A friend was looking for a new car recently (not an HCH II) and found that he could easily beat the Costco price just by walking into the dealership and negotiating. I was with him a couple of times and saw this happen, so my confidence in the "Costco" price is low.

I recently negotiated a price for an HCH II that is MSRP - $883 (I'M HAPPY!) by going to the internet and getting quotes from about 10 different dealers in a 100 mile radius from my house. The dealer farthest from my house came through with the best price. I think it's because for him it's an extra sale, whereas all the dealers in town think of the money they lose by discounting because they know they will sell every car they get. Anyway, the internet search doesn't hurt. I used www.edmunds.com but there are other sites that will refer you to dealers in your area.

MG