Table of Contents

Introduction

Buying a car can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help. We’ll compare the three best car buying services—Costco Auto Program, AAA Auto Buying Program, and Car Concierge Pro—to find the best option for you. We’ll examine pricing, membership requirements, dealership options, and more. Read on, and let’s explore the possibilities and find the perfect fit for your next vehicle purchase.

Costco Auto Program vs. Car Concierge Pro

Costco Auto Program, a top-ranked auto-buying program in the United States, offers a streamlined car buying experience that customers find incredibly convenient. With enhanced customer service and helpful online tools like the Financial Calculator, it’s no wonder it’s a customer favorite. Despite both being car-buying services, Car Concierge Pro stands out from the Costco Auto Program due to its focus on fair pricing, greater savings for customers, and comprehensive assistance at every step of the process.

Discover below why Car Concierge Pro is the superior choice for car buying in the USA and Canada. With its focus on fair pricing, greater savings, and comprehensive assistance, It outshines other auto-buying services, including the popular Costco Auto Program.

Car Buying with Car Concierge Pro	Car Buying with PenFed Auto Program
1. Curate through 15+ premier platforms for curated car selections. Provide 15 to 20 options perfectly aligned with preferences.	1. Limited Vehicle Selection
2. Car Concierge Pro Car Buying services can be availed from any part of the USA, Canada & Dubai.	2. Geographical limitations may limit where the program can be accessed.
3. Membership not required	3. Must be a member of the PenFed Credit Union to use the Car Buying Service
4. After the exhaustive curation, the team of experts negotiates on the client’s behalf & finalizes the best-negotiated deal.	4. Lowest price not-guaranteed

1. Constraints on Vehicle Selection

The drawback of the PenFed car buying service may be the limited selection of vehicles. Though they provide many different makes and models, their number might be smaller than that of a regular car dealership or other car buying services. This aspect may be a disadvantage if one is too picky or wants to purchase specific requirements. It might not encompass certain niche brands or models, which can limit your options if you have particular preferences or requirements in mind.

2. Area Specific Service

It should be noted that the PenFed car buying service isn’t available everywhere. Geographical limitations may limit where the program can be accessed. The location depends on the specific dealerships and sellers participating. Accordingly, it is strongly recommended that you check its availability in your locality and any associated restrictions before starting this service.

3. Membership is a Must

PenFed is a credit union that requires membership to access its programs. Customers can open a savings account with an initial $5 amount to become members. Though the joining process may be simple, one should keep in mind any possible membership fees or other costs that might affect how affordable or convenient the PenFed auto program is for them. Additionally, the eligibility criteria for membership could impact the program’s usefulness, so it’s advisable to review them.

4. Lowest Price Not Guaranteed

The PenFed car buying program does not always provide the lowest cost for your preferred vehicle; one can consider negotiating more to get the best price. As with any other vehicle buying service, being aware of the fees and costs of a PenFed Car buying service is essential. Even though they have affordable fees and extensive reductions, they might impose extra costs or expenses. These can be service fees, transport costs, or administrative costs. Therefore, verify any fees earlier than fending off more costs you did not deliberate for.

Conclusion:

Knowing different factors in PenFed’s car buying service, including geographical restrictions, limitations in vehicle selection, and others, can help customers make an informed decision. If you are looking to buy a new vehicle and looking for the best car buying service, your decision should be based on your preferences and priorities. To get the best-negotiated deal on the vehicle tailored to your preferences and hassle-free pre- and post-car buying, selling, leasing, or trade-in service, connect with Car Concierge Pro.

Derek Koloditch

February 27, 2024.

