USAA car buying service

I used usaa, and got a few hundred dollars off sticker price without having to haggle (which I hate doing). The only other deal I got was that it came with port installed leather, but the center console and dor panels were still fabric. I complained that it looked stupid that way and they redid those in leather for free. If you want to argue over price I'm sure you can get a better deal than with usaa, but it made it a pretty painless process.

 

That just goes to show you... every area of the country's different for availability and for pricing. My v wagon deals lately seem to be way better than the car buying services offer. Of course, it helps to cut out the middleman entirely... Truecar/USAA etc isn't free! These expenses get built into deals.

 

Document fees are regulated by the states, if they are regulated at all. In Washington, state law limits the fee to a maximum of $150. (Dealers used to charge whatever they could get away with, sometimes hundreds of dollars.) The actual cost to the dealer is the labor of one person for 20 to 30 minutes, so it really doesn't cost them a lot. In Washington, state law states that the $150 (maximum) fee is negotiable. But there's no requirement that the dealer do so. The purpose of that part of the law is to inform the consumer that the state doesn't require the dealer to charge the full maximum amount of $150 and, in fact, the consumer can attempt to get the dealer to charge a lower amount more accurately reflecting the actual cost to the dealer.

It should be remembered that everything is negotiable until you sign the first piece of paper. The problem is that a lot of dealers will negotiate a firm price with the customer and, after the customer has agreed to the deal, the dealer will then add on additonal charges for documentation, fuel charges, dealer advertising, etc.

 

In CA, there is a set doc fee that dealerships charge, and you have to charge the same thing to everyone. Or, no one. You can charge a different amount on a leasse vs a buy.

 

My USAA price was approx. $1750 less than sticker.

 

Our price was about 1100 less than sticker price, 1500 if you include the cost for the floor mats and rear bumper applique. It's definitely worth it.