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Thank you sooo much !!
-Frank
I am in San Diego and just starting to talk with dealers. So far I got a quote way over MSRP and someone ignoring what I asked for (a quote for the XT man. and XT automatic) and quoting me for a fully loaded XT automatic premium package.
I'm wondering if the dealers will quote high because thay figure the buyer is in danger of losing the rebate on June 2nd?
I'll keep you updated...
XT man with rear bumper cover, splash guards, cargo tray & auto dimming mirror/ compass with homelink and security system upgrade (I don't know how much these extras would add to it) for $23846 w. rebate.
XT man no extras $23 990 w. rebate.
XT auto PP includes cargo tray, bumper cover, splash
guards, auto dimming mirror/compass , securtiy system upgrade for $25477 w. rebate.
XT auto PP no extras $25490 w. rebate
All these quotes include the rebate so they all seem a high to me.
Also, does anyone know what a fleet discount (when dealing with the fleet manager through a credit union) would normally be? These quotes have that discount.
I get the feeling that the rebate is meaningless here. The dealer just quotes what they want to get after the rebate.
Anybody know if rebates got better for June? I'd think with the '06's arriving they'd need to clear out the existing body style Foresters...
05s are already a bargain and I'm cheap so I'd buy now.
-juice
Check it out.
Fred
I have a 2005 Subaru Forester XT with AT. The dealer sold me the leather package for $980 dollars. I asked at time of purchase whether or not this would keep the side airbags from deploying and the answer from the dealership was "No, of course not."
After reading the owners manual it says to never place anything over the side airbags. I looked closely at my seats and I was amazed at what I found. First of all there is no badging for the Side Airbags. Secondly the Leather Seats are ZIP ON seat covers (Is this standard practice?). There is no way for the airbag to deploy. I could remove the seat covers in about two minutes if I tried. The old cloth underneath has been removed from the seat back.
Has anyone ever heard of this? Subaru told me that (I called the Customer Support line) if it does not have the SRS Badging, then it isn't their product and they view it as an aftermarket product and this would void my warranty if anything happened to the SRS system. Furthermore I was told that if I were in a wreck and the Side airbags did not deploy, then they could not be held responsible. I
Thoughts, Ideas or insight?
Much Appreciated<
Jdhuck
Where is the Subwoofer in the XT? I can not find it anywhere? It is not under the seats or anywhere else that I can find. I used to install stereos and speakers so I usually have a good grasp on these things.
Thanks....
BTW, I got my car at Royal Subaru in Deacatur, GA.
I got a great deal at $21,000 + 980 for the leather seats.
I would ask the dealer that question, and if they can't answer go directly to the upholstery shop that installed it (or the dealer tech that did).
Does sound strange to me.
-juice
If you go to autoleathers.com and select your leather and install place it is much cheaper than the dealership. Lesson learned on my part. $280 cheaper at autoleathers.com using the same install shop.
Jdhuck
-juice
Jdhuck
https://www.1stsubaruparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22_26&products_id=369&osCsid- =03394cbc7dc329dc6d3127764de03f60
Strangely, according to SUBARU web site, XT model does not have any sound accessories. Subwoofer is offered as an accessories in X and XS model.
http://www.subaru.com/shop/accessories.jsp?year=2005&model=FORESTER&trim=25_XT&category=SO- UND
The dealer might be charging you a subwoofer that is not there. Only the dealer will know. I would go back to dealer and ask where they install it if the subwoofer is part of the purchase.
Alland
http://www.subaru.com/shop/specifications.jsp?year=2005&model=FORESTER&trim=25_XT&category- =INTERIOR%20FEATURES
Alland
-Brian
The dealer (Skagit Subaru) was asking $21,000 (way too much since a new XS with rebate in that range or less -- but new XS with 5 suds are almost non-existent in the Seattle area). They had advertised the 03 one weekend as a special @ $17,999. Several on the Forester forum thought that was a little high. However, the NADA average retail price for this model in our area was $19,350 & Edmunds TMV was $19,007. Still I thought I would try for a better deal.
I waited until the afternoon of the last day of the month. My 1st offer was $17,000, offering cash & reminding them that the car had been on the lot 3 months. Never even got a counter offer!
A week later I again offered $17K, got another "No thanks". So I upped the ante to $17,303 (all over the phone). Then I got turned over to the "sales manager". When I reminded him that it was advertised for $17,999 & I thought they could do better since it had not sold in the 3 weeks since the add, He said they could not sell it for the previously advertised price ("it was expired!") and that I could have it for $18,500. After 2 minutes of painful phone silence I caved and said "I surely am not going to pay more than the advertised price, but I will pay the previously advertised price".
I have never encountered such inflexibility on a price before -- must have had the "NO SWEAT, THIS GUY WANTS THIS CAR" look! The negotiations were always cordial, good natured, just inflexible!