I recently purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback Limited via Car Concierge Pro. The experience was definitely a positive one overall. As someone who purchases a car once a decade or so, I simply do not trust dealerships. They have a variety of tactics to hide the truth about pricing and vehicle history to squeeze every penny from you. Services like Carvana and Carmax charge more for negotiation-free purchasing (shouldn't it be the other way around?) and up-sell you on warranties, Either way, you’re at a disadvantage. So I went looking for an alternative and ran across the concierge option. I chose Car Concierge Pro because pricing and payment are straightforward, and they're technologically more up to speed than their competitors. Everyone on the team assigned to me was very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. My experience was more of a collaborative effort with quite a bit of back and forth around searching, researching, and negotiating. The team was with me every step of the way, handling all the legwork or providing guidance and assistance as necessary. You can be as hand-off or hands-on as you like. If you want to handle searching yourself and let them handle negotiations, you can do that too. Here are some helpful learnings if you decide to go the same route. 1) Try to research models and narrow down what you're after ahead of time. Best model years, common failures, expected repair costs (Consumer Reports, CoPilot, and ChatGPT were very helpful), regional pricing trends (see Auto Tempest). This isn't a requirement, but I personally found it to be helpful. Doing so will help your team hit the ground running and alleviate some stress for you early on. Of course, they’re there to help you dial in on your preferences as well. And keep in mind things may evolve and shift as part of the process. As an example, I focused on the 2019 and later model of Subaru Crosstrek PHEV initially before realizing battery replacement would be a huge hidden expense for very limited range. I discussed this with my team and we pivoted accordingly. 2) Keep your eye on the details. Dealerships might say one thing and do another, or they'll inflate the numbers in one area (like optional packages) to give the illusion of a deal. They might even take favorable photos to hide flaws (like a cracked front bumper on one of the listings I picked). Your team will be very vigilant for these tactics, but it doesn't hurt to be redundant if you're inclined to. For obvious reasons, dealerships do not like dealing with concierges, so they might try and sneak things past them if they realize who they’re dealing with. Your team will reiterate this before closing the deal and signing any papers. 3) Use Lemon Squad for pre-purchase inspections. Ordering an inspection from their site is dead simple, especially compared to their competitors. You'll get photos, video, diagnostic scans, a test drive, and a report, which you can share with your team or knowledgeable friends / family for feedback and use to negotiate further. Better pricing might be available via a local mechanic, but for remote inspections, Lemon Squad is the way to go. As of this writing, pricing starts at $220. You probably don't want to pay for more than two inspections (the money adds up quickly, obviously), so use them once you're ready to commit to a vehicle assuming everything looks good. 4) Use a reasonable search area and adjust accordingly. The wider the search area, the better range of pricing and deals. One caveat is that shipping can get pricey and cut into your savings the further out you go. My suggestion is to stick within a 1000 mile range initially. If you find a good deal on the edge of that range, it might be cheaper to fly out to pick up the car and drive it back. A 16 hour drive is much more doable than a 26 hour drive. All in all, I’ll be going this route again in the future when the time comes. The options + savings are better and it alleviates a notable degree of stress from a generally unpleasant experience. And I can’t recommend Neel and his team enough.

Joseph Flint

February 21, 2024.

I had a very good experience with Car Concierge Pro. Shainit and the gang kept me informed every step of the way, found the car I was looking for and helped me sell my car. Everything was smooth and they were always accessible for questions, etc. Very glad for their firm and strongly recommend.

Jacob Palecki

February 5, 2024.

The team was very diligent and responsive, made the process very easy. Thank you!!

Kalp Parikh

January 23, 2024.

I used them for selling my car. They are amazing to work with right from beginning to end. I got a very nice deal for my car all thanks to the staff!

Daniel Brouder

December 10, 2023.

Shainit did a great job. Service was worth it. He found a car for me 100 miles away when multiple dealers told me there were no models available within 400 miles, and my only alternative was to order this model from factory, which would take a few months and the price was not guaranteed. Appreciate Shainit’s assistance. Thanks

Penfed Car Buying Program: 4 Things To Know Before You Sign Up

Introduction

Costco Auto Program vs. Car Concierge Pro

1. Constraints on Vehicle Selection

2. Area Specific Service

3. Membership is a Must

4. Lowest Price Not Guaranteed

Conclusion:

Neel Mehta

Bhavya Mehta

500+ clients served.
$2,500,000+ saved.

or Call Us at

+1 (480) 418-6390

Serving nationwide across United States and Canada

Our fiduciary responsibility is for our clients. We do not promote any specific cars and negotiate every deal with complete honesty and integrity. We keep clients' preferences at the forefront - cost savings and convenience.

Introduction

Costco Auto Program vs. Car Concierge Pro

1. Constraints on Vehicle Selection

2. Area Specific Service

3. Membership is a Must

4. Lowest Price Not Guaranteed

Conclusion:

Neel Mehta

Bhavya Mehta

500+ clients served.$2,500,000+ saved.

or Call Us at

+1 (480) 418-6390

Our fiduciary responsibility is for our clients. We do not promote any specific cars and negotiate every deal with complete honesty and integrity. We keep clients' preferences at the forefront - cost savings and convenience.

500+ clients served.
$2,500,000+ saved.