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I live in Utah. My home is it 8000 feet. We get 25 or more feet of snow each winter from Sept to June. The salt is what takes the cars out. I am very easy on cars and engines. I use Mobile 1 oil since it flows better when it's cold. I only run manual transmissions in my cars because they are simple and just don't give out. I have also never replaced a clutch. Never over rev an engine. Our 2007 Impreza is not even close to the toughness of my 1984 and 1994s of which we had a pair. My 1994 was the best car I have ever owned. Every Subaru I have owen out performs everything in snow. I have a hill side home with a 23 percent grade driveway and the Subarus go up the driveway covered with snow just like it's July. With snow on the driveway my Toyota truck in 4WD low only makes it half way and slides back down with all 4 wheels spinning. Going up the hills to my home I pass jeeps which can't pull the snow covered grades (mostly because they have the wrong tires). I will say the 2007 engine runs very well and has more power. One reason to not get new ones is that the salt on our roads for 7 months a years just eats them.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2011
Automatic trans
alloy wheels
roof rails
The total price was 22985.00. Did I get a good deal? I have no idea. I still have no clue what the profit was on this car.
22985 -(1200 sales tax + 80 DMV + 5 tire disposal)
22985 - 1285 = 21700
So 21700 went to the dealer. Now here it the question.
What profit did the dealer earn? On the way out door the Salesman insulted me one more time. "We only made 90 dollars on this car." Right, and I'm Teddy Roosevelt.
So, was the profit:
5 dollars
50 dollars
500 dollars
5000 dollars
???????
I would like to know because if it was only 90 dollars they won't be around when I need parts.
What ever the price, profit is fine with me. But,,,,,,,,,,, why the BS "we only made 90 dollars". Was that comment really necessary? If any dealers are here you should know that if you have used lines like that we don't think much of you.
Any how, don't worry, enjoy your car and congrats!
My brother is actively shopping for a Forester manual with the Premium package, with or without AWP. Lemme know if anyone finds one in the DC area.
As for first impressions of the 2011 Forester. The most important, high tech items on the car is:
The oil filter on top of the engine where a human can get to it. Whoever the engineer was who came up with that idea, many thanks. Hundreds of millions of cars world wide and you got it right.
I didn't check as I usually do but, with the new motor and longer piston stroke is it now and interference engine? Wonder how long the chain will last?
Thanks.
The EJ25 was also interference, so that didn't change.
I'd feel *MUCH* safer with a timing chain vs. an older timing belt, say >6 years old.
I only change oil every 15000 miles. I change the filter every 5000. I run Mobil 1 10W 30. I have done this on my last 3 cars and 1 truck.
1994 Impreza 280,000 miles. Dead due to rust
1995 Impreza 148,000 miles. Sold while running just fine and it's still fine
1994 Toyota T100 truck 155,000 still going strong
2007 Impreza 90,000 miles still running just fine.
None of these 3 cars and 1 truck consume any oil.
I started doing this 15 years ago when I was commuting 120 miles each day. I was doing a lot of oil changes at 5000 miles. So I switched to synthetic oil and a change interval of 15,000 miles with 3 filters.
As for the new forester, it will be my wife's car. It has way too much automatic junk on it for me.
auto trans
push button door locks
push button to disable the computer transaction system
auto windows
I remember when we actually had to learn how a car worked. I smile when I think of the choke and throttle cables. I still double clutch a manual transmission, habit from those years driving a dump truck at a quarry. One of these days I will try to double clutch on a down shift forgetting I am in a new auto trans forester and slam on the brakes twice. Those were the good old days, 5 speed manual with a 2 speed electric rear differential.
Winding a rope around the top of the motor to pull start the lawn mower.
Soon all will need to do is sit in a chair and eat all day.
Not sure where we are going with all this stuff. My first 1977 front driver Subaru got over 40 MPG. Now we are down to 27.
I still want to know how much the dealer paid Subaru of America to put my car on the lot.
I just brought my car in for the 7500 mile check up and oil change. I have a 2010 premium forester no turbo or anything fancy, except AWP. I did request to put in synthetic oil since I found that when my VW mechanic changed to synthetic my car ran 90% better than before (and had he done it 6 months earlier I might have postponed buying the forrester until now instead of last year- though the AWD did come in handy this year in NY).