For me the search and negotiations are always a rush. Signing on the dotted line always gives me heartburn because I wonder, should I have waited longer, looked harder, gone for the new model..? All that said, I got it for more than a thou less than the average price in our area & believe I got a good price and great car. Lord willing it will tow my boat fine & last many a mile.
-juice
Mine looks like a 6X9.
Thanks,
Jdhuck
I do use aggressive phone negotiations initially, but nothing beats getting into the showroom.
After I pick out the car I want, I select a different car(that I really don't want) and tell them that this is the one I am considering. While the salesperson is talking with his or her manager, I get up and take a walk around the parking lot. This gives you a bit more control and there is no running back and forth with the salesperson and manager. Make the sales person find you. Leave something in the office so they know you haven't left.
After all this is a game. I look at the numbers decrease everything by 8-10% and send the salesperson back to the manager. I get up again, and find someone with a telephone book. I call the nearest dealership to me besides the one I am at and tell them I am getting ready to buy a car and can they beat the deal. I usually like to do this at the receptionists desk so she can hear the whole thing. Usually they will say they can beat the price. I make the salesperson come and find me and I do not go back to their office... Yet.
I ask about the numbers and try to talk in front of other customers, this may make the salesperson a bit nervous, to say the least it takes him or her out of their element.
After I get what I think the best deal is on this car, I tell them I need a drink and ask them for some water. While they go get the water, I go out again to the car I really want and I ask another salesperson for a test drive. I tell them, I am working with XXXXX but I just saw this car and I think it is comparable. 9 times out of 10, the first salesperson comes outside and wants to know why I am not willing to commit to the other car. All I say is that I really want to drive this one instead. The whole test drive I talk about how much I like the other car and how nice it is. When I get back I ask them to run the comparison numbers. Usually they will not compare car to car on the same sheet of paper. Really ask for this. If you can get them to do this, I consider this a victory.
From here on out I know that I have the ability to manipulate them.
I did this last weekend for my wife to get a new car and I got her a non-Subaru (She just doesn't understand) for the Invoice price plus rebate.
The downside is that this can take 4-5 hours. I figured that I saved about $3000 on her car. This doesn't always work. I have been asked to leave the dealership before. I usually go to the other dealership I called from the first one and try it there.
I call this the "wear them down, be indecisive and manipulative" technique or WDIM for short.
I hope someone can benefit from my technique.
Jdhuck
Actually I could not blame them -- I proably would have said something similar if I had been in their shoes. There does come a time when bargining came become petty & abusive & it is time to buy or leave, dealers can only give so much. It is not my goal to make enemies. I bought the car! I thought it was a great car & fantastic value, but later gave it to my son for a wedding present.
-Brian
So has anyone done better than invoice minus rebate?
If you are picky about color or equipment beware that the inventory is getting getting thin. This is especially true of the better equipped ones. There are very few XS still availble within 100 miles of Seattle, a few more XTs, and a fair number of X models.
The dealership had a new 2004 that was $500 more than the 2005 I bought. I almost bought the new 2004, but buying a car that has only been sitting for 1-2 years scared me.
XT Auto for $21,000 + tax, tag and title. Then I added leather to it. This was five weeks ago.
Jdhuck
Prices are still lower than they were in 1998, when the Forester came out!
-juice
Man, I would hate to be in any business today where the prices are lower than they were 7 years ago given the rising costs of labor, insurance, materials, energy...!
Subie must have found a way to lower costs, or were making big bucks on the early models, or are losing money on every sale (or some combination of the above). Certainly the content & quality of the product has increased.
How can they stay in business?
Then again, this may be true of many car companies.
i'm in the SF Bay area, and bought from Ron Price Subaru.
the dealer said he was giving it to me for $500 below invoice, but he considered the $275 advertising fee as part of the invoice price, plus, when we got to the final signing with the F&I guy, there was a never-mentioned $45 document prep fee. at that point I wasn't going to quibble about the $45.
to get that price, i called & emailed 3-4 dealers in the area, and did final negotiations by phone.
except for the $45 doc fee, Ron Price was straight-forward and fair.
NOTE: i also dealt with another dealer, Stevens Creek Subaru, who ultimately was going to give me the same car for $500 below invoice. in fact, the only reason i went to Stevens Creek was because they said they would beat the Ron Price Subaru price by $300. but by the time Stevens Creek was actually agreeing to give us the price they had promised, the manager was yelling at me and my fiancee saying that we knew we weren't being fair. i told them we didn't like being yelled at, and even though they were finally agreeing to give us the car for the price they had promised, i was going to take my business elsewhere. after that the sales person proceeded to call me "a piece of [non-permissible content removed]" and a "Jew-bag," and ultimately he assaulted me. i'll give a full account on another posting, after i write the dealer and Subaru North America, but suffice it to say that around here $200-400 below invoice is probably the best fair price you can expect. oh yeah, i don't recommend going to Stevens Creek Subaru.
