Has anyone used the Costco car buying "service"? (credit, prices)

[Ninotchka]

we need to buy a car soon and would love to avoid the game playing at the dealers as much as possible. i understand the costco system mitigates that a bit, yes?

[cruitr]

Yes. If you love to negotiate like I do, you can probably do a little better. But overall, Costco car prices are very fair.

[sschibuola]

I've never used the Costco service but used a similar one - basically you deal with the "fleet sales" people instead of the "retail" side . . . much more business-like transaction and avoids most of the pressure tactics ("I'll have to talk to my Manager about that") crap. If you actually enjoy negotiating and wading through the crap you can probably get a better price - but I'll gladly pay a little more for a quick and efficient process where I don't have to look at some Herb Tarlek type in a cheap suit.

Also found this source of car-buying info very useful:

Buying a Car: Introduction [Fool.com: Buying a Car]

[oddstray]

We used the AAA buying service, after getting disgusted with the dealers. AAA got us a price $500 less than what any dealer would offer.

[earlyretirement]

I haven't used Costco but I did use New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing - Edmunds.com on our last 2 car purchases in the area and it couldn't have been easier! I'd highly recommend it. We bought an Audi and BMW that way and we literally had dealers fighting over the sale. We ended up buying a BMW at almost dealer cost.

That's the best way to buy a new car IMHO. We just were upfront and honest and told the dealers that whoever gave us the best price would get the sale. One dealership even threw in free weekly car washes for the first 2 years.

[ferretkona]

I bought my truck then the wife's truck 6 months later with the CostCo buying service.

My truck I got for $3000 under invoice. The wife's truck was $2500 under invoice.
With the costco program they upgraded drivetrain warranty to 10yr/100K.

[hitman619]

I've used Costco and it's the easiest time Ive ever had buying a car.
They set me up with the fleet manger at Bob Stall Chevrolet.
I was Driving my Tahoe down the street within the hour
They also got me $4500 off to boot!
Use Costco!

[futbol]

Originally Posted by hitman619

I've used Costco and it's the easiest time Ive ever had buying a car.
They set me up with the fleet manger at Bob Stall Chevrolet.
I was Driving my Tahoe down the street within the hour
They also got me $4500 off to boot!
Use Costco!

How does Costco take payment for a big purchase like this?

Processed personal check?

[ferretkona]

I financed both trucks thru Ford credit.
Costco makes the deal for you, the financing is all yours. I got a couple rebates on mine as well.
Any Ford incentives count

[futbol]

Thanks for that info. When that time comes we may have to head over to Costco.

Are other make/models available?