Hello all, I'm debating on whether or not to buy a Costco membership in order to use their auto buying program to possibly purchase a Mini, although I'm not even sure if there is an authorized dealer in my area . Has anyone used this Costco Auto Program to buy a car?

 

I tried both Costco and AAA and neither had a MINI dealer in my area affiliated with the program. You can always call the 1800 number and ask before you provide most of your personal information.

 

AAA also has a buying program. I almost went that route since here in CA almost every dealer charges a markup and those that don't usually have 9 month waiting lists. There were 2 dealers in the SF Bay Area that were in the AAA buying program that offered discounts on the markup. I spoke to them before I found a dealer that had no wait and charges MSRP.

Costco should be able to tell you if there are dealers in your area, before you shell out to buy a membership.

 

Though a Costco membership is a great investment regardless, when I contacted the auto buying program before buying my MINI, they told me there were a few makes that didn't participate in any type of discounting because the demand was so high--and MINI was one brand they can't get a discount on. Makes since since MINI's prices are no-haggle MSRP, and you have to wait while your car is ordered...

They do also have used trade-in service, so you might inquire about that. Either way, you can call and ask the questions before becoming a member, or cancel the membership if you don't get what you want.

I still think having a membership is worth-while even if you're not buying a car. Great stuff at great prices!

 

Are you going to name names

 

Costco only has two MINI dealerships in the US that participate in their program - one in Idaho and Flow MINI in Winston-Salem, NC. And the savings off of MSRP ain't great, i.e. depending on where you live in relation to either dealership, it's probably not worth getting a membership for. Although, the Costco person I spoke to did say that their overall dealership list changes every month, so it's possible that another MINI dealer could be added. PM me with any questions - I've looked into this extensively.

 

I didn't buy my MINi but I bought a Mazda through them and they were awesome! We saved a ton of cash.

 

There isn't a MINI dealership in Idaho. There are only two here in the entire Northwest; one in Tacoma/Fife, the other in Portland.

Nevertheless, I considered using Costco. A couple of my friends had used them to buy their non-MINIs, and had nothing but great things to say about their experiences.

 

The 2 AAA dealers in the bay area are Concord and SF. It was actually a NAM member posting by katmeho that turned me on to Brecht Mini in San Diego. He had some issues with another dealer and then found that Brecht sells MSRP. He gave me the name of his MA (I think it is also in his post) and I called her the next day and I placed my order and gave a deposit over the phone.

 

Weird, that's what the Costco auto person I spoke to told me. Or wait, maybe it was Utah... Ah well, anyway, it was out west somewhere!