2013 and earlier-Subaru Outback Prices Paid and Buying Experience

easypar · September 2012

After a few day's considertion, and seeing a Brillian Brown, Deep Indigo, Black and Graphite lined up next to each other, we decided against getting the Brillian Brown. We settled on the Twilight Blue with the ligt interior. We liked the Saddle Brown leather on the Special Appearance Package, but it looks odd against the matte black on the rest of the interior.

Total on the car was $29229 for a Limited, Sunroof with deflector, wheel locks, rear camera, Homelink and cargo net. (I think some of that is now included in the Limited.) After getting the price firm we decided to trade in my wife's '04 Lexus RX330, 75000 miles. KBB listed the trade in at $13500 and they're giving us $14000 so she's happy. Picking it up on Wednesday so we can get a few miles on it before heading to Ohio next week.

We'll now be a two Subie family. Since this is Colorado it's almost compulsory to get at least one dog for each car.

easypar

carteach · September 2012

Congratulations on your new Subie. Did you have to order the blue with the ivory, or did they have it in stock? I think that's what I'm interested in with eyesight. I live in CT and haven't seen that in any dealer's inventory in the area.

easypar · September 2012

Bringing from a dealer in the Denver area, in tomorrow probably. My wife preferred the darker interior but none of the inventory near here had that. I prefer the ivory anyway as our Legacy has that.

Most of the inventory in local dealers is Blac, Graphite, White and Red it seems.

easypar

obfan1976 · September 2012

acuracyclist - I am in NCAL. Got this from subaru dealer in Livermore CA. MSRP was 29350.

xwesx · September 2012

Sounds like a nice move on the trade-in; a good price and saves you the trouble of selling it yourself.

I'm not sure about the dog for your Legacy. It's just not right having a dog in a sedan.

easypar · September 2012

Much as we both love dogs we'll probably never have another one. But in our town it seems as though 1/2 the cars have dogs (black labs and golden retrievers mostly) riding in them. I always joke with my friends back in Texas that when you register your car in Coloraod the only things the state asks is; "year and color of your SUBARU?", "here are your choices of John Denver CDs, please pick one", and "what color is the lab with its head hanging out your car window?"

easypar

ateixeira · September 2012

Never say never....

A dog adopted us.

I had 2 dogs a while ago and thought I was done. Then we dog-sat for a friend for a week. Turned out he couldn't keep the dog, so we transfer adopted and he's ours now.

As many sacrifices as you make, especially since we travel a lot, it's totally worth it.

serenity30 · September 2012

I hate to say this but it is true. I have gone Coloradoan - just bought my first Subaru and yes I have a yellow lab who is loving it. I bought the car for the dog. I can't say that I am into John Denver at this time but who knows that might change.

easypar · September 2012

Picked up my wife's new OB this afternoon. This dealer hadn't had any of the Twilight Blue Metallic on the lot and the sales staff were checking it out when it came from the detaol shop after its wash etc. The new dash is pretty cool although the changing info center seems to be more ofa gimmick but maybe awaiting upgrades for future years. My wife says the ride seems more sure-footed than the '10 Legacy but I haven't driven it enough yet to say for sure.

The color does look pretty good, especially sitting in the garage next to the black Legacy.

One of the things the dealer offered was a "service package". 12 oil changes, good any time over 48 months for IIRC $275. That's synthetic oil, washing (we do that a lot in the winter-Colorado) and "inspection". I realize it's a bit of a gimmick to try to tell us "hey it needs this work right now!" but we both know how to say NO. That's like $23/each for synthetic oil changes.

Gotta go take pix of her and her baby so she can FB and email to friends.

easypag

ateixeira · September 2012

$23 for synthetic is less than materials alone cost, never mind labor.

Congrats.

easypar · September 2012

Would have had to order with the ivory interior but there were a couple of them with black in Denver. Not many of this color sitting on dealer's lots which is a shame. Once people see it they really like it. OTOH, it won't be the most common color on the road.

easypar · September 2012

I'm 64 so I've been a John Denver fan for 45 years or so, back in my late teens. I recommend listening to "Wild Montana Skies", not a real wide hit I don't think. "Country Roads" is really great, never better than when done by the immigrants on "American Dad".

easypar

flychk · September 2012

Dear samdar, I am looking for the exact same car in MA. 2013 OB Premium, Auto Transmission and all weather package. Which dealership did you use? What are the rates for financing?

easypar · September 2012

So, looking over the total numbers on our new OB: $32,255 MSRP, $29,229 final price. It's a limited with option package 4/moonroof, Homelink and rear camera, body side molding, splash guards, rear bumper cover, wheel locks, PZEV, all weather mats and a cargo net which they had to order.

