No more haggling over an imaginary price? The Costco Auto Program might be convenient, but critics suspect it’s not really a deal.
“Buying a car is just never an easy process. Dealerships suck, and you lose an entire day haggling over an imaginary price,” Vincent Rives, @vincerives, admitted in his positive review of the Costco Auto Program.
The Costco Auto Program is meant to keep things simple by offering vehicle rates that aren’t set by Costco or its partner dealerships. Through the program, Rives was able to purchase a highly sought-after 2025 hybrid RAV4 with a sticker price of 48K, for Costco’s price of 36K. “Long story short, the salesperson tells us that the price provided by Costco is outside of her control and the dealerships,” he said.
Car buying expert and content creator @tomislavmikula broke down Rives’ deal in a TikTok video from Dec. 24, 2025. He explained, “They inflated that price and gave a huge discount to make you feel good. So the MSRP of this car normally is around 38, 39. If you paid 36 thousand, it means you got a thousand, two or three thousand off—somewhere in that ballpark.”
According to @tomislavmikula, pitting dealerships against one another is the only way to secure a good deal on a car. “If you’re looking to get a good deal on a car… you need to talk to dealerships,” he said. “You need to pin them against each other. And understand the Costco Auto Buying program can work, but in reality, is it any better than reaching out to 10 different dealerships and asking them for the best price?”
One commenter noted, “A sellers program that the buyers don’t negotiate. What could possibly go wrong?”
“I’m never buying a car without Costco again.”
Rives’ clip from Dec. 23, 2025, detailing his shockingly positive car-buying experience quickly accumulated 1.7 million views on TikTok. “Costco auto program is a game-changer,” he wrote in the post’s caption.
Rives discovered the Costco Auto Program while on a grocery run at the bulk retailer. “The best part of buying a car through Costco is that there’s no haggling. You walk in, and it’s a set price,” he explained. He signed up online, entered his preferred vehicle, and Costco linked him with one of their approved dealers with the car in stock.
@vincerives Costco auto program is a gamechanger @Costco Wholesale #rav4 #cars ♬ original sound – vincerives
“Yeah, I’m never buying a car without Costco again…if you’re in the market for a car, new or used, I can’t recommend Costco enough. It took a really stressful experience and made it a very simple, super easy one.”
Some Costco members disagree
Meanwhile, critics of the Costco Auto program point out that the program has gone downhill due to economic upheaval and supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic.
“I’m calling this program a scam now,” @tomislavmikula said, in a response to Rives’ TikTok clip. “I’m not saying that every dealership that uses the program is gonna be bad and try to screw you over, what I’m saying is—you can’t just go in expecting Costco’s got your back…”
@tomislavmikula Is the Costco Auto Buying Program actually worth it? #costco #toyota #delivrd ♬ original sound – Delivrd
Vincent Rives did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok.
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