I paid $167 + tax. The inspection which they say cost $10 was free since I bought the car from them.
What have others paid?
Thanks, Silvia
I think most people change their oil too often, actually. I've drained oil I could see through before.
One reason I think the intervals aren't often long is that the manufacturers want a chance to spot any early signs of problems. Not to mention dealers make more money on service than they do on new car sales.
It's because of that sort of thing that I use normal oil & follow the scheduled maintenance pretty religiously during warranty. After warranty I'll switch to synthetic & extend the intervals to what seems to make sense for me & the car.
plug gasket and so called inspection.
I think $167 is a little high.
Check with your shop; you may be able to save some money by bringing in your own oil. Even if they charge the automotive equivalent of a corking fee it's probably still cheaper to bring your own than to use theirs. And since the 6 quart pack is likely less than what a single oil change calls for, you're actually buying enough oil that every 4th or 5th change you won't have to buy any at all.
He said add $25 for the synthetic oil vs normal oil, I knew that was a rip off but since I wanted synthetic I paid and my next oil change should be free at this place I hope it includes the same type of oil they charged me for. It supposed to be every other oil change is free, granted if they charge you double for the one you pay you are not getting anything free.
I can't change the oil, I will change a cabin filter, air filter maybe even a battery depending on the car but oil changes are not something I think I would do, not something for a girl to do. But I can buy the oil and have them use that next time, though it's supposed to be free.
Thanks. Silvia
Anything I should know about this model as far as what are the usual problems? Hopefully it was made in "one of the good years"!!
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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Share your vehicle reviews
Wheel Bearings
Those are the two biggies. It was reliable overall, though, above average per CR.
For example:
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited w/
* All Weather Floor Mats
* Luggage Compartment Cover
* Rear Bumper Cover
* Remove Engine Starter
* Splash Guard Kit (Mud guards)
* Vertical Cargo Net
Dealer Window Sticker: $28,535.00
MSRP from both KBB & Edmunds for same vehicle: $28,161.00
i have been offered the car at $26,786
msrp according to the invoice is $29,703 w/ dealer cost as $28,096.
i have asked to get me down to $26k flat but the dealer said there is nothing left as this price is cost - holdback.
sound good?
I recently went to my dealer and he implied that because of the quake and Tsunami in Japan Subaru's were in short supply and that prices would be going up.
Has anyone heard anything about this? I know it affected Subaru and other Japanese car makers, but was wondering how much was the dealer just trying to make a buck.
Another option is to buy "used" Subaru that is still under warranty with options that you want.
As far as I know, Forester is still made in Japan. Most others are assembled at SIA's plant in Indiana.
Some dealers may be asking for "sticker" prices due to this shortage and may not be willing to give customers any discounts.
Most other dealers selling Japanese brands that are truly made in Japan may do the same. But most of them also sell Japanese brands that are assembled in the U.S. and Canada where there are sporadic shortages, mostly of parts or components that are made in Japan.
How did you "total" your Forester? What prompted your insurance company to total your car? How many miles you had on yours and how much did you get for it?
To add insult to injury, Forester was in short supply before any of this happened.
I would also try to find one you like from stock, and price shop other dealers. I'm afraid it has indeed become a seller's market for Foresters, however.
If there was a 6 cyl, a 5 or 6 speed transmission, or a diesel I would hold off and wait for the 2012s to come in.
Any information?
For the last decade or so, once I decide on the vehicle I want, I always do my negotiating via email, contacting several dealers in my region within a reasonable distance. I let them know that I am comparison shopping and researching price with Edmunds and Consumer Reports. I ask for their rock bottom price and sometimes it comes in right about where it should; sometimes I have to counter offer.
This time, I contacted 5 dealers within about an hour's radius. Out of the 5 dealers, only ONE used the shortage to try to seriously rip me in price. I would say the other 4 were all fair, and 2 were actually below edmund's TMV. The other 2 were close enough. There was a 700+ holdback on the car, so they had plenty of room to make some money.
In addition, a couple of them didn't even have the color car I wanted (options were all remarkably similar in this region) on the lot and were willing to get it for me at the good price. A guy might tell you there is a shortage and so he won't deal much, but a buyer in the hand is worth.....you know the saying. The guy that refused to go below his so called good offer (3 % above invoice) was claiming that Edmunds TMV was not accurate supposedly because of the shortage vs high demand. Meanwhile, I had 4 other MUCH better quotes and crossed him off my list.
