Hey everyone - I'm hoping some of you can give me some input...

I have a Costco membership, and they offer a discount auto program to their members which gets you a car close to dealer invoice, etc etc.

Making a long story short, I used their interface to search for the nearest dealer (I'm in north Jersey) and it sent me over to MB of Nanuet. I've never purchased a car from a dealership in another state - what potential problems might there be? How would NJ license plates/registration go? They said I'd have to deal with the inspection... The fellow I talked with seemed very nice (he works with the costco program)...

Has anyone else utilized the costco program? If not, has anyone gone out of state for their car? Any stories/tips would be much appreciated. Also, with regards to service, would I have to go there or could I go to my local dealership? Would I only get loaners from the dealership I bought the car from however? .... so many things to consider.

Looking forward to your input as you all are MUCH more experienced at things like this than I ;-)...

- Eric

 

Don't just go off the list of dealerships from the costco page. There are lots of dealerships around that also participate, but the webpage isn't updated with all of them. Just call around and ask if they participate.

 

Thanks for the advice -- I've called up most nearby Mercedes dealerships and they don't seem to participate in the costco program. That being said, I may be able to use this as a bargaining angle - slightly.

Any other tips re: purchasing a car over the state lines?

- Eric

 

yeah, you can use it as a bargaining chip. Negotiate a price with a costco dealership then ask your local dealership if they'll match that price. If anything, it's some more ammunition for you to use on the negotiation table.

 

Not really a problem to purchase in a different state. The selling dealership will give you temporary (in transit) paper tags. You do not include your state taxes in the deal, but instead pay them to your state when you register the vehicle.

That said, just contact the "internet sales manager" at a dealership in your state. Usually they will at least match any other dealer's price.

 

I've used the Costco program in the past for another vehicle. You should be able to contact the fleet manager of your local dealership and have them match it for you. It shouldn't be a problem especially with the way the economy is these days. Getting a loaner if you need service usually only applies to the dealership from where you purchased from. Free car washes too (may vary by dealership). Otherwise, you will just be offered a courtesy shuttle.

 

Use this for additional ammunition...
http://www.capitaloneautobuying.com/main.html

 

The Costco Price varies by model, by dealer and location in the same state or other states.
You can go to the website www.mbusa.com to the state that you want to purchase a vehicle from and select one or more dealers on the site. The website will link you to the dealer’s site. You can request a quote by building your vehicle. The information will be sent to the dealer from the website. The information ends up in the Internet Sales Department of the dealer.

Most dealers reply within a day or so. Some dealer my take a little longer to reply by E-mail because they are trying to make telephone contact. I was out of town when I made my requests. I informed all the dealers that I would be out of town and to contact me by E-mail. Some dealer tried to contact me by phone and did not get an answer so they finally sent an E-mail.

Some dealers have some very good specials other give little information about the price.