Car buying programs · Costco Auto Program
Like the Costco Auto Program, only better
Costco gets members a fair, fixed price. Here’s what we do that Costco doesn’t.
Costco Auto Program compared with OffRoad.guide
| Costco Auto Program | OffRoad.guide | |
|---|---|---|
| Your price | On a sheet you read at the dealership | Emailed to you, out the door, before you set foot in a dealership |
| At the desk | Some dealers add tint, pinstripes and other extras | Nothing added. No add-ons, no markup over your price |
| Price promise | A fixed price, not promised to be the lowest | The Bottom-Line Promise: beat it in writing within 30 days |
| The drive | A loop around the block | Half a day on the beach with the family |
| Salesperson | A dealer contact, and expect the calls | None. Nobody calls unless you ask |
| Getting it home | Buy at the dealership | Built your way and delivered to your door |
$325 a vehicle · Five and a half hours behind the wheel
How it works
Five steps, one dealer, one price sheet
Costco does not sell cars. The program is run for Costco by Affinity Auto Programs, which signs up one or more franchised dealers in each area and sets a member price with each of them in advance.
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Step 1
Pick the vehicle on costcoauto.com
Enter your membership number, choose a make and model, and the site matches you with a participating dealer near you. For many models you can pick the trim and options; for some you can only pick the model.
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Step 2
The dealer contacts you
A named Authorized Dealer Contact at that store handles Costco members. Ask for that person; the discount runs through them, not through whoever greets you on the lot.
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Step 3
See the Member-Only Price Sheet, at the dealership
The price is not quoted online or over the phone. You see it on a printed sheet at the store: the prearranged price, any manufacturer incentives you qualify for, and the options on the vehicle.
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Step 4
Drive it, then decide
The test drive is the usual dealership one, a short loop from the lot. You can buy, lease, bring a trade-in, or walk away.
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Step 5
Finance and paperwork, the usual way
Costco does not finance. You arrange your own loan or use the dealer’s, then sit through the finance office like any other buyer. After the sale, members get a parts-and-service coupon from that dealer.
The price
What the prearranged price is, and isn’t
The number on the sheet is a fixed price that dealer agreed to offer members. It is not an auction and it is not the lowest price in town. It is a fair price you don’t have to fight for.
- How much it saves
- Costco itself says only that savings vary by vehicle, dealer and location. Of the outside reviewers, FindTheBestCarPrice estimates a typical discount near $1,000 off sticker and RealCarTips describes prices set a few hundred dollars over the dealer’s invoice; neither is a Costco figure. It varies by dealer, by model and by month, and some dealers make you choose between the Costco price and a limited-time special.
- Incentives stack
- Manufacturer rebates and financing offers you qualify for apply on top of the member price. Costco also runs its own limited-time member offers on certain models.
- No negotiating
- The price is the price. That is the point for most members. A patient buyer who emails eight dealers for out-the-door quotes can often beat it; most people would rather not.
- What the dealer gets
- Dealers pay to be in the program, for access to Costco’s members. The dealer still sells the add-ons, the extended warranty and the financing, and still charges its documentation fee.
- After the sale
- A parts-and-service coupon from the selling dealer, worth 50% off up to $100 for Gold Star and Business members and up to $200 for Executive members, issued after you complete the program’s satisfaction survey within 30 days of buying. Separately, members get a 15% parts-and-service discount at participating dealers whether or not they buy a car.
Is it worth it?
For most people who dislike negotiating, yes. It replaces an afternoon of haggling with a fair, fixed number, and the price sheet is a useful benchmark even if you buy somewhere else. It will not beat a determined negotiator, and it changes nothing else about the dealership visit: the short test drive, the finance office, the fees and the add-ons are all still there.
Membership fees are Costco’s current U.S. rates: $65 Gold Star, $130 Executive. Savings figures are outside reviewers’ estimates, not Costco’s; Costco says savings vary by vehicle, dealer and location.
The alternative
Same idea, no membership, and half a day instead of a loop around the block
OffRoad.guide runs on the same lines as the Costco program: a price set in advance with one dealer, a named contact, no haggling. Two things are different, and both are the point.
- What qualifies you
- Not a card, and nothing to join. Half a day in the vehicle on the Carova 4x4 beach north of Corolla, North Carolina, with nobody riding along and nobody selling. That is the whole membership, and it costs $325.
