SAN ANTONIO — Military personnel and their families who use USAA for assistance in making a vehicle purchases now can put an iPhone to work during the process.

Officials from USAA recently rolled out an app for their assistance program, Auto Circle. They explained that Auto Circle from USAA can help members save an average of $4,508 off of MSRP for new vehicle at more than 3,000 certified dealerships. The program also includes exclusive USAA member discounts on select units from General Motors and Mercedes-Benz.

USAA emphasized this new iPhone app can deliver all of the functions members have found at the program's website at autocircle.com. The list includes comprehensive pricing reports Kelley Blue Book and TrueCar.com as well as ability to apply for financing and receive dealer electronic funds transfer.

"Auto Circle helps us facilitate the financial security of our members by giving them a one-stop resource for their cars," explained Wayne Peacock, executive vice president of member experience for USAA.

"Since our membership is highly mobile, we made these services mobile too, so members are empowered even while at the dealership or searching for a new place to live," Peacock added.

USAA recently commissioned a survey to gain more insight into how consumers feel about the vehicle-buying process. It was meant to reinforce the capability of Auto Circle.

Executives said the survey findings indicated:

—Most consumers find vehicle buying exciting (73 percent), time consuming (72 percent) and rewarding (70 percent), but also find it frustrating (37 percent), confusing (30 percent) and intimidating (29 percent).

—Nearly one-third (29 percent) of consumers are exhausted after buying a vehicle.

—More than half (52 percent) of consumers feel they paid too much for a vehicle.

—Most consumers (75 percent) think negotiating the final price/payment is stressful, and a few (3 percent) enjoy negotiating.

—More than 14 percent of consumers prefer to have someone negotiate for them.

—About 19 percent of military spouses say the hardest part of buying/leasing a vehicle without a spouse present is negotiating a good price.

"Auto Circle gives you the ability to walk into a dealership with confidence, whether you're there for a test drive or to pick up the keys to your new car," stressed Stuart Parker, president of the property and casualty group at USAA.

"Or, you can use Auto Circle on your iPhone to get the USAA price on a new car or compare insurance costs for different makes and models so you can make a fully informed purchasing decision. That's the power of Auto Circle," Parker went on to say.