USAA Car Buying Service, has anyone used it? Feedback?

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 19:13:44 -0400

Has anyone used USAA or AMEX car buying services? If so, what was your experience? Would you do it again? Did you used as leverage with the dealer or actually use the certificate? I was researching Truecar pricing as a benchmark. Thanks in advance.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2014 8:47 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:47:45 -0400

I tried it once but they pushed back pretty hard on it. It didn't help that I was buying a model that was no longer being manufactured after that year.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Oct 24 at 2014 2:17 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:17:30 -0400

Have used their home purchase and sell program twice.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Oct 24 at 2014 3:02 PM

SGT Richard H. — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:02:33 -0400

I haven't used them for the negotiating process, but I've used them for the financing multiple times. It's super easy. You pick a car and work out a deal, then call them. They do the approval in a very short time (as in minutes), and then overnight you a "sight draft". You take that to the dealer and you're done.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2014 3:31 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:31:39 -0400

USAA is a great organization, but your credit needs to be fairly spotless to even be considered through them.

However, even if you cannot get a loan through them, they still have the USAA rating scheme which will show you the best vehicle in the field you are looking into (sedan, SUV, Van, etc,) and will offer discounts on insurance if you own one of those.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2014 3:44 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:44:38 -0400

I used the USAA car buying service and I would definitely use it again for my next purchase. It was an excellent service and worked as expected. I actually had 4 to 5 different dealerships calling me with competitive offers. I got the exact price from the certificate for the exact vehicle I was looking for. It didn't take long at all and the competition between the dealerships ensured that I got what I wanted at a very fair price. I will use it again when I make my next vehicle purchase and I definitely recommend it.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2014 7:37 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 19:37:41 -0400

USAA can make things very convenient, but you pay excessively for the convenience. I wouldn't even generously call their interest rates competitive, for auto or home. I am loyal to USAA for banking and investing, but being that I have great credit I would never even consider them for a collateral loan. Local CU with no history will often beat their rates by 2-3% And I've been with USAA for 10 years. It kind of irritates me to be honest. I got 1.89% on my last auto purchase which was 3 years old (used) and USAA offered 3.6%. Who would do that? Out of the 4 lenders I shopped USAA was the only one over 2%.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2014 5:12 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 17:12:17 -0500

Since I went through USAA to purchase my car at a certified used car dealer, I received a $500 discount.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made May 13 at 2015 11:55 AM

SSG Carlos Madden — Wed, 13 May 2015 11:55:38 -0400

Sir, I used it extensively to research cars, models, local prices to get a sense of what was out there. I printed out their guaranteed price and the USAA member discount certificate but negotiated the deal myself with the knowledge in my back pocket. In the end he gave me the USAA member discount but didn't need the certificate.

Long story short: It was great for research, knowing that I was walking into the dealer ship armed with local prices so I knew I wasn't getting scammed.

Response by LTC John Shaw made May 18 at 2015 9:45 PM

LTC John Shaw — Mon, 18 May 2015 21:45:41 -0400

LTC Private RallyPoint Member I really like the car service, I purchased new in 2011 when I returned from Afghanistan. I compared the pricing from True Car/USAA to the Consumer Reports invoice pricing and found to be within a few hundred dollars. Make sure all incentives/rebates are applied after the USAA price. I had five dealers in the Columbus, Ohio market accepting, but chose the closest based on location and available stock. It was the easiest car purchase in my 25 years. Financing is a different story, I paid cash, so I can't speak to that part of it.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2015 10:42 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 May 2015 22:42:14 -0400

USAA Car Buying Service is excellent. I would also research for discounts or programs from the manufacturer. I recently bought a new car and the company have a program for the employees and military and they beat the USAA price by a couple of thousands.

Response by Sgt Raul Ramirez made Oct 23 at 2015 2:53 AM

Sgt Raul Ramirez — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 02:53:18 -0400

I used the car buying service to search for the vehicle I was looking for and obtained the pricing certificate which made it easy and hassle free. Once I sealed the deal I ended up getting the deal even lower since it wasn't my first rodeo. Definitely recommended.

Response by SGT Mark Estes made Nov 10 at 2018 11:02 PM

SGT Mark Estes — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 23:02:04 -0500

I’ve never used it but have heard positive things about it