Our 2020 Toyota Sienna!
I’ve never purchased a used car. I’m not saying this to sound superior. On the contrary, it is just that I have found buying a new car to be preferable. Over the years, I have saved a lot of money purchasing only new cars.
New Driver
But, my first car was an older vehicle — Pontiac Sunbird — that my parents had purchased used. I was completely grateful to have access to that car. It got me through my driving test, commuting to my summer job, to concerts, to the mall, to college. It was small but mighty.
I drove that Pontiac Sunbird from age 20 through 23. I was a late bloomer when it came to driving by taking driving lessons at age 16 when I lived in England. It was a rarity as only one other girl at my school was taking driving lessons. At the time, you could only take your driving test in a stick-shift car in England.
Driving Lessons
I never got the hang of a stick-shift. Grinding gears. Making matters more complicated is that my parents both had automatic transmission cars. I was never able to practice driving a stick shift between lessons. After 10-15 lessons I gave up. I wasn’t particularly bothered as public transportation in England was very good. I took a train and bus to school. I took the train in to the center of Manchester to hang out with friends.
It wasn’t until I got to America for college that I realized that I was practically the only college student without a driver’s license. When my parents emigrated to America again, I was left with three choices: (1) Spend hours taking buses to places I wanted to visit near my new home, (2) Ask my parents for rides, or (3) Take driving lessons. Driving lessons was the logical choice. Took me three tries to pass the test. Driving on the other side of the road is complicated. But pass the test I did.
Buying My First Car
After college graduation, my first order of business was getting a job, which proved to be hard with a degree in English Literature with a Drama minor. Three months later, I got a job in D.C. The Sunbird was still my ride to and from work via the Washington D.C. Metro. Six months later, I switched to a job better suited to my skills with a higher salary. Around my 23rd birthday, I had enough for a down payment on a car. I needed a co-signer to buy the vehicle but at least I had my own wheels! I was the proud owner of a new 1988 Ford Mustang.
I didn’t use Costco Auto Program to buy the 1988 Ford Mustang, as I had never heard of Costco, let alone the Costco Auto Program.
Purchase a Vehicle Using Costco Auto Program
When my oldest was born, getting the infant car seat in and out of the 1988 Ford Mustang was becoming more and more difficult. By that time, I had joined Costco. Back then it was called Price Club. Prior to joining Price Club, I was a member of Pace Membership Warehouse. My family always laugh when I say that Price Club was called Price Costco after Price Club merged with Costco. It’s true!
Once I knew I needed a new car, buying a new car from Costco seemed the best plan. The internet was in its infancy in 1996, so we probably picked up a brochure when shopping at Costco. Can you remember the masses of papers stacked in the home? I do not miss the paper avalanches.
I contacted Costco Auto to find the nearest Costco Auto-authorized Ford dealer. The process couldn’t be easier…look on the car dealer lot to see what is available, enter the dealership, tell the salesman you are a Costco member, watch them look deflated as they realize they must give you the lowest price, test drive the car, and complete the loan paperwork. No haggle. No hassle. You save a ton of money.
Over the years, I have purchased 4 new cars with Costco Auto Program:
- 1996 Ford Taurus
- 1999 Ford Windstar
- 2006 Toyota Sienna LE-7 Passenger Wagon, 3.3 Liter, 6 Cylinder
- 2020 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited Premium
And 4 new cars for family members:
- 2012 Toyota Corolla S Sedan, 1.8 Liter, 4 Cylinder
- 2013 Ford Escape, SEL, 1.6 Liter, 4 Cylinder
- 2018 Toyota Corolla
- 2020 Toyota RAV-4
I shop at Costco a lot. There’s no doubt that buying a Costco membership is worth it, especially for the no-hassle Auto Program. Well worth the savings!
