BJ’s, Costco and Sam’s Club
Our pick: Costco
All three warehouse clubs offer their members free buying services that hook you up with a vehicle at a predetermined price so you don’t have to haggle. We like Costco’s program for its focus on customer service and its competitive prices. In our own sampling of each service, we found that Costco dealers delivered lower prices than either Sam’s Club or BJ’s.
With more than 3,000 participating dealerships, Costco’s network is slightly smaller than BJ’s 3,800 or so. And it’s significantly smaller than what’s available to Sam’s Club members, who use the TrueCar buying service and get access to more than 14,000 dealers. But when the nonprofit organization Consumers’ Checkbook compared its own buying service, CarBargains, against other buying programs, it found that Costco tends to beat TrueCar, says Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers’ Checkbook.
Both Sam’s Club and BJ’s have you sift through offers from multiple dealers in your area, but Costco matches you with just one. That may be a problem if no participating dealers can get the car with the options you want, but it makes for more streamlined and attentive service. Costco checks in within a few days of your request to see whether the dealer has contacted you. If it has, you’re prompted to fill out a satisfaction survey—and if you buy a car, you’ll get a coupon for 50% off parts, service and accessories at the dealership (up to $200 in savings for Costco Executive members and $100 for Gold Star members). The other clubs offer some discounts and bonuses, too. BJ’s, for example, recently offered a $100 BJ’s gift card for its Perks Rewards customers who bought a car using its program.
Even if you want to reserve the option to bargain on the final purchase price, your club’s buying service may provide a good starting point. We found that dealers were often willing to negotiate beyond the programs’ official pricing. The initial quote from one Costco-affiliated dealer, for example, was lower than what was listed on the Costco price sheet.
SEE ALSO: Is Costco a Better Deal Than Sam’s Club?
Source: Kiplinger
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