Is it worth it to buy through Costco?

By going thru Costco I got the Touring #6 for $750 over invoice on KBB.

 

Hmm, I'm beginning to think I got lucky.

2008 Touring Package #6 (the only way Touring is sold in the area) red. Dealer quoted me $1000 under MSRP which was essentially $1000 over invoice. Then they never called me back when it was supposed to be delivered. I finally called them, and they claimed my car was damaged while being unloaded. Uh huh.

I was looking elsewhere, and had even put down a deposit at another dealership. Then the original dealer called me back and said my replacement was here. I drove on over, and there it was. They even took off an additional $600.

I suspect what really happened is that they had someone else come in who was willing to pay invoice, and they sold "mine" to him. However, even knocking off an additional $600 off mine, they came out ahead.

I also got my deposit back from the other dealer.

 

For what it's worth, I had occasion to speak to my sales person this weekend (the whole courtesy call thing.)

It appears that the days of the Costco price on the Prius being invoice + $1,000 are over for now. The current Cost pricing is apparently MSRP + some amount. She also indicated that there is now a 60-day wait to get a car.

I can only repeat what I was told on this one, but don't see any reason for her to have given me incorrect information.

I also have no way of comparing that pricing to what's happening on the "open market".

 

Did the COSTCO thing. Referred to Toyota Carlsbad. They wanted $1200 over invoice for a 2008 pk 6 Touring.

Went to Power Toyota Irvine. They were obnoxious, claimed it was a 72 hour car and and Tourings were MSRP. A week later it was still there for sale.

Went to Longo Toyota in El Monte. They were fair and efficient. Got the exact car for $700 over invoice for a Touring pkg 6. I audited their predelivery form and many items were claimed to be done and were not. Oil was over the high limit line. Test drive claimed to be completed at 3 miles on odo. ODO showed only 2 miles.

Longo Toyota Finance department tried to tell me the extended warranty from the prius chat vendor for $990 would not be honored in California which was not true. They wanted $1300. Got it from the priuschat vendor for $990 and it came in the mail today from Toyota Finance, no problems.

overall it was worth the hassle to negotiate, and COSTCO was worthless.

 

nice!

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Try the Fleet managers of your Toyota dealerships and see if their prices are lower than Costco. That's what I did and it was.

 

I've bought 3 new Toyotas in the past 18 months, all through the Costco program and couldn't be happier. First was a Silver '07#4 back in November '06 for $250 over invoice, then a Silver '07 Yaris Sedan in August '07 at invoice (B-day present for Mom), and now have replaced the first Prius which I sold in Cali with a brand new Magnetic Grey #4 which I also got at invoice 2 weeks ago here in Colorado (pre-ordered it before I moved).

Sorry to hear about others who have had bad experiences with Costco - but they have really helped me with my purchases over the past year and a half.

 

Two months ago, my dealership that we normally buy from and the Costco dealer were both $500 over invoice on a Pkg 6. We finally sold our other car and today I went back to the salesman I always use and of course, it's now MSRP with a 60 day wait.

I called the Costco dealer back today and am waiting to hear from that salesman what the Costco price is now.

Man, I'm kicking myself now in that I should have bought one off the lot back then at $1,500 off. But no, "We had to sell the other car first".

I'll let you know what the Costco price is when they call back.

 

I did just purchase a Prius through the COSTCO buying program. I ended up 100 over INVOICE. The best deal that I could find. 2 weeks after I ordered it I went to pick it up. I was speaking to the DEALER and he told me that my timing was perfect. The next day the dealer stopped honoring the Costco Price. In my search I tried many different online companies. Capital One was another that found me a good price. However that dealer wouldn't honor the capital One price. Going through Costco wasn't any different than any other means. What I found was that the DEALERS have a set deal with the PRIUS. There is no dealing. There are plenty of people that are ready to buy one at MSRP.

GOOD LUCK!\

And a side note... not one person asked to see or verify my membership.

 

Talked to the Costco dealer today. MSRP and a 4 month wait. He says the '09's won't be out until next year.

 

I know that alot of folks have been experiencing that. In a couple of follow-up calls with my salesperson I heard sort of the same thing.

Depending on your situation and/or willingness to do this, have you considered buying one out of the area? I don't think you'll get any better pricing, but you might be able to get one sooner. Then again, maybe not, but it might be worth a couple of phone calls. I'd hazard to say that this is a place where persistence, creativity, and huevos the size of softballs are likely to get you further than sitting and waiting.

Just remember that shipping will likely cost a fair amount (if you go that route, I was quote about $1,000 from CA, long story, don't ask) and that may not fit with you financial situation and/or desires.

Just a little food for thought.

Flip side? Can you wait for the 2009's or did selling that "other car" leave you in a bind? Again, just think about it and best of luck!