Costco’s Auto Program should be as popular as its $5 rotisserie chicken — but I’ve learned not too many of its members actually know it exists.
I discovered the program this past summer during a Costco grocery run when a pamphlet caught my eye as I was leaving.
At the time, I was in the market for a car but putting it off because I didn’t want to deal with persistent salespeople or lose a day haggling at a dealership.
Turns out, the warehouse offers more than just deals on a few specific vehicle brands. Soon, I learned that with this program, Costco basically removes the worst part of buying a car.
At first, Costco’s Auto Program seemed too good to be true
With this program, Costco partners with select dealerships to offer its members prearranged, discounted prices on both new and used cars.
On the Auto Program website, you search for whatever vehicle you’re looking for, and Costco matches you with an approved dealership near you that has it available.
From there, the price is pre-negotiated. No back and forth. No “let me talk to my manager.”
I thought it seemed too good to be true, or that this would only work for the cars that weren’t selling or models no one wanted. Meanwhile, I’d had my eye on the new, updated 2025 Toyota 4Runner.
I also worried that living in a larger market like Miami would mean having to deal with a ton of different dealership fees and market adjustments. I figured this would be the perfect experiment.
After filling out the form online, I was paired with a local “authorized dealer” and given the names and contact information of a few of its employees.
They’d also received my number, and my phone began ringing.
At first, I was hesitant to pick up, as anyone who’s put in their information on a dealership website knows the amount of spam that comes with it.
However, when I got on the phone and spoke with one of the salespeople, they very plainly said they got my information through Costco, and told me how many models and trims they had for the 4Runner.
When it came to price, they told me the vehicle would be a couple of grand less than what I’d seen elsewhere, including on the dealership website.
It sounded good, but life happened, and I forgot all about buying a car. This was July.
Through this program, I got a deal without having to haggle
Fast forward to November: I’d landed a new job and began working from home. As our needs shifted, so did the car we wanted.
This time, we were looking at a 2025 Toyota RAV4 hybrid, one of the best-selling vehicles in America.
We ended up driving up to a nearby dealership in Coconut Creek that had just one on the lot. Halfway there, it clicked — this was the same dealership Costco had originally paired me with in July.
After test-driving this car (and trying out the non-hybrid version to solidify our choice), we were ready to buy. That’s when the usual anxiety kicked in.
This is normally where dealerships slow the process and try to wear you down as salespeople disappear to “run numbers” or check with their managers.
Instead, our salesperson promptly returned and asked, “Are you a Costco member?” Her question caught me off guard, and I confirmed that I am.
She told us this was the first time she’d personally seen it, but because I was already in their system through the Costco Auto Program, the price of the car was finalized.
Not negotiable. Not adjustable. Set by Costco. The dealership had no control over it.
The sticker price I’d seen on the 2025 RAV4 hybrid was $48,540. Through the Costco Auto Program, it ended up costing us $36,720 — about a 25% discount.
All in all, I’m glad I used Costco’s program and would definitely do it again
It’s hard to describe the relief that I had. No surprises, no add-ons — though to be fair, the dealership also couldn’t stack additional promos like Toyotathon. But that’s fine, we accepted the price.
Buying a car this way felt like a real life hack. I told friends. I told family. I even made a TikTok sharing my overall experience, sure it could help somebody in the market for a new car.
It went viral, and over 2 million views later, here I am. So yeah, that Costco membership definitely pays for itself in more ways than you can imagine.
I don’t think I’ll ever buy a car without Costco again.
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