Buying Tires From Costco – Great Price + Good Service
Yesterday, I replaced all four tires on my 1994 Nissan Sentra at my local Costco to the tune of $245. First I had to decide if I wanted to put that much money into a care that isn’t worth much more that $500, but that is a post in and of itself. Ultimately tires aren’t something you want to skimp and cut corners on because they are integral to your cars safety.
*Update(1/09) – I have also had a bad experience with buying from Costco and was quite happy with TireRack.com.
Now, why Costco you ask?
Best price around. I did my homework and they were able to give me the best price even without any coupon or specials. The quoted price was $305. This is the same price that it would have cost at Tire Rack a popular direct tire website. Through Tire Rack the off brand import tires would have been cheaper at $203($31 shipping), but the installation would have cost ~$102 more at my local Sunoco.- Specials. Costco often runs ads in their monthly mailer and web site for $60 off a set of four or buy four get one free. Here is the deal that is running in June 2008.
- Free services. “Lifetime services that extend throughout the life of the tires you purchase. (Some limits may apply). These Lifetime services include inflation pressure checks, tire balancing, tire rotations, as well as flat repairs.” *
- Name brand Michelin X Radial Tire for $55 a piece.
- Tires filed with nitrogen for free. This is what the green cap on the valve stem means. Consumer Reports magazine published data on a nitrogen experiment. Tires filled with nitrogen lost less pressure than those with air, losing 2.2 pounds a square inch per year, compared with 3.5 for air.” **
- Free Road Hazard Warranty – Click here for more details.
- Good service. You have to go on off hours since they only do first come first serve, but the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
- In stock and no wait. Costco has most tire types in stock and you don’t have to wait for shipping as you would with tire direct web sites.
- I already have history with them when they were the lowest price($800) on a set of 18 inch tire for our Nissan Murano.
The service took a little longer than expected. It was closer to 2 hours rather than the hour they quoted, but the boys and I made do at the shopping center. It is amazing how much different a car feels with brand new quality tire on it. So next time you need tires, be sure to check out the local Costco for a price comparison if you have on.
* Source – http://tires.costco.com/TireInformation.xhtml?pn=CostCoAdvantage
** Source – http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/nitrogen-tires-.html
*** That is my little junker with the donut tire!
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I would just like to point out that the car in this picture is actually Happy’s car.
just for your info all tires are filled with 78% nitrogen. I really can’t see what possible benefit that paying extra for nitrogen would be.
@Tim – She’s a beaut isn’t she!
@Pat – The main draw is that tires don’t deflate as fast since nitrogen is a bigger molecule. Deflated tires = less MPG. At Costco you get it no matter what no direct extra charge.
Got to love the prices they have at Costco. I actually frequent the Costco in my local city and it’s great for everything from tools to food.
-Scott
I generally buy my tires at Discount Tire, but since I have a Costco store nearby, I’ll be sure to check them out next time. Thanks for the tip!
I dunno about Costco tires. I swear, tires i purchased from Costco wore out three times as fast. I was always getting new tires thinking it was a deal – but… they were wearing out so fast! Nothing unusual about my driving either. I don’t look at Costco the same way anymore… I’ll pass.
@George – If you check the update link after the first paragraph, you will see that I had a similar problem because I bought high performance tires. High performance tires provide more contact and usually softer rubber. Contact = friction. Friction = tire wear. Friction + soft tires = really fast tire wear.
Costco only explained this to me after I complained about the tire wear. The Costco manager wasn’t surprised that my high performance tires only got 20,000 – 25,000 miles before they were trashed. Wish I had known that going in.
Does Costco only have Michelin? Also, what are your thoughts on the places that sell “used” tires? I have found some in my area that sell them for around $30 a piece, and they are around 75% tread. Not bad, huh?! But, I wanted to get your opinion before I recommend on my blog.
Thanks for your feedback and your blog.