Anonymous wrote:Someone on here said that no dealers are participating with Costco at the moment.

+1

Anonymous wrote:We did this once and I regretted it. I later learned it’s definitely not a great deal. Email dealers for prices and then go back and forth with your best offer. Each time we thought we had our best deal, someone else beat it.

This just doesn't work anymore, nobody is getting a good deal on cars right now.

Someone on here said that no dealers are participating with Costco at the moment.

Anonymous wrote:Run the model through the Costco buying program and see if you get any returns. We were looking for a Toyota Corolla and it said “no dealers meet the criteria” so it’s a pretty useless service for popular models now.

+1. Lots of cars have to be ordered direct from the manufacturer, so, Costco (and the other buying programs) have limited inventory to work with. What type of car are you interested in buying? People can give you advice.

Run the model through the Costco buying program and see if you get any returns. We were looking for a Toyota Corolla and it said “no dealers meet the criteria” so it’s a pretty useless service for popular models now.

Bump.
Times are different- waiting for cars, less negotiation, paying MSRP plus an amount on top.

How is it now using Costco to buy a car?

We started with the True Car price and negotiated down from there. It helps to find a forum listing what others have paid recently for your model and trim. Sometimes cars are less discounted than others. It’s not like you can always get x% off.

Its one avenue to try. We tried Costco, USAAA and on our own and did better on our own even at the same dealers.

I looked at the Costco program and, like everyone else, found that it was an OK deal but not nearly a "great" deal. The main advantage is that it is easy and transparent.

Like millions of others, I hate hate hate new car dealers and will never buy from one again. Although others do it well, I've been burned enough to know not to go back again. There's just too much asymmetric information/negotiating skill and I am quite aware that they need to make a big margin to pay for all the building, the advertising, payroll and other things that deliver zero value to the customer. I just want a car. I am pulling for Tesla's lawyers to finally break the antiquated dealership laws.

I got a better deal through my credit union.

Whenever we’ve priced out services offered through Costco, like HVAC or blinds, it’s never been a good deal. I would use a credit union car buying service first.

I did it recently and didn't get the deal of a lifetime, but it was pretty good and hassle-free. I also needed a popular car fast, which meant waiting out dealers to get the best possible deal wasn't going to happen.

Go to Edmunds.com and price out the car. They will also tell you what people have been paying for it.

We did this once and I regretted it. I later learned it’s definitely not a great deal. Email dealers for prices and then go back and forth with your best offer. Each time we thought we had our best deal, someone else beat it.

we are thinking about buying a new car thru the costco program. no haggling, but presumably a bit more expensive? if you have done it please share your experience. TIA!