- When you see the price
- By email, on a numbered certificate: sticker, the dealer’s discount, factory cash, the No-Haggle Price, any delivery fee and the out-the-door total, good for 30 days. Not on a sheet you have to drive to a showroom to read.
- The guarantee
- Beat the certificate in writing at another store within the 30 days and we refund what you paid for your experience. Costco offers a fair price; ours comes with a written promise behind it.
- Where you buy
- Remotely, from the dealer on your certificate. Within its area it delivers to your door; farther away, a dealer near you hands over the keys for a flat fee that is printed on the certificate.
- What is the same
- One dealer, one named person, one price, no negotiating, no pressure. The dealer still sells the financing and the add-ons if you want them; you can still say no.
Side by side
Costco Auto Program vs. OffRoad.guide
| Side by side | Costco Auto Program | OffRoad.guide |
|---|---|---|
| What qualifies you | A Costco membership, $65 or $130 a year | Half a day in the vehicle on the Carova 4x4 beach, $325 a vehicle; nothing to join |
| Who sets the price | Affinity Auto Programs, with each participating dealer | Our dealer for that brand, before you book, the same for every program driver |
| Where you see it | On a printed sheet at the dealership | On a numbered certificate emailed to you, out-the-door, good for 30 days |
| Time in the vehicle first | A short loop from the lot | About three hours on sand plus the drive up North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road up the Outer Banks, with no salesperson anywhere |
| Guarantee | None on price | Beat it in writing within 30 days and we refund what you paid for your experience |
| Vehicles | Most makes and models | Bronco, Wrangler, Gladiator, Ram 2500 Warlock, Silverado Custom Trail Boss, F-250 Tremor, Tundra TRD Pro |
| Where you buy | At the matched dealership | Remotely, from the dealer on your certificate; delivered to your door or handed over at a dealer near you |
Questions
Straight answers
Is the Costco Auto Program free?
There is no fee to use it beyond a Costco membership, currently $65 a year for Gold Star and $130 for Executive. Participating dealers pay to be in the program.
Do you have to be a Costco member to use it?
Yes. The prices are for members who register through the program, and your membership number is checked. The parts-and-service coupon after a purchase is also tied to the membership level.
How much does the Costco Auto Program save?
Costco says it varies by vehicle, dealer and location and publishes no average. Outside reviewers estimate a typical discount near $1,000 off sticker, or a price a few hundred dollars over invoice. Manufacturer incentives apply on top.
Can you negotiate a Costco Auto Program price?
No. The price is prearranged between the program and the dealer. You can still negotiate your trade-in, decline add-ons, and bring your own financing.
Can I see the Costco price online or by phone?
No. Dealers show the Member-Only Price Sheet at the dealership. That is the most common complaint about the program.
Does it work for leases and used cars?
Yes. The program covers buying and leasing new vehicles, and certified pre-owned vehicles at participating dealers.
Is OffRoad.guide part of Costco?
No. OffRoad.guide is not affiliated with Costco, Affinity Auto Programs or any manufacturer. The Costco Auto Program is mentioned here as the program most people already understand.
Is the Costco car buying program the same as the Costco Auto Program?
Yes. Costco Auto Program is the official name; Costco car buying program, Costco auto buying program and Costco car program are the names people search for. They all mean the one program run for Costco by Affinity Auto Programs.
Is there a no-haggle car buying program with nothing to join?
OffRoad.guide: no card and no membership fee. Half a day in the off-road trim on the Carova 4x4 beach is what qualifies you, our dealer for that brand sets one No-Haggle Price for program drivers before you book, and the price comes in writing on a 30-day certificate. If it’s beaten in writing within the 30 days, we refund what you paid for your experience.
OffRoad.guide · Open all year
Half a day on the sand. Then the price, in writing.
$325 a vehicle for the full five and a half hours, any month of the year. Request a date on the main page to get first pick. We email you to confirm it, with the booking link and the online license and insurance check. Questions? Email hello@offroad.guide; answers come back the same day.
Keys at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk, half a day up North Carolina Highway 12 and the Carova 4x4 beach, nobody riding along. Then the No-Haggle Price on a certificate good for 30 days. The whole experience, start to finish.