Has anyone purchased using either the Costco or Auto Club buying programs? Recommendations?

 

Some friends of friends(ya, that sounds bad.. lol) bought through costco and didn't have any trouble. From what I gathered they take invoice and add 1000-2000. You don't have to haggle with the dealership and you get your car for a little less than MSRP. The problem resides in the fact that you can get *most* cars for less than MSRP if you push the dealer a bit while you are there. On a car like the Z you'll probably be stuck paying MSRP for a few more months.

Z info:
Dealer Holdback - 3% of total INVOICE

Example:
Z Enthusiast MSRP - 28,249.00
Invoice - 25,683.00
---------------------------------------
2,565.00 (does not incl. dest charges)
Dealer Holdback + 770.49
---------------------------------------
Dealer Profit 3,335.49

So it could be worth it to go through Costco.. 27,000 + tax/lic would be a good deal right now.

EDIT: I should mention that Dealer Holdback ISNT always a profit for the dealer. The car could sit there a good while and that cuts into that amount that's withheld by the manufacturer.

Nissan 2% + 1% of the Total Invoice (holdback + floorplanning allowance) (courtesy of Edmunds.com)

 

Just tried to price a Z online at Costco's web site, and got the following:

"The vehicle you have selected does not currently feature Costco pricing"

It also says:

"The Costco Auto Program makes every effort to ensure our members receive the most competitive pricing available for each vehicle, however circumstances such as limited supply of a popular vehicle can make discounting certain cars or trucks difficult."

Oh, well, guess I wait a bit.

 

As I have written so many times before, Costco has financing through Peoplefirst for 4.74% and you can't beat that too often when buying the Z.