Im curious which is the best route to go when buying a brand new vehicle for the best price? I heard Costco was good and someone else said true car and another one i can't remember what it was... Is this really the best way to go and is all the expenses usually included or can the dealer still try to scam.. This is for my daughters best friend and she lives about 5 hours away.. She is visiting us and she was just talking about buying a new car and asked me what i thought.. I know this changes all the time so if anyone used any of these services let us know she will be here for a couple of days..
Best New Vehicle Prices..Costco Or True Car Or ??
- Thread starter crazyoildude
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I know people that used Costco about 12 years ago and were happy. I don't really understand TrueCar, though. Just look up the price and head down to the dealer and demand it. The dealer makes more money as they don't have to pay TrueCar their finder's fee. Some dealers will try to scam and some won't. I suggest you deal with the ones that don't.
I used True Car two years back with great results. we tried to use it at a different dealer last year and the dealer would not honor the price, asking thousands more, claiming that the original True Car price included tons of rebates that we were not eligible for. I could have forced the issue - but I'm not gonna buy anything from a dealer that cheats.
How can you buy a car through Costco? Do you just walk up to custom service and ask them what cars they have in the back?
Go to www.edmunds.com and look up the vehicle your interested in. That way you will have the cost the dealer supposedly pays minus any holdback which is ~ 2-3% usually. This will give you a basic starting figure to work from. Ed
Go to cars.com, find the vehicle you want and then sort price - lowest to highest. Print out the ad and then drive to the dealership with a check for the exact amount on the ad. Bring cash to pay the tax. Done and done.
Note - this might involve a road trip, but you can usually find cars that are close by. Dealers use this to move inventory that's been sitting around for a while and is hard to sell, like a manual 4 cylinder Camaro.
Note - this might involve a road trip, but you can usually find cars that are close by. Dealers use this to move inventory that's been sitting around for a while and is hard to sell, like a manual 4 cylinder Camaro.
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True Car or any buying service usually is for the average bloke but not the best price.
Watch using True Car through your bank or Credit Union like Penfed etc. I found the price was $800
more on their software than the real True Car based on a $24K car.
Use True Car but go under them by a few % and don't trust the rebates they offer. Research that yourself.
Watch using True Car through your bank or Credit Union like Penfed etc. I found the price was $800
more on their software than the real True Car based on a $24K car.
Use True Car but go under them by a few % and don't trust the rebates they offer. Research that yourself.
Bud_One
Site Donor 2022
I purchased my 2016 Civic thru Costco.
No negotiation needed.
You go online - pick the car and trim level, choose a dealer from the list.
If there are no dealers or cars online that you're looking for, you call the customer service line.
I had to do that. They give you a confirmation # that you take to the dealer.
You show the dealer the confirmation # and the proof of Costco membership.
They bring you a sheet of paper with the Costco price.
No pressure.
No negotiation needed.
You go online - pick the car and trim level, choose a dealer from the list.
If there are no dealers or cars online that you're looking for, you call the customer service line.
I had to do that. They give you a confirmation # that you take to the dealer.
You show the dealer the confirmation # and the proof of Costco membership.
They bring you a sheet of paper with the Costco price.
No pressure.
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Call Costco 800,number tell them the make of car your interested in,they will give you the name of the dealership and the person to contact.Tried 3 times only got $5-800 off msrp,can do better on my own.
Check out cars direct.com.
Best price ? You need to do some works.
Get the lowest price on line though cardirect.com, True Car, cars.com, edmunds.com ... and Costco if you're a member.
Then email all dealers(that sell that brand) in your area asking them to beat that price(minus 2-3%). This is how you get the lowest price.
Get the lowest price on line though cardirect.com, True Car, cars.com, edmunds.com ... and Costco if you're a member.
Then email all dealers(that sell that brand) in your area asking them to beat that price(minus 2-3%). This is how you get the lowest price.
JHZR2
Staff member
The last three cars we've bought new I looked at the options. I never used any.
Costco may well be good, but if you know what the invoice price is, hold backs, and incentives, you can deal to a bottom line without them.
TrueCar is a scam, IMO. When I researched it, it appeared that they arbitrarily tell you that so,etching is a "good price", and then dealers pay to sell you a car at the price arbitrarily stated as good. They aren't working for you in any way.
We never used any because we shopped dealers, shopped opportunistically, and were never in a dire need for a car. The ability to walk is very powerful.
Costco may well be good, but if you know what the invoice price is, hold backs, and incentives, you can deal to a bottom line without them.
TrueCar is a scam, IMO. When I researched it, it appeared that they arbitrarily tell you that so,etching is a "good price", and then dealers pay to sell you a car at the price arbitrarily stated as good. They aren't working for you in any way.
We never used any because we shopped dealers, shopped opportunistically, and were never in a dire need for a car. The ability to walk is very powerful.
