I forgot to add… the Subie dealer closest to my house was able to beat the Costco Program’s price! Not only that, we found yet another dealer willing to beat my neighborhood dealer’s price. So we found not one, but two dealers who offered me a lower price than the Costco-affiliated dealer.
I was told that the dealer agrees to pay $200 to Costco for the referral, that is, if you close the deal.