Looking over the price sticker I noticed that it says "8" cupholders and I thought; WTH? I looked in the owner's manual and they're counting the "bottle holders" in each door panel. Yeah, OK, but unless "more cupholders listed" translates into a higher price and better driving experience it means nothing to me.

Still, a very nice value for so much car.

One nice touch is the digital read out of the MPH that you've set the cruise control at.

easypar

penguinone · September 2012

Hi-

I think a reasonable measure of a good price is a percent off MSRP, it allows a good apples to apples comparison. I'm getting a offer of 7.8% off MSRP for a Premium with HK audio and Moonroof. Not as great as some of the deals I've seen, but not bad.

Also looking at a 2012 with a 11% discount. Is the 2013 better enough to spend the extra cash.

Finally, does anyone know- can you add the rear camera as an addition if the car has the Harmon Kardon audio?

serenity30 · September 2012

I can tell you for sure that you MUST have a moonroof to get the rear camera in an Outback. They do not sell the separately. I ended up having an after market camera installed. It cost 20 for the camera, 150 for install, and for the compass homelink mirror with 3.3 video in the mirror cost 550 (came with free camera which I will be selling). Total cost to have it installed was bout $720. It is worth getting the sunroof if it is a must. By the way the mirror is a Gentex which is awesome but cost on average $750 by itself. It makes the moonroof about 850 by itself. I love my backup camera.

I have a 2012 by the way and got it at about 13% off MSRP - I also bought it on the last day of the month in July.

xwesx · September 2012

They are both good deals. Invoice is generally ~6% under MSRP, so once you're under that, you're in "good deal" territory.

Benefits for the '13 model year include the FB engine and better handling. I don't think that goofy "eyesight" system is standard equipment, so I cannot count that as a detractor except in the units that are equipped with it.

Based on the engine and handling, though, I'd be inclined to go with the '13. Just the handling improvement, which is vast from what I hear, would push me that way. But, I also enjoy a rewarding drive, and the '10 was a terrible disappointment in that regard compared to the 2009 model it replaced.

haori · September 2012

hi

is it really possible to get this price ?

that's more than 1000 below invoice .

does your price include destinationfee ?

kyfdx · September 2012

Your personal security is important to us, so please do not post your email address in a message.

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

I'm about to pick up a new 2013 Outback Limited this Saturday for $27876 before taxes from Chicago. $MSRP is $32,138 & Invoice $29,798. It has the following:

- Moonroof package
- All weather floor mats.
- Rear Bumper Cover
- Splash Guards
- Puddle Lights
- Body side moldings

1) Is $27876 a good price for these options?
2) I'm being offered Subaru extended warranty for $2000 for 7yr/100k miles. Does anyone has experience with the Subaru extended warranty and will recommend to buy it? Is the price good?

xwesx · September 2012

Can't comment on the experience part yet, but price-wise, the $2K for the 7/100 (I assume this is zero deductible?) is not stellar. You can get at least as low as $1500 for it from other dealerships. I picked one up from Mastria (I think they're located in Massachusetts) last winter for $1500, and I suspect you can go lower than that. There's another thread here on the Extended Warranty topic that will give you more information about them.

rbknc · September 2012

Was able to get an Outback 2.5i Premium for $3500 off MSRP in Sacramento, CA. Elk Grove (suburb of Sacramento) is officially running this deal through end of September on Outbacks.

carteach · September 2012

rbknc,

Was this a 2012?

rbknc · September 2012

No, I got the 2013 2.5i Premium for 3500 off MSRP. Elk Grove is advertising the $3500 off on their website through end of September. They may not tell you about it if you don't already know about it, or they may say it's just this weekend... you know car salesman....

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

Thanks for your feedback xwesx! I was finally able to bring the price of the extended warranty down to $1761. Its not spectacular, but it works for me as my local dealer wanted $2500 for it and won't budge at all. The local dealer also wanted $2000 more for the same car (same VIN as it was coming through dealer-trade)!

