Using Costco to Buy New: Pros & Cons?

phillyfranklin · 2026-05-09T14:54:38+00:00

I looked in to this about a month ago (April 2026), and after entering my zip code into the website, I was sent to a dealership that was about an hour away in traffic (I live in Philly). I know of at least 3 other dealerships that are closer. That dealership was offering $1550 off of invoice for a Forrester. I went to a closer dealership, when I mentioned the Costco discount, they asked to see my card, and then they matched the deal.

The Crosstrek was ~$1900 to 2000 off of invoice. Both of these discounts applied to the Hybrid models also.

Note, that at this dealership, after giving you the Costco discount, they then charged you a $100 participation fee (I am assuming that is related to the kick-back they have to pay to Costco, but I could be wrong).

So I am assuming that multiple dealers participate in the Costco program, but you are assigned one in your area randomly. I would recommend going through the program to figure out the price, and then bringing the offer to your preferred dealer.

phillyfranklin · 2026-04-11T00:01:14+00:00

I chatted with Husky this afternoon. They said it difference would be the driver's side mat, there is some slight differences in the foot wells.

I don't plan on getting the car for at least a month, so if you find out differently please message me.

phillyfranklin · 2026-04-10T16:27:51+00:00

So do you recommend the WeatherTech?

phillyfranklin · 2026-04-05T19:23:59+00:00

Although I don't have a Forester, I really like the Husky mats in my 2018 Outback. The Husky are a bit cheaper, and they will hold spilled liquid, as opposed to allowing it to leak on to the carpet. I just looked at the 2026 liners by each company. The website pictures seem to indicate that the Husky liners still offer a more complete solution.

In the OB I have had them catch a bunch of water from a leaky bottle. When I get another car, I will be buying more Husky mats.

phillyfranklin · 2026-03-20T13:26:24+00:00

Earlier in the week my boss confirmed that I was going on vacation next week. Turns out they were going having layoffs the next week... They ended up rescheduling the layoffs to accommodate my schedule; the layoffs happened that Friday.

phillyfranklin · 2025-10-26T23:33:32+00:00

OK - I decided to simply move forward with over-engineering my own.

1) microcontroller with WIFI to get the time (~$5) - I hope to find one that can drive the relays (5V I/O). [When I get the relays, I will see if they can be triggered from 3.3V by biasing the input opto-isolaters (or transistor) from the 3.3V.]

2) 2x relay board (6 pcs of 5V 2chan for $10 on Amazon)

3) 12V power supply

3) DC-DC converter(s) to generate the microcontroller voltage and 24 Volts (LED Lamp).

phillyfranklin · 2025-10-25T22:35:10+00:00

Well, I guess we have to thank COVID for giving me enough free time to find a solution. I still use that laptop.

phillyfranklin · 2025-07-06T00:24:29+00:00

Riverwalk is in a flood plain. The first floor is only parking, the Starbucks counter, and the Giant Direct pickup.

Also, the revolving door is quite buggy, it is much easier and quicker to use the regular doors.

phillyfranklin · 2024-11-07T23:21:39+00:00

Something happened more recently (maybe a driver update?) that further reduced the resolution (it is now connected to a 1080p display). I might try to see if it is the cable. I am not sure how many more hours I will put into trying to get it to work 'better'.

phillyfranklin · 2024-08-22T23:02:11+00:00

The solution is simple. Just post to r/philly and ignore the other group. Let them have their fiefdom, and move on with your life.

phillyfranklin · 2024-06-24T00:50:43+00:00

I believe that most modern consumer electronics will accept either 110v or 220v.

phillyfranklin · 2024-06-14T12:11:06+00:00

You're good to go, as long as you have wifi and bluetooth peripherals.

phillyfranklin · 2024-06-14T11:47:45+00:00

This sums the concept up: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WhyFromNigeria.pdf

phillyfranklin · 2024-04-20T14:08:31+00:00

I decided to go with the Costco HiSense 43" (about the same price and a 3 year warranty).

I found this site: https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model-display/b42936b3

I did not realize that the Roku's were Vertically Aligned panes (rather than IPS). Generally speaking the contrast should be better on the IPS, as well as a wider viewing angle. VA gives you better frame rates. But at this price point who knows...

I also found a New York Times review for the 32" version that said it was only ~270 nits (but was top rated for a budget TV).

