[di96]

We just started looking at the equinox vehicle and wanted to research pricing a little bit before going in to buy one. After reading several of the pricing threads on here I wasn't able to find any mention of costcoauto.com pricing, which is what we are looking at using to purchase. The dealer is offering to go under invoice pricing listed on costoauto.com by $400, plus we would get a $200 gift card from Costco. This is on top of any other GM incentives out there (loyalty 1k for example).

What were looking at.

AWD 2LT
Sunroof
Chrome package

invoice plus destination is $28,483 - $400 = $28,083, plus whatever other things title/IMR etc.
MSRP on this is $30,060 plus title/etc.


Good deal or better discount programs out there?
Thanks,

 

[vondoyle]

we got a 500 dollar discount below invoice on ours through costco.

 

[di96]

we got a 500 dollar discount below invoice on ours through costco.

Thank you, will mention this when we go in, they should match it!

 

[mnussbaum]

I didn't find the Costco program helpful at all. The participating dealer offered vehicles below Costco's price without negotiating. In the end we bought from another dealer anyway.

 

[di96]

I didn't find the Costco program helpful at all. The participating dealer offered vehicles below Costco's price without negotiating. In the end we bought from another dealer anyway.

Care to expand on this? What made you buy from another dealer? did they beat costco set pricing or other factors?

Thanks

 

[mnussbaum]

The dealer with Costco pricing didn't have the vehicle I wanted in stock at the time, and they were much further from home than the dealer I ended up buying from. There was nothing wrong with them, things just didn't work out. The dealer I did buy from offered comparable pricing with no negotiation and no Costco--and actually all the dealers in my area offered identical credit union pricing, which was cheaper than the Costco price.

 

[Colt Hero]

I looked at CostCo before buying because I was looking for ANY way to get the price of what I considered an over-priced vehicle down.

The conclusion I came to was CostCo is a joke. You can only buy from dealers on THEIR list (which you'll find is WAY too limited), and they wouldn't tell me what the purchase price would be unless I signed up first! See, that's the thing ... CostCo wants the membership sign-up at the very least (and maybe they even get a kick-back on the car purchase, who knows - there's plenty of room in their numbers for it)

So I would've been signing up for a CostCo membership (that I didn't need) to get an average to below-average purchase price from a dealer that probably wouldn't have what I wanted. When you agree to use purchasing services like CostCo you're basically saying to the dealer, "OK, I'm willing to take an average to below-average deal on my car purchase if it means I don't have to do anything except show up, sign the papers, and drive home".

Dealers must LOVE people who come into their showrooms via these purchasing services. They know who they are beforehand, they know when they're coming, they know they're going to make a decent profit (maybe even MORE if the person is a REAL pushover for add-ons) ... it's exactly how they'd like to sell ALL their cars.

That said, it's a way to buy a car. But the best way is to do your own searching (and researching), make your own offers, and close your own deals.

 

[midman2000]

For anyone in the military, past or present, and who has USAA insurance (USAA.com), you can use their automobile buying service and save as much as $2,400 off the MSRP / $650 off invoice. We just ordered an Equinox LTZ and got 3 quotes from USAA. We took those to our local dealer and he matched the lowest one.

 

[KCorey]

I requested prices on an Enclave and an SRX through Costco. The 2 dealers that I got prices from were both higher than I got on my own. The Enclave was $1,000 higher, the SRX was $3,000 higher. And, if you read the fine print on the $200 "gift card", it is for service performed, not including normal maintenance (oil changes, oil filters, tire rotations, etc.), and the term is 6 months, and, it is for one-time use only. If you don't use the $200 at that time, there is no "change" due. It is not accepted by all Costco "dealers". Now, what kind os service would I have done on a new car that wouldn't be normal maintenace or what is covered by warranty. Costco is an excellent service, but not in this case.