Any thoughts about the price of the car that I'm paying?
Also debating if I should get the remote start installed for $500 or not. The dealer is trying to sell me aftermarket one, as it won't cause the engine to stop when the door is opened and he says that the range of the OEM sucks.

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

I think it is, I'm getting mine for $1922 below invoice.

haori · September 2012

dealers around here in utah won't do it.

which state are you in?

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

I'm getting mine from Chicago, IL. I just went to various dealer websites and asked for quotes online by clicking on 'Get E-Price' for each vehicle that I liked in their inventory. No haggling at all. I live 200 miles away from Chicago, but a day spent in getting it is well worth the $2000 that I'll save by not buying it from the local dealer.

xwesx · September 2012

Well, the prices you listed make the sale price nearly $2,000 under invoice, so I'd say that's a pretty stellar deal! I didn't comment on it simply because I thought perhaps you were simply rubbing our noses in it. :P

Given the price on the car, I don't think the warranty price offered from the same dealership is bad. If you buy at the same time as the vehicle, you can roll the warranty into the loan, if you're going that route, rather than paying out-of-pocket at a different time (or from a different dealership).

I agree with the dealer that the OEM auto-start is junk compared to many of the aftermarket options. Auto-start is big business here in Alaska (I wonder why?), and I still don't see factory auto-starts in vehicles all that often. Most opt for an aftermarket solution as they are often better - either due to range, features, or both.

Whether or not the one being offered by your dealer is worthwhile depends heavily on what they're proposing to install. At $500 installed, I suspect it is not a high-end system, but that doesn't mean it is bad. I suggest finding out what unit it is and do a little web-sleuthing.

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

I'm sorry if I sounded like a snob

This is my first new car purchase, so I didn't know what's a good price. My local dealer tried to scare the crap out of me telling me that the one in Chicago is probably giving me a 'demo' or 'hail damaged' car. I didn't bite it and I'm picking it up tomorrow from Chicago. Will update on the buying experience once I'm back.

I decided to go for the Subaru OEM remote install knowing the pros and cons as it serves most of my needs. The engine shutting down when door is opened is going to bug me a little bit, but I'd rather live with it than going through the trouble of finding a reliable place to get an aftermarket one installed. I also got the 7yr/100miles warranty from the same dealer so that it can be rolled into my loan.

Regarding the loan, do try out Pentagon Federal Credit Union (www.penfed.org). They are offering 1.5% for new & used car loans and same for refinancing. To make the deal sweeter, they offer a Car Buying service on their website (which is basically a tie-up with truecar.com) and if you buy your vehicle from one of the 3 dealers they hook you up with, you get 0.5% for 4 yrs or 1% for 5 yrs. I used their Car Buying service and luckily the dealer I wanted to buy the car from anyways was one of the 3 they hooked me up with. So I'm getting 0.5% for 4 yrs!

I think dealers need to pay $300 to truecar.com if a sale arises via truecar.com. I already had the quote from dealer before I used the PenFed's car buying service and the dealer didn't try to give me a new higher quote or anything, I'm still getting it at the same price they communicated to me earlier.

xwesx · September 2012

That's the frosting, right there! 0.5% is an amazing rate. With a rate like that, you can pay more for a car up front and still save money in the end. In this case, though, you didn't have to compromise on either side of the equation, so I'd say your first new car purchase is working out to be an excellent one.

I was joking about the nose-rubbing comment. You're somewhere close to $2,000 under invoice based on the numbers you provided, though, so that's pretty much rock bottom. I can see why the other salesmen suggested some of those possibilities (damaged, demo, etc), but I would think that sort of thing would have to be disclosed... ?

My last new car purchase was a Forester "factory" order from a dealership 2,200 miles away. It was only $300 under invoice (that's what I get for buying a new car two weeks after the "Cash for Clunkers" fiasco!), but still saved me $2,500 compared to buying local. It was an excellent experience, so I have no hesitation about buying over distance; you just have to cross your 'i's and dot your 't's (or something like that

).

---

Some local folks hate the units that shut off when the car door is opened, but I'm not sure why. I figure if the unit has heated/cooled your car before you access it, then the job is done. Except on the new-fangled units that don't have an ignition key, the driver has to insert the key to the "on" position anyway, so what's the big deal?