Not any more, the market is way more competitive. I've seen 4WD Laredos for $23k. They were probably $26k back then. That still leaves plenty of profit margin, though, even for entry-level ones.
-juice
First time buyer and first time poster. I'm looking at buying either a 2005 or 2006 Forester. The '05 seems like a fantastic deal at Invoice - $1500 rebate. I was wondering if you guys think the '06 is worth the extra cost (no rebate)? Also, do you think we will be able to get the '06 at invoice? Is the '05 only at invoice because it's being phased out? Thanks!
There a two truisms of car ownership and they are a: the moment you drive almost any vehicle off the lot it depreciates substantially and b: next year's model will always be nicer and better equipped. So you can either continue to drive a heap or hitchhike while always waiting for the perfect car and deal or you can find a car that will meet your needs and ideally make you happy and be satisfied that you got it for a good price
-Frank
-Frank
How can they stay in business?
Intense competition is doubtlessly squeezing the profit margins for almost all car companies but I'll hazard a guess and say that after being in production for eight years, Subaru has no doubt developed efficiencies in the production and assembly processes. Also, don't forget, the longer a vehicle is in production, the lower the development costs.
-Frank
Genga: yours is pretty loaded up, I doubt you'll see a 2006 any where close to that in price. With that mileage it's barely broken in.
Congrats.
-juice
he would call me back in half hour but never did until late day and I was out. Next morning I called and learned that their own real post-rebate price on new Forester was $24300, and not the 27,000 he had originally quoted me.
I had been getting quotes as low as $23,100 on the LLBeans
from other areas. But this dealer already had my deposit and I decided that I would just take the one for $20,500. But with 21,000 miles and not certified
I wanted my mechanic to look it over. Dealer went bonkers and accused me of not trusting them and then said they had "bent over backwards" (never a good thing to hear from a sales person or an attorney) told me they had just changed the oil! and put in a new oil filter!....Heaven forbid I trust my own loyal mechanic over this dealer I had known for less than an hour heh? Anyway they got very unpleasant, the owner's daughter got on phone and told me I HAD to make a decision. I told her I had I wanted the car to be looked over by my mechanic. She agreed to it. They had already said two things to me that should have been large red flags the day I left deposit: manager said "you are getting great deal on this 2004 we are only making $100 over what we paid for the car"...and "Don't tell anyone what you paid for it" I laughed at the time and asked why not? I was told that it was "such a good deal" they didn't want people coming in expecting to do as well. Counter intuitive to me, good deals bring customers so I knew it was a sales line but didn't realize that they make more on a used car and wanted to get rid of this 2004. I cancelled order and got money back.
I know I should have realized they had the bill of sale for the Brooklyn
Bridge in their pocket for me but I was worn out. Buying a vehicle is very stressful and tiem consuming. I will be picking up a brand new 2005 LL Bean Forester tomorrow for $23,690 from dealer in Conn. I would not buy a postage stamp from the dealer of the preowned one. So for $2190 more than the 2004 XS Premium with 21K and only 16 months left on warranty, I have brand new LLB which has more features. I didn't bargain much, probably soemone could have done a few hundred better? But I am satisfied. I will post when I have the Forester. I just have to decide, crystal grey, green or white. Thanks all, Genga
-juice
I didn't know about this forum until after I bought my Forester yesterday!
In any event, I paid 18995 + fluff stuff for a 2005 X Auto with no extra options. (NJ)
Being a first time Subaru owner, I am not sure if this is a good price - I just hope it lives up to its rave reviews.
Regards,
Sony.
What color? Options?
-juice
I was leaning more toward the toyota highlander but my wife really likes the Forester. My compromise is that we get the Turbo! I test drove the X with premium package, it seemed good enough in terms of power. The salesman claimed the car would have more power after it was broken in; truth or fiction? I'm hoping that the turbo model will provide more power without it having that harsh feeling I have heard about. I'll take the Turbo out for a test drive this weekend.
Anyone else have the new 06 XT? Thoughts...
-Frank
If you can wait, prices will come down, but right now I think that's par for the course.
-juice
Its the base car in the grey color. They had one silver XT and a couple of red Xs. The inventory on the 2005s seem to be paltry at this time of the year.
Being my first Subaru, my only concern is the reliability/longevity. I've always had Hondas in the past with excellent results - just routine maintenance pretty much guarantees reliability and longevity.
thanks for your kind words.
Regards,
Sony.
BTW: The kids just graduated from college so in April we purchased a 2005 Forester XS for my wife to drive. We are very satisfied with the XS and would probably get another except the only ones in our area have a sunroof ... and I'm tall enough that my head rubs against it! So the dealer has an XT without the sunroof and who can deny the joy of the extra power to a guy in mid-life crisis?