Costco buying program, anyone use it? And buying a car in general.

[AMink]

Have you used the Costco buying program? What did you think? Easy? A PIA? Can you get a better deal without it?

I hate the car buying bs you go through at dealers. I let them know up front I don't have time for playing games and the low number I get first should be the best they have or I'll walk.

We've been looking at mid-size sedans and have driven the VW Passat SE TDI (love that little diesel!), the Mazda 6 Touring (with some nice upgrades), and the KIA Optima ES. At first blush all three are very solid, nice driving cars. I think I like the VW best though it is the least appointed for similar price, but it does have that diesel and the mileage that goes with it. The Mazda is next with very good mileage and a tight, firm ride and plenty of pep. The KIA I'm up in the air about. The engine is a little thrashy at higher RPM's but it does move the car. The mileage is lower, but the thing has all kinds of niceties at the same price point. it also has the 100,000 mile warranty. Nice.

So far the sales sharks have been very respectful of our flat out "we're just looking, not buying" so that part has been good. I know there are other fine cars in the segment but everyone and their brother has an Accord, Camry, or Legacy. I'm not sold on CVT transmissions (shouldn't they be in snowmobiles?) and Chevy and Dodge don't have anything that lights my fire or that doess as well in the comparison wars. Ford, ah Ford. The Fusion is nice but I just can't do Ford. I might go give it a test but...

I will say that, since we bought our truck in 2006 there are some pretty neat things going into cars. The build quality of all the cars we've looked at so far is really up there. Of course, for near $30,000 it dang well should be!

 

[ata]

Yes I did. You still have to go to the dealer. But they have to go by Costco's rules. The price may not be the best you can find. But the dealer will stand behind the deal and take care of you in case of a problem. It is a NO BULL buy NO HASSLE and they will tell you of any and all discounts and programs. Costco will send you a form to fill out to make sure all the rules and discounts were applied.
Would I do it again YES!

 

[jgillott]

I have not used the Costco buying program but we have a similar program through my work. Very simple to use. The company has a web site that you go to to find a qualifying dealer. You go there, pricing is set at $100 over factory invoice minus all applicable incentives. Nothing special about the deal that you probably couldn't get anyway, but it completely takes the hassle out of the deal. It literally takes a minute or two to verify the qualification for the deal (we have to show our work ID) and you do the paperwork.

When I purchased my last work truck, there were no Dodge/Ram dealers on our listing locally. I didn't want another Chevrolet work truck, so I visited the local Ford dealer that honored our program and got pricing on an F150. Drove down the road to the Dodge dealer, showed them the deal that I would receive on the Ford with the program and they honored the pricing on an equivalent Ram 1500 even though they were not a participating dealer. All in all, a very easy process.

 

[WCPoe]

We used it and bought a 2013 VW Passat TDI SEL in February of this year. Our closest dealer had very few Passats in stock and I wasn't impressed with them at all. That being said, the Costco auto buy program sent us further away. Overall it was a great experience and it may be in part to the dealer they sent us to which was Gunther VW in Buford, Georgia.
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Early in 2013 the VW Passat TDi's were a bit scarce, and nearby dealers were holding near MSRP. The dealership has a predetermined price based on the model vehicle and as near as I can tell the discount you will receive is some type of price point based on the demand / availability of the particular model you are seeking. Our salesman showed us the Costco Auto Buy discounts on our Passat as well as any other vehicle you may want that they have on the lot. I don't think it applies to ordering a vehicle. Based on my initial findings the pricing is a no haggle decent discount that you will be happy with. Not saying you couldn't spend untold amounts of time shopping and haggling to get a better price but I really liked the approach.
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I would do it again unless I could qualify for one of the manufacturers employee discounts which I would assume would be even better. We ended up with a decent discount, no high pressure sales tactics, a $50 Costco credit to be used at the dealership and didn't feel beat down when we left.
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Oh yeah, if you decide on the Passat get the SEL with the sport seats. To me the up-level seats were the ticket. Plus you'll like the room the Passat has.
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Very pleased with our TDi getting nearly 40 mpg everyday driving and 45 mpg on long trips. Simply amazing!!!
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Good luck on your purchase. Oo.

 

[AMink]

Thanks for the replies. We have pulled the trigger yet. A quick email to a dealer in the Sacramento area got me the same car at $26,850. At least now I have an idea of what CAN be done if a dealer wants business. A bargaining chip to be sure. I really don't want to go to CA for anything, let alone a high ticket item.

We did drive the Mazda6 and KIA Optima and I was impressed by both. Very nice cars. The TDI, though more "lightly" appointed, still has my attention.

 

[BILLUA]

I used USAA to buy a BMW last year. It is a great program if you have access to it.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Went on-line when I bought the wife's Audi, Told them the spec's of the auto I wanted, and clicked the button. Had no less than 10 replies to sell me the car, some were in ID and UT, CO, SD and said that transport of the car to our nearest Audi dealer would be included. Had a bidding war going on for a week!!! Bought the car from a dealer in Rapid City SD they shipped it to Helena MT (NO CHARGE) and NO Dealership BS included, its the only way I will ever buy a car or truck again. Went in signed the paperwork and had a buddy that works at the dealership load it on a flat bed wrecker and bring it to the house as a surprise for the little lady. That!! I had to pay for, but beer is cheap and he cant drink much.

 

[RustyJC]

On my last 5 or 6 cars & trucks, I've shopped the internet. If I couldn't find what I was looking for in a dealer's stock, I sent my specs to a number of dealers' internet sales departments for a quote for a factory order, picked the dealer that I chose to deal with, finalized the price and only had to go into the dealership to sign the papers and write a check. No hassle, and I've saved thousands on the same vehicle as compared to walking onto a showroom floor and trying to deal with a floor salesman. It's the only way I'll go after having done it for the past 10+ years.

Rusty