Costco's service is the real deal while TrueCar is at best a shopping tool, but definitely no guaranteed price. There are tons of complaints online about dealers not honoring TrueCar prices or not actually having the vehicles.
While I'm sure you'll find some complaints about Costco's service, because they sell a ton of cars through it, it's different than TrueCar. Many online car buying services from various brands are powered by TrueCar, but the Costco one is wholly owned and run by Costco. I listened to an Autoline podcast episode about it and it was very interesting.
Can you get a better deal than the Costco price? Probably in some cases, but if you have Costco definitely check it out and see what they can do.
While I'm sure you'll find some complaints about Costco's service, because they sell a ton of cars through it, it's different than TrueCar. Many online car buying services from various brands are powered by TrueCar, but the Costco one is wholly owned and run by Costco. I listened to an Autoline podcast episode about it and it was very interesting.
Can you get a better deal than the Costco price? Probably in some cases, but if you have Costco definitely check it out and see what they can do.
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
Go to cars.com, find the vehicle you want and then sort price - lowest to highest. Print out the ad and then drive to the dealership with a check for the exact amount on the ad. Bring cash to pay the tax. Done and done.
Note - this might involve a road trip, but you can usually find cars that are close by. Dealers use this to move inventory that's been sitting around for a while and is hard to sell, like a manual 4 cylinder Camaro.
This. I do a nation wide search just to get a feel for what the rock bottom price is. It's usually one to two thousand below Truecar or Edmunds. Then I negotiate with the lowest price as a starting point (by internet of course).
Go to cars.com, find the vehicle you want and then sort price - lowest to highest. Print out the ad and then drive to the dealership with a check for the exact amount on the ad. Bring cash to pay the tax. Done and done.
Note - this might involve a road trip, but you can usually find cars that are close by. Dealers use this to move inventory that's been sitting around for a while and is hard to sell, like a manual 4 cylinder Camaro.
This. I do a nation wide search just to get a feel for what the rock bottom price is. It's usually one to two thousand below Truecar or Edmunds. Then I negotiate with the lowest price as a starting point (by internet of course).
I guess this is why Saturn earned high marks for the dealership experience in the earlier days. In an age where buying anything is supposed to be easier we're still playing the old horse trader game when buying cars. That means we are not voting with our wallets and this system must favor the dealer.
Don't know about Costco but as noted True Car seems most like a shopping tool.
Next new vehicle I buy thinking I'd like to try the email method outlined in the link. One bitog member did something very similar and posted about it with the purchase of a new Subaru. Seemed he had a few very minor complaints but overall he was quite satisfied.
Get the Best Deal on a New Car With One Simple Email.
Next new vehicle I buy thinking I'd like to try the email method outlined in the link. One bitog member did something very similar and posted about it with the purchase of a new Subaru. Seemed he had a few very minor complaints but overall he was quite satisfied.
Get the Best Deal on a New Car With One Simple Email.
Autotrader....free, fill in the correct search parameters like.....new cars, miles from your zip code, sort results from low to high price. If your local dealer won't offer the lowest price you see then you can drive for the best deal. If you could save thousands and the trip will take you a day then I'd consider it. As long as the seller has a good rep.
It cant hurt to know invoice price & holdback but I no longer work off that metric. I've had too many times where the pricing was well better than what that supposed cost would indicate. Times where dealers are ready to take losses on inventory and probably more times where there is manufacturer to dealer money that is not disclosed. I did use Truecar to find the dealer on the last two new cars I bought and went direct to them (you can figure out the dealer by specifying different zip codes and triangulating from the distance.) First one was well below "cost"/well through the holdback and second one was at invoice less 100% of holdback. Both after adjusting for the doc fees. Charge me a $1000 for the "doc fee" if you want, it's just part of the price you are asking. In NY-NJ area, we have both NY and PA with legally mandated low doc fee charges.. but again total price is the total price. Bottom line, get a number of quotes through internet inquiries from dealers that have decent stock/the car you want in stock. you'll figure out the best price that way. Truecar could be helpful.
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Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I guess this is why Saturn earned high marks for the dealership experience in the earlier days. In an age where buying anything is supposed to be easier we're still playing the old horse trader game when buying cars. That means we are not voting with our wallets and this system must favor the dealer.
Saturn had non-negotiate price, Lexus is trying this with some dealers and Tesla is the only one maker with non-negotiate price currently operated.
I guess this is why Saturn earned high marks for the dealership experience in the earlier days. In an age where buying anything is supposed to be easier we're still playing the old horse trader game when buying cars. That means we are not voting with our wallets and this system must favor the dealer.
Saturn had non-negotiate price, Lexus is trying this with some dealers and Tesla is the only one maker with non-negotiate price currently operated.
Simple email works for soliciting bids. My dad worked 3 local dealers in NH for a Subaru Outback and they ended up bidding one another. No effort on his part except well composed emails. He now drives a 2016 outback purchased brand new for $23.6k.
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