[Krisms]

has anyone ever used the costco buying program to purchase a bmw? how much did you save from the msrp? a participating dealer said they start $300 lower than invoice. is this true?

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by Krisms

has anyone ever used the costco buying program to purchase a bmw? how much did you save from the msrp? a participating dealer said they start $300 lower than invoice. is this true?

Costco program costs depend on the participating dealer. Mine was $500 over invoice....but it was in Chatanooga, Ten and I live in Charlotte, NC. Waaaaaaaay to far to go. I neg a local deal for about 7
$700 more

[miiipilot]

No chance for a BMW

[Krisms]

Originally Posted by ehagerty

Costco program costs depend on the participating dealer. Mine was $500 over invoice....but it was in Chatanooga, Ten and I live in Charlotte, NC. Waaaaaaaay to far to go. I neg a local deal for about 7
$700 more

nice! good for you. i'm still waiting on the CA to email me the quote but basically their dealership is about 6 hrs drive from where i live.

[jeffclev]

When I ordered my M235i, the Costco price had not been set for it yet, so the Costco program was not available for the M235i. That was back in Feb, so it might be worth checking into now. My understanding is that the discount is dependent on the model and negotiations between Costco and BMW NA.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by jeffclev

When I ordered my M235i, the Costco price had not been set for it yet, so the Costco program was not available for the M235i. That was back in Feb, so it might be worth checking into now. My understanding is that the discount is dependent on the model and negotiations between Costco and BMW NA.

Exactly....and in this region it is $500 over invoice for the M235

[miiipilot]

wow...I stand corrected. I'm gonna have to look into this.

[miiipilot]

not to thread jack, but had anyone used truecar.com with a similar result?

[ntrinsik]

Originally Posted by miiipilot

not to thread jack, but had anyone used truecar.com with a similar result?

Truecar won't get you near invoice around here. $500 above invoice isn't bad right out of the gates.

[Krisms]

just heard back from a participating dealer. costco price is just $600-$700 above invoice. not bad!

[///M235i]

I followed the instructions with Costco and the dealer insists the discount is nothing on this car. I am in Atlanta.

[Krisms]

Originally Posted by MmmTwo35

I followed the instructions with Costco and the dealer insists the discount is nothing on this car. I am in Atlanta.

i got the quote from united bmw of gwinett. the CA's name is paul.

[///M235i]

Excellent. Thank you. Same dealer... I am now refraining from going ballistic. I hate being lied to. Good thing this baby is on order and thus the deal itself is still open, correct?

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by MmmTwo35

I followed the instructions with Costco and the dealer insists the discount is nothing on this car. I am in Atlanta.

If they are a participating dealer, this is in violation of their agreement with Costco, I believe. Call Costco and ask them.

[///M235i]

Costco sent me to them. I hate being lied to. This is unbelievable.

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by MmmTwo35

Excellent. Thank you. Same dealer... I am now refraining from going ballistic. I hate being lied to. Good thing this baby is on order and thus the deal itself is still open, correct?

Wait, you ordered a vehicle from dealer? Didn't you already agree to a price before placing the order?

[Krisms]

Originally Posted by MmmTwo35

Excellent. Thank you. Same dealer... I am now refraining from going ballistic. I hate being lied to. Good thing this baby is on order and thus the deal itself is still open, correct?

per costco auto adviser, you go to a dealer, they show you the costco price then you close the transaction. they only have designated CAs so maybe your CA is not one of them so he probably doesn't have an idea.

[hyperzulu]

Or they already agreed to a price and the dealer doesn't want to cut into his pocket by NOW offering the Costco discount. I'm not even sure Costco program applies to an ordered vehicle. I believe it is for inventory on the lot only. Either way, if you agree to a price and shake hands, stick to your word. If you shook hands on a REALLY bad deal because you didn't know any better, see if you can come to some terms so the dealer makes some money off the deal and you don't feel like a complete sucker.

If they won't budge and you are mad about it, you're not obligated to take delivery of the vehicle, but if you were already comfortable with the price when first negotiating the deal, it would be a shame for you to refuse the car because you suddenly took a bite of the apple and realized you could get a better deal. Take it as a lesson learned.

[///M235i]

I test drove. Separately, I started pre-negotiation by filing for the Costco pricing and the dealer contacted me as a result. Their response was there is no Costco pricing for M235i. As it turns out they lied. Following that, assuming what they shared was true and based on the false information provided I negotiated the best deal I can get, which is nowhere near the Costco pricing. I called Costco this evening. Their advocate stated "there is a negotiated price for this vehicle" whether it is ordered or from the lot. We are taking care of it, hopefully... I will let you guys know how it worked out. At this point there's already a production #assigned and not yet a VIN. Well we've agreed to the production build, and i put a deposit. I believe legally there can't be an actual deal until the car is delivered, or at the very least until the VIN number is assigned. We're pregnant, this car at this point has been conceived and has not yet been born. I am so aggravated because I absolutely hate being lied to.

[hyperzulu]

Well, it sounds like you were taken. You let them, to be fair, but I would be mad too. Come to terms with the dealer. They want to sell you the car, but if your new offer for the car is lower than what they think they can sell the car for, they may refuse. And you can refuse the car itself, though they may try to keep your deposit.

You could always refuse and then go back and ask for your car at Costco pricing. Lol

[Greenkirby21]

How do I participate in this program?

Do I just need to have a costco membership (55$?) I've never had a Costco account before.. is there some time limit?

Can BMW incentives be added on top of that? I was going to use BMW education discount ($1,000).

Sorry for the noob questions. This has got me all excited : ).

My dealership doesn't want to seem to negotiate because I am "ordering" the car, so they want me to pay MSRP.

Another dealership that is also near me apparently participates in this costco program, so I would be saving major $$$.

[///M235i]

Someone is trying to stir s*it up... I knew that when people post their deals and discounts that half to most of it is bulls*it. Either people trying to make themselves feel better or more likely dealers trying to stir the pot with their competition - knowing if someone feels there is a better deal to be had (based on a blog) buyers will continue to call and shop around (to other dealers) even if their deal is already baked. As an update, I now have the actual Costco sheet dated today, and it clearly indicates M235i is excluded from the program. So there you have it, proof that these posted deals and discount are FOS.