Man Wants To Buy A Ford Mustang. Then He Goes To Costco For One Specific Reason: 'Can I Charge It To My Costco Card?'

A car creator walking a Costco warehouse floor found a brand-new Ford Mustang GT parked on display next to the flat screens and rotisserie chickens, with a $53,633 price tag and the implication that you could buy one the same way you'd buy a pallet of paper towels.

The underlying program is real, decades old, and a popular way to buy a car without haggling.

The clip was posted by LS3 TEE (@ls3tee), a car content creator whose channel mixes builds, reviews, and job-list posts. It has drawn more than 30,900 views, with the comments section split between people who had no idea Costco sold cars and others surprised that people still don't know.

The Costco Warehouse Mustang

LS3 TEE describes his find with his face superimposed over warehouse photos. "Costco is selling Mustangs at the warehouse," he says. "This particular Mustang right here is on display at a Costco warehouse. They want $53,000 for this car, $53,633 to be exact."

He walks through the models he says are available through the program—the Mach-E, the Dark Horse, the EcoBoost, and the GT Fastback he is looking at. Then he explains how to get hold of one.

"All you got to do is go apply for the Costco Auto Program, and if you're approved, you can get the car," he says. "Costco negotiates a set member price with local dealerships, saving you from traditional dealer markups and extensive negotiation. You can apply current Ford rebates, factory incentives, and financial offers to your Costco member price. Then you are connected with a hand-selected specialized contact at a local participating dealership to finalize your purchase."

He adds that, of course, "You also have to be a Costco member to do this."

How The Costco Auto Program Actually Works

His description of the program is mostly accurate. Costco does not sell the car, and the Mustang on the warehouse floor is a display piece, not inventory you wheel to a register. The Costco Auto Program connects members to what it calls "hand-selected Approved Dealers" at "low, prearranged pricing" and lets buyers "combine your prearranged Costco member price with manufacturer incentives for extra savings."

The transaction still happens at a franchised dealership; Costco's service is negotiating the price in advance and handing the member a specific contact so the back-and-forth is already done.

The program has run since 1989. It is free to use with an active membership, and its whole pitch is the removal of the haggling and the hard sell that a lot of buyers dread. The savings are real, but often modest, and they vary by model and market.

Is $53,633 A Deal?

Sceptical viewers crunched the numbers in the comments section. The 2026 Mustang GT Premium Fastback carries a factory MSRP of $51,080, so the $53,633 figure on the Costco display is a few thousand above sticker once options are added, not a warehouse-club discount off it.

Commenter Omg,Wow,1776 wrote, "I got one at the dealership last month. Sticker was $62.8k. I got it $52k, so it's really not a good deal." Another, userr.5oh, said Ford employee pricing beat it: "I js bought one, got it at employee pricing before taxes, 42k."

These viewers are right to point out that the Costco price is not a markdown off the invoice price, and whether it beats what a determined buyer could negotiate depends on the car and the month.

On a high-demand trim with thin dealer margin, the Costco price can actually come in above what a skilled haggler could land. On a slow-moving model with manufacturer incentives, it can beat the dealership price.

Third-party assessments confirm this. CarOracle, a licensed California auto-buying service, judges the program "not necessarily" cheaper than negotiating, noting that some buyers "achieve similar or better pricing through negotiation or by working with a licensed auto broker" and that the program "trades flexibility and advocacy for simplicity."

Previous Motor1 reporting on the program also pointed out that the appeal is predictable, no-haggle pricing, not a guaranteed rock-bottom number. For a buyer who hates the showroom back and forth, that trade is the whole point.

In other words, Costco may not get you a rock-bottom price, but it may mean you don't have to fight to get a fair price.

Other viewers chimed in with their own sightings of cars at Costco, including a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at one warehouse and a Chevy Silverado High Country at another.

Others made jokes about the retail setting. "Can I charge it to my Costco card?" asked Miguel, to which LS3 TEE replied, "Maybe."

Motor1 reached out to LS3 TEE via Instagram direct message and to the Costco Auto Program via email for additional comment. We'll be sure to update this if they respond.