Costco has emerged as one of the leading name in the US since 2008 playing magnificent role in auto sale negotiation for 199,000+ cars in a single year. The company regulates all these operations through the Costco Auto Program (CAP) run by the Costco Warehouse Corporation (COST) to bring the participating car dealers and the interested buyers on the single platform for sales negotiation that is profitable for the either.
Should You Join the Costco Auto Program?
This is the obvious question in mind before registering for the Costco Car Buyers’ Program especially when you have to pay for the annual membership. Herein is a quick checklist of what is in store if you become the CAP member.
- Save up to $1000 for a car when buying with the Costco negotiated prices
- Low cost no haggle prices to save your time for negotiating the cost with the dealer
- Reduced costs are settled after taking incentives and other offers into consideration to raise your savings
- Find the desired car at nearest shop from the widest network of 3000+ participating dealers in the US and Puerto Rico
- No pressure of being intimidated by any middleman or sales person
- Get members only price list to calculate your savings and possible options suitable for your budget (contains market price of the concerned car compared to the Costco settled prices)
- Get member vouchers at the dealer’s branch where you purchased the car for add-ons, accessories or services in future (Executive members get a voucher worth $200 and for Business/Gold Star membership you get $100 voucher)
- Get up to 15% discount on vehicle parts, accessories and services for all cars in the household (also available for cars not purchased through the program)
- Members only incentives from Costco (these incentives may be added to the prearranged prices to reduce the costs even further)
- Get protected by the Costco’s Member Advocacy group where you can lodge a complaint in case of any inconveniences
How Does the Costco Auto Program Works
Once you register CAP membership, you can choose any preferred pre-owned/used or new car model. Based on your choices, find the participating dealers nearest to your locality. Costco also regulates extensive training program for all participating authorized dealers and car sales representatives to give the members the best no haggle vehicle buying experience.
Once you specify the concerned dealer, the representative from the dealer’s branch will contact you (possibly within 24 hours). You will be able to set an appointment and also receive the contact information.
You will then be able to visit the dealer and purchase the car after discussion if satisfied with the prices and other attributes.
Costco Member Satisfaction Survey
From grocery products to each and every service, Costco conducts member satisfaction surveys for individual services to bring in more transparency and improvement. The company is continually in the process of improvement to introduce facilities for the consumers so that you get the optimum value for the each dollar spent for the membership.
The Costco auto program member satisfaction survey is one of the major initiatives to get genuine feedback and opinion from the customers to make positive changes increasing your chances to save more and bestow hassle-free car buying experience.
Costco never sells a car directly to their members rather the company plays a major role in negotiating pricing and sales with the trained authorized car dealers. In the process of the negotiation, the participating dealers pay Costco a monthly marketing fee to run the membership program.
Whether you should join, the CAP depends on several factors. While you enjoy the members only incentives and other offers, the program is suited specially for those who encounter problems while buying new or used vehicle due to lack of any previous experience. If you are too nervous or busy enough, not comfortable in negotiating the prices with the dealer, it is worth reaping the benefits of the program.