costco and PenFed both use TrueCar. You can use the TrueCar website directly. At some point, they may charge a fee or membership. But without out that, I can still see available cars and dealer discounts plus calculate taxes/fees and see dealer fees. And, get a price quote I can take to the dealer. So it seems like everything you'd get with going through Costco. I don't really think TrueCar will get you great savings. You're probably getting the standard "internet price" you can get directly from the dealership website. But you don't need a Costco membership to access it (or most of it).

Its me again...just to warn you. To test how much info I could get from the TrueCar website without paying anything (but setting up an account), I accessed the pricing for a particular Toyota Corolla from a local dealer. I got a call from them within 15 minutes. Fortunately I used a secondary email and phone number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m thinking of getting a Costco membership just to use this, but can I see which models are excluded beforehand? The website lets you enter your zip code, pick a model, etc. but I assume that doesn’t automatically mean there are participating dealers, right?

Costco and PenFed both use TrueCar. You can use the TrueCar website directly. At some point, they may charge a fee or membership. But without out that, I can still see available cars and dealer discounts plus calculate taxes/fees and see dealer fees. And, get a price quote I can take to the dealer. So it seems like everything you'd get with going through Costco. I don't really think TrueCar will get you great savings. You're probably getting the standard "internet price" you can get directly from the dealership website. But you don't need a Costco membership to access it (or most of it).

This article from Consumers’ Checkbook makes it sound like TrueCar is different (and worse) than the Costco program.

https://www.checkbook.org/washington-area/car-buying-strategies-for-a-good-deal/articles/How-to-Get-the-Best-Price-on-a-New-Car-2131

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m thinking of getting a Costco membership just to use this, but can I see which models are excluded beforehand? The website lets you enter your zip code, pick a model, etc. but I assume that doesn’t automatically mean there are participating dealers, right?

Costco and PenFed both use TrueCar. You can use the TrueCar website directly. At some point, they may charge a fee or membership. But without out that, I can still see available cars and dealer discounts plus calculate taxes/fees and see dealer fees. And, get a price quote I can take to the dealer. So it seems like everything you'd get with going through Costco. I don't really think TrueCar will get you great savings. You're probably getting the standard "internet price" you can get directly from the dealership website. But you don't need a Costco membership to access it (or most of it).

This article from Consumers’ Checkbook makes it sound like TrueCar is different (and worse) than the Costco program.

https://www.checkbook.org/washington-area/car-buying-strategies-for-a-good-deal/articles/How-to-Get-the-Best-Price-on-a-New-Car-2131

PP here. It appears you are correct. Sorry to mislead anyone. TrueCar charges dealerships for the service (not consumers).