AAA's service, powered by TrueCar in most clubs, shows member pricing each dealer sets; Costco Auto Program prearranges a price with a participating dealer. The Model Black is not a broker: participating dealerships set and publish their prices.
The Model Black is not a licensed motor vehicle dealer or broker and does not act as a broker in any way. Participating dealerships sell and lease every vehicle and complete each purchase directly with you.
AAA and Costco both run car buying programs for their members, and in both a dealer sells the car. The AAA Car Buying Service, which some clubs call the AAA Auto Buying Program, lets AAA members find a car, enter a membership number, find a participating dealer and get member pricing (aaa.com, as of October 2026). Costco Auto Program connects registered Costco members with an Approved Dealer near their ZIP code, where they see a prearranged price on the program's Price Sheet, and it is operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., an independent company that is not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). The Model Black is launching in Arizona. Where a participating dealership serves your area, it shows that dealership's new cars as a loan, a lease (monthly, one-pay, or with deposits), and a cash purchase, with the taxes and fees for your city, before you talk to anyone. The Model Black is not a broker, and it does not negotiate: the dealership sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you.
| AAA Car Buying Service | Costco Auto Program | The Model Black | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | AAA members: AAA says non-members can search and compare vehicles in its car buying app, but membership is needed to buy through AAA or at a certified dealer with member savings (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | Costco members who register with the program; prearranged pricing is non-transferable (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Launching in Arizona. Whether a car can be delivered to you depends on its dealership. |
| Who runs it | In most club areas the program is powered by TrueCar, which operates the website with pricing and vehicle data for purchases at participating dealers (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., an independent company that is not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | The Broker Black LLC, doing business as The Model Black: a new-car buying platform, not a broker |
| Who sells the car | Licensed motor vehicle dealers; neither TrueCar nor AAA Mountain West Group brokers, sells, or leases motor vehicles (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | The participating franchised dealer; Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | The participating dealership, which sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you; The Model Black does not negotiate |
| Where the price comes from | Each Certified Dealer sets its own pricing (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | A price prearranged with the participating franchised dealer, with any manufacturer incentives combined with the Costco member price (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Each participating dealership's own published savings, price, and any market adjustment |
| Where you see the price | Members register online to see upfront member pricing on in-stock dealer inventory (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | On the program's Price Sheet for the vehicle you select, after it connects you with an Approved Dealer near your ZIP code (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Before you talk to anyone: finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, deposits), and cash with taxes and fees for your city |
| Ways to buy | New and used cars, with certified pre-owned cars on some club sites (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | New and pre-owned vehicles, to buy or lease (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | New cars from participating dealerships, each priced as finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, multiple security deposits), and cash |
| What it costs | The club pages read do not list a fee for members to use the service, and for California members AAA states that participating dealers have paid a promotional fee (aaa.com, as of October 2026) | Prearranged pricing is for registered Costco members, and the dealers in the program pay a participation fee (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Creating an account is complimentary and opens a dealership's full pricing on 3 cars every 30 days. White and Gold memberships open every car's full pricing: White is $99 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $389) for 30 days and Gold is $649 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $949) for 3 years, each a one-time payment that never renews. Black is coming soon. Anyone 18 or older with an account can ask a dealership about a car or send it a deal at no charge. |
They differ in who can use them and in where the price comes from. AAA's service is for AAA members, each Certified Dealer sets its own pricing, and members see upfront member pricing on in-stock dealer inventory (aaa.com, as of October 2026). Costco Auto Program is for Costco members who register with it, and its price is prearranged with the participating franchised dealer and shown on the program's Price Sheet (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). In both, a dealer sells you the car, so the fit depends on the membership you hold and the car you want.
That depends on the car and the dealer near you, so here is what its site says it includes and leaves out. It includes prearranged pricing for Costco members who register, an Approved Dealer near your ZIP code with an Authorized Contact to help during your visit, the Price Sheet for the vehicle you select, and manufacturer incentives combined with the member price (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). It also states that Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions, that certain vehicles may be excluded from the program, and that actual savings vary with the vehicle, dealer, and location (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026).
For Costco Auto Program, yes: its prearranged pricing is intended only for Costco members who register with the program, and it is non-transferable (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). AAA says non-members can search and compare vehicles in its car buying app, but AAA membership is needed to buy through AAA or at a certified dealer with member savings (aaa.com, as of October 2026). The Model Black asks for no outside membership. Creating an account is complimentary and opens a dealership's full pricing on 3 cars every 30 days. White and Gold memberships open every car's full pricing: White is $99 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $389) for 30 days and Gold is $649 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $949) for 3 years, each a one-time payment that never renews. Black is coming soon. Anyone 18 or older with an account can ask a dealership about a car or send it a deal at no charge.
Yes. Nothing stops a shopper who holds both memberships from checking each program's price for the same car, and also checking a participating dealership's published price for a new car on The Model Black.