Anyone bought there taco off costco auto program?

If so, did they give a good deal?

 

They are supposed have good prices. Good luck. What's the dealer asking?

 

My aunt and uncle got their 4 Runner from costco and they got 6 or 7 grand off msrp. They had a great experience and it was super easy. When I bought my taco their prices weren't so great, only a few hundred off. It's worth checking out though. You should contact them and see what kind of prices they've got going. Worst case it's not the deal you want and you keep looking

 

I have a tacoma but my dad wanted to buy a new truck. He read about the costco auto program

 

Wow great deal. Im curious how much discount for the new tacomas.

 

I bought mine through Costco this summer. The amount of discount depends on the specific vehicle, and I guess it might have been lower this summer because of the disruptions of the supply from Japan because of the earthquake/tsunami, and because Tacomas are always in great demand. All in all I believe I got 2% over invoice, which is what I guess I could have gotten by bargaining hard on my own but:

1. There was no bargaining involved, I met the rep, gave me a discount for the model (Tacoma) that I wanted, and that was it.

2. Since Costco has a national deal with Toyota Fleet Services, you don't deal with a floor salesman, but with a fleet rep. This meant no pushiness on his part, no BS "what's it gonna take to get you in this truck today", etc. He gave me a price, gave me his number, and told me to call him when I was ready to order one.

3. Fleet doesn't make money out of commissions proportional to the final sale price, but only proportional to volume of sales, so he had no incentive in trying to sell me accessories, or a more expensive model. Once I told him the model and features I wanted, he worked with me to find one exactly like I wanted within my price range. He was the one suggesting to take off dealer-installed features that I didn't want/need, to lower the final price. Good luck finding a floor salesman doing that.

4. They work from a different database than the private sales, so he wasn't limited to what was on hand at that specific dealership or in the surrounding area. Once we decided exactly what I wanted, he ordered it and it was there within 3 to 5 days.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with Costco or the Costco Auto Program, and I am just reporting my personal experience. Other people might have had better/worse luck with it. I felt it was the most relaxing and low-pressure car buying experience I have ever experienced, and since I don't like to bargain hard, it was perfect for me. I had spoken in person with at least 10 dealerships in and around Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, and nobody was willing to drop the price below sticker by even a couple of hundred bucks. I tried all the suggestions and tricks that you can imagine to negotiate the price down (offer cash, don't look desperate or enamored of a particular vehicle, bring the kids along, go alone, you name it) and got nothing. I feel I got a very good value out of going through Costco.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks texio. I appreciate your help. Did you think you got a better deal at costco than toyota itself?

 

As far as the price, yes. Like I said, I wasn't able to negotiate the sticker price at all when dealing with regular salesmen. At least with Costco I knew what I was getting, and it was lower than anything else I was able to find. Someone might be able to negotiate better than me I guess, but I was ok with what I got.

That said, Toyota Financing was pretty awesome, they matched my FCU interest rate (2.4%) so I was able to do everything through them, which meant less paperwork and less waiting.

 

I bought my truck new in 06 through Costco. Paid 700 over invoce. Sticker was $29,xxx paid 24,100 something around that. Plus I got the extended warranty discounted and if I would have bought any accessories they would have been discounted too.
I would definitely recommend using them. Super easy to deal with.

Good Luck

 

And then?

 

He read it and saw that costco has good deals without negotiating. Now hes gona check it out and see if its true. If it is then hes buying a truck

 

Wow 24k out the door?

 

what is this costco program?

 

I tried it when I bought my Taco. Costcos website told me dealer invoice was $25,9XX for what I wanted (2011 DC TRD OR 4x4). Found a dealer that had one about 2 miles from me. I met with the guy and he said his invoice was $29,900 and Costcos deal on Tacomas is $700 over invoice. So after tax/title, It would have been $33k. I politely thanked him for his time and went on my way.

 

If you have a Costco membership (any level) you can get special pricing on most makes/models vehicles from participating dealership. It varies, but it should be about 2% over invoice.

Did you talk with the authorized Costco rep at the dealership? The Costco sales go through Fleet Services, which has different invoice prices (in my understanding) than regular public sales, and not all the salespersons at the dealership would have access to the special Costco price. Also, not all the dealerships participate in the Costco program, only 1 out of the 4 dealers in Austin are part of it.

 

Yup, in fact he even asked to see my Costco card. I never deal with floor salesmen anymore. There is no reason to feel pressured to give them money.

 

Ditto on floor salesmen. I guess, like I said in my first post, that different people might have had different experiences with the program. I got what I was expecting from it, and it was good enough for me. Sorry it didn't work better for you!