I've never had a car with auto start. I don't need it, it saves me money (in the form of fuel), and it's one less thing to go wrong. Besides, my cars are manual transmissions, so I'd have to park them in neutral with the e-brake engaged to make use of it anyway. :sick:

carteach · September 2012

I'm looking to find out what people have paid for the 2.5 Limited with Eyesight. Even better, people who live in New England who have bought this model.

nubbsy2 · September 2012

Drove one and loved so now we are looking for the deal. We have been to 2 dealerships and the best price we can get is $30,995, the sticker reads $34,688 and since is the first time shopping for a Subaru not sure if this is a good deal or not. We were originally going to look at the 2012 models but when we saw the black with the brown leather interior we loved it. So do you think this is a good deal or can we do better????

carteach · September 2012

Nubbsy2,

Where are you located?

nubbsy2 · September 2012

PA/MD border and we have looked in both states.

mdxdog · September 2012

I just bought a New Outback

- 2.5i Limited CVT (Brilliant Brown Pearl)
- Special Appearance Package (a.k.a package #23)
- Rear Seat Back Protector

The final price is $30,706 before TTL

carteach · September 2012

What part of the country are you in?

xwesx · September 2012

You might be able to do a *little* bit better, but not enough to kill a deal over it. You're already well under invoice at $30,995.

mdxdog · September 2012

Got it Sherman Oaks CA. I really tried to get it at close to 30,000 but they wouldn't budge. They threw in the Rear Seat Back Protector to close the deal. I'm leasing it for 36 months and my final payment 330.00 ( Put 4300.0 down)

- 2.5i Limited CVT (Brilliant Brown Pearl)
- Special Appearance Package (a.k.a package #23)
- Rear Seat Back Protector

The final price is $30,706 before TTL

nubbsy2 · September 2012

We are currently looking at the Black or Brilliant Brown w/the special appearance package and travel alot on the highway with our vehicles. I am wondering is this will really change the look of the vehicle and if you think they are worth the additional $$ TIA

nubbsy2 · September 2012

We are looking to purchase either the black or the brilliant brown pearl but have not been able to see the brown in person as none of the local dealers have it in on their lots. I understand that it is a that they only made so many of new with the special apearance packages but would like to see the brown before making a final decision. Is the color really dark, from the pics we have been able to find, it almost looks like there is a red tint to the vehicle when shown in the sun. Any thoughts on this one!!!

mdxdog · September 2012

It's like a cherry brown and in the sun, the red tones really show. First time I ever bought a car because I loved the interior/exterior color. The saddle brown leather is what really sold me.

1hhead · September 2012

Currently there is a quiet incentive on 2013 OB models in Southeast and midwest (as of 2012)... Was able to get approx 1500 under edmunds invoice and other forums show evidence of up to $2K below... But you'll have to haggle hard for it.

Only good things to say about Troncalli Subaru that has 2 stores in Cumming/Kennesaw... This was our 2nd purchase from them in 3 years and their salesmen tend to work there long-term and believe in relationship-building. Service folks are great as well... Great experience!

eli250 · September 2012

I just purchased a 2013 Outback 3.6R limited w/ the moonroof and nav package in the D.C. area, and got a price well below the target prices according to truecar.com, edmunds, consumer reports, etc. Without haggling, I got over 12% off MSRP. The sales manager indicated that there were some manufacturer to dealer ("hidden") incentives right now.

quiksilvr1 · September 2012

Hi everyone,

I recently bought 2013 Outback Limited from Grand Subaru and can't recommend them enough! I contacted them via their website asking for the 'Best Price' for one of the Outbacks on their lots. Sandy from their sales team emailed me diligently and over the course of next 2 weeks during which I changed my mind from getting a used Outback, to a new 2012 Outback to finally a new 2013 Outback, I exchanged over 50 emails with her. She was always prompt with the replies and information I requested, though a little pushy sometimes, but I'll probably blame my indecisiveness for it!

Finally, she was able to arrange the exact color combination I wanted by a dealer-trade and still gave me a much better price than the dealer whom they got the vehicle from! I got the vehicle at 13.25% below MSRP!

