Sail away
with Costco
Left: The Sea Ray 205SP. Above:
The Akers family and their dog,
Godzilla, enjoy their new Sea Ray
220 Sundeck.
OWNING A BOAT is only a dream for many
people. Costco and Sea Ray prove it doesn’t
have to be.
“For 20 years, my husband always wanted
his own boat,” says Costco member Ana
Akers of Virginia. “We were never able to own
[one]. It was very expensive for us.”
Ana and her husband, Leo, had visited
boat dealers but always left disappointed. “We
have looked many times,” Leo says, “but never
felt comfortable as we were not sure we were
getting a good price or there was a limited
selection.” Ana adds, “In the end, the price
always changed.”
Then they discovered that the Costco
Auto Program has a boat program, offering
prearranged pricing on a large selection of
boats from Sea Ray, an award-winning, lead-
ing manufacturer of sport boats.
Costco Boat Program
benefits include:
• Exclusive Costco member-only
pricing on select Sea Ray sport boats
• Additional Costco member-only
incentives valued at up to $3,000
• Any available national Sea Ray
incentives
• A $500 Costco Cash card for
completing a post-purchase survey
Ana says of the Costco Boat Program, “It
made our dream come true.”
Enter “SeaRay4” in the search box at
Costco.com, or call toll-free 1-800-816-5177
to find a participating dealer near you. Set up
an appointment with the authorized dealer
contact and show him or her your Costco
membership card.—Steve Fisher
Time to refinance
your boat or RV
JUST AS HOMEOWNERS are taking
advantage of low mortgage rates to reduce
those pesky monthly payments, boat and
RV owners can do the same.
According to Jesse Bragg, president
and CEO of Essex Credit Corporation,
Costco’s Boat and RV Loan and Refinancing
provider, “Refinance rates are so low right
now that many people are taking advan-
tage of saving money.” Due to liquidity in
the market, Bragg says, “Rates have come
down to historic lows, and they’re really
bouncing off the bottom right now. Costco
members may save thousands of dollars on
a refinance.”
In addition to great rates, the Boat
and RV Refinancing program offers many
features, such as no loan processing fee,
preferred service, exceptional terms and
up to a $100 Costco Cash card with each
funded loan.
Essex Credit is owned by Bank of the
West, a member of BNP Paribas Group,
one of the largest banks in the world. “We
have the financial security and the ability
to give Costco members the best possible
program in the marketplace,” says Bragg.
Applications can be submitted online
and a decision can be received in as little as
60 seconds. More complex transactions
may take longer, but responses are often
received within one business day, and may
require additional information from the
applicant.
Bragg encourages Costco members
looking to refinance a boat or RV to apply
online, saying, “It’s very likely we can save
them some money.”
For more information, or to apply, visit
Costco.com and enter “Essex5” in the
search box or call toll-free 1-866-377-3907.
—SF
