Costco Auto Buying Program
 

Greetings,
My in-laws used this service in Albuquerque about 10 years ago and were pleased with the process and outcome.

Anyone use it here with “local” dealers - or even dealers who are further away and less likely to play “Gouge the Villagers” ...?

We haven’t decided on the vehicle and want to test a few makes/ models after our second Covid shot & waiting period. We are also considering both new and used at this point.

Just interested in others’ experiences and advice at this point.

A few of my wife’s friends used to borrow and try out demo tennis rackets from the local store and then buy the racket on the internet. Later the store went out of business and they had nowhere to go to try out their rackets and they opined that the store closed because his prices were too high.

Hmm what does this have to do with buying a car via Costco?

If you use any buying service, make sure that the dealer is not just using the service to get you into their showroom. Before you go to the dealership, they should verify that the exact car, with window sticker and VIN number, that you have selected is actually on their lot. And, they should give you the out-the-door price before you go there. A few years ago, a friend got ripped off by a dealer who lied about having the car, ordered it from another dealer, which took 6 weeks, and when it came, it was not the correct car. In my opinion, if you research a car's value, you really don't need a buying service to get a fair price.

Smells kind of like allegory, the point (moral?) of which should be relatively clear.

I got a quote from the Costco selected dealer but they were pretty far away. Another dealer that was much closer matched the price so that's an option.

I used Costco to buy a BMW X5 in Newport Beach, CA late in 2016. At that time wealthy Chinese were buying up real estate in the area. Two Chinese speaking salesmen were selling BMWs over the phone to customers in China. It was crazy as the the dealership could have sold at whatever price they wanted to, I imagine. Costco gave me a good price, so much over invoice. My salesman was their internet guy. He made a mistake of a few hundred dollars in my favor and honored that amount. I ordered mine as I wanted a certain color and features.

I think a lot depends on the vehicle and the market conditions. I would go with Costco again. It was a pleasant experience for me, especially compared to past car buying experiences at dealerships.