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about costco membership to shop at costco dealer

I'd advise ya to save your money. There's nothing magical about this stuff. My credit union has a free service whereby you get a price that is the actualy dealer invoice price plus $50. But even then, you can do better. For instance, I paid $360 under invoice on my vechicle and the dealer made $482 on the sale. Note that that's thin enough margins that I'm amazed the dealer went for it.

The secret is that dealer invoice isn't dealer cost on a vehicle. There is (at least as of 3 years ago) a "holdback" amount the factory pays to the dealer on the vehicle that is 3% of invoice. So actual dealer cost is typically 97% of dealer invoice. Less, if Subaru is running any factory to dealer incentives.

Its best to start negotiating at actual dealer cost, and work your way up from there to allow the dealer to make a fair profit. Don't forget to allow them to make something, ortherwise don't be surprised if they tell you to have a nice day.

Lots more such info here, and what to watch out for at the dealer:

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One thing that was worth my money was a consumer reports new car pricing guide.
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It allowed me to download and print dealer invoice on every option/configuration of a given car on the lot and let me figure things on the fly on the lot. Edmunds.com can give the same info for a specific vehicle, but the consumer reports layout with all the options and packages displayed really makes quick work of it while you're dealing with various units on a new car lot.

Enjoy your new car buying experience. In no other purchase does the consumer have such power to know the exact cost a dealer paid on a commodity item you can buy from several different dealers!

I stumbled upon a very motivated salesman at the end of the month who lobbied his general manager to sell me a car that made the dealer only a few hundred dollars... So I paid well below invoice cost. I got to a price I was comfortable with, and then said "okay, make that price happen and now throw in the factory car top carrier (your cost on it is $238 I believe), and I'll cheerfully buy from you today."

The salesman was near the end of hte month and needed a few more units to get to some nifty vacation for a weekend plateau and he got the approval on it.

Remember, it's a new car. These are mass produced items. There are lots of them at different dealers. :-) ANd don't fall prey to the high profit extra crap like rustproofing, undercoating, the extended warranty at the dealer (same Subaru warranty can be purchased up to 3 years from your purchase date, and from other dealers that won't bilk you), or dealer installed options. All are loaded with profit.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Reply to
Todd H.
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I learned from this ng that costco members can obtain a car price quote and go to costco dealers and get the price that usually $100 above invoice price.

Someone told me yesterday as I mentioned about getting costco membership and get the price quote and purchase the car in comming week, that I must have been a costco member for one year.

Since the membership, as I udnerstand, is purchased yearly, wouldn't I have one year membership and be qualitfied to shop at costco dealers and use that price quote?

If someone can clearify this, I would really apprecaite it. I am behind my schedule to purchase the car and time is running out. I was really counting on getting costo price quote and shop at costco dealerse especially now that I don't need to trade in my current car. My sister would buy it from me.

Thanks.

Reply to
amanda992004

The only thing I would add is that the dealer is a "professional" bargainer -- most people are not...so sometimes a credit union or Costco buying program is a good deal for non-bargainers.

I did pretty well (though not as well as you!) > snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes:

Reply to
Bart

I purchase my last two cars through

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without any hassel and both below dealers invoice. And, you know what the price is before contacted by them.

Chris Werner

Reply to
Chris Werner

Yes, I don't have the energy or time to bargain especially right now.

Reply to
amanda992004

Thanks for all the tips and the links. I'll definitely read those links and keep in mind of your tips.

Reply to
amanda992004

So I guess I shouldn't even bother to go see dealer's prices. I haven't set my foot in the dealer's place. If I were to go, I was goign to go with a quite and just talk to fleet manager.

Someone from carsdirect contacted me in mid May. I told her to call back in early June (and she did but I was still busy and ..).

At the time, when I found out about the detail I would have to fill in the form for the trade-in car I was going to trade in (provided that I couldn't sell it for good money privately; but my sister is buying my car and so now I won't need to trade in) I kind of gave up buying from carsdirect because I wouldn't have time to write in detail of my current car) but now I might just buy from them. Thanks a lot for reminding me about carsdirect.

I have a library down the road; I should take a look at CR.

Reply to
amanda992004

Certainly you can get prices from the dealer, if you have the time, energy and don't mind the hassel. Unless you negotiate with the dealer, which may take hours, you will never know his best price. The one thing that you don't want to do, is to use your carsdirect quote as a bargaining tool.

Try craigslist.com to sell your old vehicle. Your advertisement is free and you can include up to four color pictures.

Reply to
Chris Werner

FYI: the library will not have any substitute for the $12 or so one spends on the Consumer Reports new car pricing service. This is a service quite seperate from their magazine and book publications.

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Reply to
Todd H.

Thanks. I was hinkign to get that $12 quote provding the exact feature I want. I just go to the CR website, right?

Reply to
amanda992004

Yup. Look for new car pricing service. You should get a whole table of hte various options as well in addition to the exact configuration you're shopping for. They never seem to have exactly what you want in stock, and bargaining isn't as sweet if they have to order it. They wanna move what's taking up space on their lot today.

Best regards,

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Reply to
Todd H.

Would it be sufficient to place an ad (for the car) through craiglist.com and not any auto related advertisement booklets?

Reply to
amanda992004

My experience tells me the price I have been getting locally so far is just around the price of carsdirect.

I might end up purchasing from carsdirect. Thanks for this carsdirect info you provided from very early on.

Thanks Tood for the currysubary sites for extended warranty info.

I sold my sister's old Honda via craigslist. Honda is a hot item for sure.

Reply to
amanda992004

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