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Comment by rudedogg | Hacker News Reader

Has anyone used Costco to buy a new vehicle? Their program isn't direct or anything, but you're supposed to get better prices than working with a dealership directly.

I've been curious how much below invoice they are. The closest one is 4 hours away from me, so I'm not a member (and can't see prices).

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I used to work for the group that operates this service. They claimed that the prices were the lowest possible about 95% of the time. People would often say that they negotiated a lower price on their own, but this was more often due to them choosing a different vehicle or not following the process (never underestimate a car salesperson). I did not look over prices very much myself, but they could vary greatly between dealerships in different parts of the country.

I went through Costco's vehicle program last year when we bought our Toyota Sienna (used). It was pretty painless and we got a good deal on the van. Definitely worth checking out.

We weren't overly impressed. Costco price was ~$2k above what we ended up negotiating separately.

Did you bring your own financing, did you let the dealer find you the best deal? A lot of dealers bump the APR on your loan and get the majority of that higher APR back from the lender as a finders fee.

I have. It was right at the introduction of the redesigned model year so people that wanted to be one of the first to own the car were paying roughly MSRP. Costco got me to GM Supplier pricing and a $700 Costco cash card with zero negotiation needed from my side. Salesperson honored it with no hesitation. I was also able to stack Manufacturer discounts (GM Cashback and GM Private Offer) so when all said and done I paid just a little under invoice.

I used Consumer Reports car buying service for a new Toyota Prius. Two local dealerships submitted offers but couldn't find am exact match. Dealerships then attempted bait and switch (successfully). For two summers I was irritated every time I sweat in my car without tinted windows because I wouldn't pay $350 additional for their tint. But it was probably a better deal than I would have negotiated myself.

costco doesn't show members tje prices. You will be referred to the dealership where they give you the pricelist. I've done this once and it saved me a lot of time.

On other hand you can always ask for "costco" price in the dealership, would they honor it I don't know.

tried to get a quote from Costco but it wasn't really that great.. abou the same quote i got from simply emailing a dealership

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