Be respectful, but let them know you have done the research...it really pays. I bet there is a dealer close to you that actually wants to sell a car today.
Thank you all for your advice-I live in South Texas.
It costs them a bunch because they have to inspect, recondition, then pay for the warranty, so I'm guessing it's worth about ~$1.5-2k more than a non-CPO.
I put a deposit on a 2011 Forester Premium Auto yesterday at a dealership near me in Massachusetts. Very happy with the deal I got - sent it around to other dealers that say they beat other dealers offers, and nobody wanted to touch it. The internet sales manager was great to deal with, and everyone at the dealership was pretty helpful and nice.
In going through the financing, however, something happened that I wasn't completely comfortable with, and I wanted to run something by the group to see if I was being told the complete truth. I'm planning on financing close to the whole amount, either for 60 or 72 months. The current promotional rate Subaru is offering is 2.9% for this time period. My credit isn't great, and I was planning on having my Father co-sign with me to help get the best rate (the 2.9%). The finace manager a the dealership told me that even with the cosigner, I probably wouldn't get the best rate because they would take/use some combination of our credit-worthiness. He was able to get me a rate on my own of 4.19%, and thought the best we would do with my Dad on the loat was 3.9% so he thought it wasn't worth it. My parents live in NY, and we would have had to overnight the credit application to them and have it overnighted back.
I understand his logic, and the difference between 4.19 and 3.9 is pretty marginal, and I'm fine with getting the 4.19 if the best I could do with a cosigner is 3.9. But I got the distinct feeling he just didn't want to bother with the overnighting and/or he didn't want me to get the lower rate (the 2.9%) because that's less money for the dealership/Subaru.
I guess my question is - would I really not get the 2.9% even if I had my dad as a cosigner? Does that seem correct?
I'm really interested in hearing what people think. Thanks!
Pat
I co-signed on a car with my brother (who has very little credit history and a marginal score at best) because the dealership was looking to charge him 14.9% on a loan (this was back before the economic crash when auto loans were typically in the 6-7% range for great credit). I think he ended up going with a 7.9% offer through a credit union with me cosigning (13.9% without), but the original dealership came back with an 11% offer with me on the ticket. I told them to take a hike. We neither financed nor purchased from that dealership.
The dealer should be able to run the credit report for your father and offer a rate before issuing the loan application. Only after you have accepted a financing offer would the documentation need to be mailed out for signatures.
I purchased my last two Subaru vehicles 2,200 miles away in Seattle, and both times I financed them and left home with all paperwork completed and license plates in-hand. When I arrived at the dealer, all I needed was a key.
http://www.subaru.com/special-offers/index.html
It's sounding to me like the guy is trying to make up for the money he isn't making on the price of the car but maybe I'm just being cynical. I might check with one of those other dealers.
Sorry I can't really help but wanted to wish you luck.
My understanding of subaru's rates is that it's 1.9% for up to 36 mos., and 2.9 beyond that.
Pat
Plus, dad co-signs, you know you'll owe him something. Or at least he'll never let you hear the end of it. LOL
If the salesman says 2.9 only for 24 or 36 tell him you can use cap one and the manager will probably offer you the same or better.
The deal I got was this:
2011 Forester Premium, Auto, with all weather package and bumper cover, luggage cover, cargo tray, and plate bracket.
MSRP, incluidng destination: $26,082
I paid $23,175 plus the dealer fee of $324.
From what I can tell the invoice is $24,675, so it seems as though I did OK.
I didn't have to do any haggling for this price. I requested quotes through edmunds.com and this was one that I got after I went back and forth with the dealer a couple times about the model I wanted. Other dealers wouldn't beat it, so I went with it.
Thanks again for your responses.
Pat
You may need a credit score in the 700s to qualify.
MSRP-$28,013
Invoice-$26,160
Paid Invoice less $1300 or $24,860.
Camelback Subaru in Phoenix delivered it to me (115 Miles) in Tucson.
Lithia Subaru in Reno was also very Competitive with their Quote.
Very few Foresters are available in Ca,NV,AZ.
Anyhow, today's buying experience is even more confusing. Now we do below invoice offers.
What would be a good price I should be able to get? How much should I offer?