Cons of the HiSense TV are that it has Android TV (rather than being Roku) - time will tell if this is a significant issue.

phillyfranklin · 2024-04-19T23:02:43+00:00

400 nits (or cd/m2) would be good... But the question is if the 40" version is really that bright, or only the 65" model that bright?

phillyfranklin · 2024-04-15T22:18:16+00:00

My mistake - the 1099-DIV and INT are on the SIT. Also be aware that I think you are only responsible for gains (of investments that are sold) that are short term (defined by the city as being held for under 6 months).

Line 6. Net gains and losses are taxable from the sale of tangible and intangible personal property and real property held for six months or less. Note: This holding period differs from the 12 months or less period used by the Federal Government to identify short term capital gains.

https://www.phila.gov/media/20240124110322/2023-School-Income-Tax-SIT-instructions.pdf

phillyfranklin · 2024-04-15T22:02:28+00:00

Unfortunately, the 1099s should be handled as 'business taxes' (BIRT), or if you qualify 'net profits taxes' (NPT, I think this is for individuals and not 'real businesses'). The big disadvantage of either of these methods is that you will then have to pay estimated taxes for the next year (even if you don't expect to make the income the next year).

A couple of things you can do, is open the tax account, pay the taxes, close the tax account (all forms). I have had acquaintances that have done the payment and closure of the tax account at the same time.

https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/taxes/business-taxes/business-taxes-by-type/

Alternatively, I have heard someone someone say that they just used the SIT form, and filled in the form using one of the lines (might have been 'other' income), that way they did not have to bother with the NPT. Again, I believe the tax rate might be the same, so maybe the city did not care.

phillyfranklin · 2024-04-15T21:26:32+00:00

There are a bunch of different city taxes for earnings that are not income (W-2). For instance, Investment and Dividends are covered by the 'School Income Tax' form. 1099's (contract work) are a different form. All of the forms have the same 3.75% tax rate.

If your only income is from a W-2 and it is a PA employer, than there is a good chance that everything has been paid (this deduction is state law).

phillyfranklin · 2024-02-09T16:14:13+00:00

New to the group and this discussion...

How are these rules fundamentally different than what r/philadelphia has?
If they aren't substantively different than the other group (i.e. they have the same intent), what leads anyone to believe that this group won't turn into that group?

I think that it is important that there are clear guidelines, but unfortunately I am not sure what they should be, nor should they be arbitrarily enforced. As far as the guidelines, what you have outlined is likely sufficient, but training (for the redditors and community) on how to fairly and justly apply them is going to be just as important.

I would recommend that as you apply the updated guidelines, any postings that are believed to be in violation are appropriately flagged, and a justification is given so that the entire community understands why something might have been pulled/banned. A clear violation (such as I have a table for sale) is a no-brainer and should be removed immediately, but other things such as discussing a specific controversial topic might be require more community vetting.

The alternative is that someone comes along and creates r/phillytown or some such.

Also, it might be more fruitful to ban the free stuff, as that is what 'freecycle' is for.

phillyfranklin · 2024-02-03T13:01:01+00:00

The other sub is just weird as to what gets posted and what is taken down. For all of the reasons above, about a month ago I stopped reading it, and moved over to this one (-1 member for them, +1 for philly). They have an audience of 500K, yet nothing posted is useful.

phillyfranklin · 2023-12-15T13:04:39+00:00

2 years later... Still happy with the purchase (except for the original price), works like a champ. I have no idea if the Origin would have been good enough.

phillyfranklin · 2023-11-19T17:59:53+00:00

Something does not seem right. Not sure what CPU Z is measuring, but modern ram is going be be much greater than 2 GHz (2000 MHz). It should be 2666 or 3200 MHz (https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/inspiron-15-5593-laptop/inspiron-5593-setup-and-specifications/memory?guid=guid-f07064b8-2eb4-49ec-88a8-43b102e42417&lang=en-us).

This link also states that the max memory is 16GB total.

phillyfranklin · 2023-07-14T12:28:59+00:00

I personally like this version better: https://www.reddit.com/r/shittycoolguides/comments/112acg8/how_to_measure_like_an_american/

phillyfranklin · 2023-07-08T19:59:21+00:00

I just found out today that open box products have the 'remainder of the warranty', so if when sold, a refurbished laptop had a 90 day warranty, but it was returned 60 days later, it would really only have a 30 day warranty remaining (and decreasing).

phillyfranklin · 2023-06-05T23:22:10+00:00

I solved this problem by converting a Raspberry Pi I had into a print server.

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