After I committed for the exact vehicle, I exchanged phone calls and iMessages regarding extended warranty with Ryan, the General Sales Manager. He recommend the Zurich one, but after reading about extended warranties on edmunds.com, I decided to go with Subaru Extended Warranty. Initially the warranty was quoted for $2200, which I got for $1761 eventually. I also asked them to install Subaru remote start, for which I was called back and told that Subaru one has much lesser range and doesn't have 2-way confirmation, so I should go for the aftermarket one. After checking on subaruoutback.org and a few youtube vidoes, I realized that the Subaru remote started does have 2-way confirmation and no one really was complaining about the range, so I went ahead with it. It does switch off the car as soon as you open any door or trunk or hood, but I can live with it.

On the day of delivery, they sent a car to pick me and my girlfriend up from Chicago Union Station, as we live around 200 miles away and decided to take the train to Chicago!
We test drove the car, found a small dinge on the black plastic near the driver side window glass, which they immediately agreed to order and ship to me, and assured that I'll be able to get it replaced at the local dealer free of cost.
Finally, I was offered 7-yr Zurich Shield warranty for exterior and interior protection for $1500, which after refusing for a couple of times came down to $700 and I gave in.
After this, when the vehicle was ready for delivery, Sandy went over all the features in details. I contacted them via email a week later for some paperwork, and Sandy called me back within a few mins and got it sorted out!

Overall an awesome buying experience. The best part was I didn't have to haggle on the vehicle price at all, the first price they provided was already better than any other dealer within 300 mile radius. Another great thing was their response time, while other dealers took hours and days to reply to my emails and kept bothering me with their auto generated emails, Sandy and Ryan were extremely quick with their emails and iMessages!

Only thing which I wish they improve on is the wait for the the finance person to be free. We took delivery of our car on Saturday, which was a pretty busy day for them and people were lined up to make payments. Some people even went back and came after a few hours to make their payments and drive off in their vehicles!

ajam1 · October 2012

Just wanted to let readers know about my great experience buying at Gresham Subaru in the Portland, OR area. It was my first time buying a brand new car and it couldn't have been easier. We worked with Betsy, who was awesome...responsive, friendly, and no pressure. We did some shopping around in the area and she was able to beat the lowest price we found on a Premium 2.5i with AWP and some accessories. We were very happy with our experience and love the new ride.

nubbsy2 · October 2012

We are going in this weekend to pick up our new OB and the dealer is already talking about extended warranties. Do we need to but it this weekend or can we wait and what would you recommend. Several friends in the business already suggested that we do not buy the extended paint & interior warranty for what the dealers charge and this was something that we were not really interested in anyway but we would like to have an extended warranty covering the vehicle. Thanks

xwesx · October 2012

No, you can buy it at any time during the 3/36 bumper-to-bumper warranty period and from any Subaru dealer (some will sell them at more reasonable prices than others!). The Gold warranty does offer some benefits above what the B2B covers, which may be worth considering. The other advantage of a concurrent buy is that you can roll that cost into your financing if you so choose.

In order to obtain the best benefit, though, you need to know your mileage, decide on the best warranty package, and negotiate the price separately from that of the car. If you feel pressured into it, pass (and get it later).

kiltedfool · October 2012

I'm looking at becoming an OB owner here in Central NJ. I'm interested in a 2.5L Limited, relatively loaded. not sure I care about the special appearance package, the higher cost color (a brown I guess from a quick read) the eyesight system or nav system (we have portable gps and smart phone based gps). Rear camera and remote start do matter (though from reading the remote start is better purchased aftermarket).

I have an option of going through the VIP system based on wife's employer or just straight negotiating.

We're looking at a trade-in of a 2005 sonata with 95k miles. If I go VIP style I'll get wholesale price for it, I don't really want to mess with private sale.

Which one is going to get me out the door for lowest price?

Are there local dealer incentives on top of that I can get? The 1.9% financing I assume I can still get through this program?

J

eli250 · October 2012

"Are there local dealer incentives on top of that I can get? The 1.9% financing I assume I can still get through this program?"

As of the end of September, there were manufacturer to dealer incentives, but I don't know the details.

With respect to financing, I think the 1.9% through Subaru is only good for 36 months. You may want to seek financing from a bank or credit union before going to the dealer, because rates are really low right now. I got 2.54% for 72 months.

2013 and earlier-Subaru Outback Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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