Costco car buying service

[zulu01]

Has anyone used Costco to buy a new car? How was the process? Was it a decent savings? Could you do better haggling on your own? Looking at getting a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Anyone have recommendations for Jeep dealerships?

[mtnrider]

Not a car but I looked into there "ATV" buying service. I could get a better price going straight to the dealer. Don't know if that is a indicator for the cars but thought I would throw it out there.

[Ranger353]

I used it 2 years ago when shopping for a new Subaru. I am not sure what I was expecting but it didn't amount to any savings, in fact the price I was quoted was $700 more than what the dealer was able to get me. Maybe I was expecting a savings, but I don't think it was worth the time spent online filling in the form.

My 2cents.

[HoneyBadger]

Not related to Costco, but seriously: If you have any debt, then don't buy new! You are throwing away so much money!!

[zulu01]

Not related to Costco, but seriously: If you have any debt, then don't buy new! You are throwing away so much money!!

Why? I get that buying used saves you the initial depreciation, but what does current debt have to do with it. Higher interest rate? We are debt free and have excellent credit scores so that shouldn't be an issue.

[Rooskibar03]

If you want quick and easy Costco is the way to go. If you want to chase deals, argue with dealers, and make a career out of buying the car you can always do better. How much depends on what kind of car you're shopping for.

[kwando]

Contact Peter Schramm (pschramm@centleasing.com) (720) 327-0233 at Centennial Sales and Leasing. Tell him Simon sent ya, he was able to get me the best deal on my new Honda Pilot. Better interest than Honda also (0.9% vs 2.9%).

[Rooskibar03]

Keep in mind brokers are getting paid in middle of your transaction so whatever he made is potentially money you could save. Brokers are easy as they do the legwork but they don't work for free.

Unfortunately I don't have any contacts in the Jeep world.

[HoneyBadger]

Why? I get that buying used saves you the initial depreciation, but what does current debt have to do with it. Higher interest rate? We are debt free and have excellent credit scores so that shouldn't be an issue.
First of all, congrats on being debt-free! You are ahead of 90% of Americans. Now, why would you want to go back into debt for a car?

It's not about credit scores, it's about making your money work FOR you instead of OWN you. If you have current debt, you should put that money toward paying it off ASAP instead of throwing it away. A new $35k car typically loses $4000-$8000 in value in the first year, depending on the type of vehicle and the resale market. If you bought the same car, 1 year old from some other sucker, then you'd have $4000-$8000 sitting in your bank account that you could put to use in a number of ways.

As long as you are in debt, you are owned by that debt. Even if it is a "low-interest" loan (less than 5%) you are continuously losing money on that money. How do you think lenders get rich?

Instead of new, spend a few thousand dollars less on a 2014, 2013 or 2012 model and use that money to get yourself out of debt (obviously doesn't apply to you), build up your savings, or just buy a nicer car. Heck, since you don't have any other debt, you could use that extra money for just about anything. Go buy yourself a couple of sweet new guns or something.

I'm telling you this because I just got SCHOOLED on this. I bought a new 2014 Xterra last year and I tell you what... I really wish I had that extra $6000 that it's lost in value since last January. Heck, it's barely worth what I owe on it! I constantly regret that decision. I talked myself into it at the time, but it ended up being an emotional purchase, and not a smart one.

I have nothing to gain by telling you this. I'm telling you this so that you don't make the same stupid mistake I did. Sorry to poo-poo on your thread.

[NFATrustGuy]

Has anyone used Costco to buy a new car? How was the process? Was it a decent savings? Could you do better haggling on your own? Looking at getting a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Anyone have recommendations for Jeep dealerships?

I recently purchased a new Subaru. I sold my other 2 cars and consolidated down to the one new one.

I ended up going through a broker because I quickly grew tired of haggling with dealers and all the games they play. I used a smaller, independent broker and am only marginally happy with the actual service he provided, but I got the same or better deal I could have received going to the local dealer. I've heard pretty good things about Centennial Leasing and Sales and would probably go there next time (probably another 10 years) I buy a new car. As a data point, I saved approximately 9% off the MSRP on a fully-loaded 2015 Subaru Legacy.

FWIW

[cableguy11]

If you have access to USAA, I have used their car buying service several times, and always walk away with a pretty good deal. Especially since I did not have to haggle, or do any of the legwork. Just throwing it out there if you are looking for a car buying service.

-Art

[mahabali]

Truecar is not bad... Just use a burner email address because the dealers will blow it up.

[Brian]

Costco/truecar/usaa all use the same (truecar) back end. Though I believe the price can vary slightly, or at least did when I used it about 3 years ago before it became more popular. When I bought my jeep a few years ago I used the USAA service as a starting point, and did a tiny bit of negotiation at the dealer on some add-ons, etc. Based on a lot of research, I'm pretty sure I got just about the best deal that could be found at the time.

I think it's a great way to get started if nothing else. Up to you whether it's worth fighting for that last little bit of money at the dealer, and if your time is worth the hassle of playing dealers against each other, etc.

[spongejosh]

Truecar is not bad... Just use a burner email address because the dealers will blow it up.

I'll second this. Both for the fact it will give you a realistic price point to start and that you will get emails from dealers for months after signing up.

[brutal]

I was very pleased using HM Brown. Got me a great deal on my truck, best trade dollars and zero hassle.