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I had a slight snag in my 2006 Outback Purchase.
We showed up for my schedual pick-up on Friday. The salesman asked if we had the VIN number on the car...of course we did...I had to get my insurance card for the deal....started to get that "UH-oh" feeling.
He said that they found hood damage on the car I had test drove and had selected as the 'ONE".
He said he had another car exactly alike and lets finish the deal.
I told them that I did not like this turn of events, I had to travel a good distance, and why hed no one called to let me know about the switch! He said he tried to reach me but my phone was busy..hmm!
I insisted on test driving the car. Call it mental...but I did not like the "FeeL" of this swapped car. It did not have the same drive feel of the car I had selected. The brakes had a distinct "pulse" and my wife heard it as well while siting in the back. I asked to drive with the mechanic for his opinion. He said it is probably just the rust on the brakes that will go away with time. He also understood why I would not be real happy with selecting this car.
I asked to see the damavged car. Turns out it was "slight" damage on the spoiler. When they had removed the protected covering, they had noticed that there was places where Subaru just did not finsh off the paint. I say it was slightly larger than your pinkey Nail, but it was there.
I took the damaged car out and it had just a better ride and no pulse in the brakes what so ever. And another curious thing that my wife had pointed out...the swapped car had NO "New Car Smell" It was just not there! The damaged car had that "distinct New car Perfume".. They clamed it was because of the cleaning of the car's interior. But I have bought many new cars in my life...all had that smell. It is what made that first drive so memorable.
Now I have a headache. And it was not from the smell.
LET ME ALSO SAY...Becker did not try to force me to take the car. This could be purely a bad set of luck! I am not saying that there was any "Bait and Switch" going on....I just had that feelinjg that If I took the switched car I would be using my "Subaru Warrenty" quicker than I might have expecte4d. And with this dealer so far away..the correction of any problems would go to a dealer who I did NOT buy the car from...and I am sure that they would not be as diligent to fix any brake issues and such.
So I asked if they could change out the spoilers! NOt sure if that is a big deal...ANYONE KNOW??
Salesman was beside himself, but Sales manager was friendly and said it would be no problem.
So what do you all think? Was I being too paranoid?
I go back on Monday to try and finish the sale!
Hoop
Call your insurance agent with the new VIN number and ask them to fax papers to the dealership.
Good Luck!
I'm all the way down here in NC and I wont have any problem buying from Becker.
Hopefully you will have a better day on Monday!
Of course...that doesn't mean you aren't paranoid...
Good luck with the new car!
regards,
kyfdx
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I hope you see this before you go back today.
I'd be pretty torn about going forward too. They say that they tried to call you. Did they leave a voice mail message? If not, why not? Here's some food for thought if you plan on going forward.
If you are comfortable with the original car why not simply take it and have your local Subaru dealer fix the paint problem under warranty? Or are you starting to worry about the dealership?
I seem to remember the bottom line amounts on what they offered me and what they offered you are similar. So my working assumption is that they are charging you $100 for a dealer swap and $209 for New England emissions. If so, I would want to know how they happen to have another one they can swap out for you. It may also be reasonable for you to ask them to deduct those charges since they arguably should not apply if you take another vehicle they happen to have on the lot and in recognition of the fact that you have been inconvenienced.
If you recall, the MSRP on a Gold Plus, 7yr/100K, $0.00 Ded warranty is $2,560. I now know that the dealer cost less than half of that, or $1,230. I would insist that they sell the warranty to you at MSRP or maybe $50.00 or so over dealer cost.
Before taking the second car I would call Subaru warranty again and ask them to run the VIN.
Despite the additional inconvenience I would seriously consider finding the closest Subaru dealer and arranging for a thorough inspection before you finalize the deal.
I am so sorry things are not going smoothly for you. However, I'm feeling a little better about my decision to buy a used 2005 (which I did on Saturday).
I'll post those details separately.
~Cath
I wound up buying a used 2005 OB Legacy Wagon for $18,995. It has 19,033 miles on it and about 24 1/2 months left on the warranty. As far as I can tell there is only one other dealer in Massachusetts selling them at that price and they are about 40 miles from me. I was hoping to do a little better based on a "lost leader" vehicle this other dealership sold at the end of last month but there is nothing in that price range, even in a 2004, that I can find. Both of these dealers picked these former daily rentals up at auction.
In my mind I was only saving about $2,300 off of the new 2006 "Becker" price but --as some of you may recall-- I was haunted by the remote possibility of winding up with a lemon. Not only because I have no idea what sort of Lemon Laws Pennsylvania might have, but good luck enforcing them from Massachusetts. $2,300 is about what you lose in depreciation in the first year so, in a sense, at that price you aren't really saving anything. On the other hand, depending on which book value you are looking at I'm saving about $1,000 off of Edmunds "Retail", about $4,000 off of Kelly Blue Book "Retail", or about $3,000 off of NADA "Retail". The other way to look at it is that I'm paying slightly slightly less than the NADA trade-in value of $19,100.
Having said that, buying the used 2005 turned out to be a 6 hour ordeal since I feel like the manager led me on somewhat. They had about 7 or 8 former daily rentals they picked up at auction, all with similar mileage and in-service dates ... within 5,000 miles or 4 months, give or take. Knowing that they would have bought them individually at different prices I spoke with the manager in advance, gave him my target price, and asked him to think about which ones he could negotiate on since I didn't mind an extra 5,000 miles on the vehicle and I didn't care about color. I assumed they'd want to get rid of the white one with 25,000 miles; however it had about 23 or 24 months left on the original warranty (time left on warranty is more important to me than miles due to our driving habits.)
So we get there and they tell us that they would all be about the same within couple of hundred dollars. So we test drive the two with the lowest miles and the most recent in-service dates.
Following the test drives this point we are about an hour or so into it and I have a pre-purchase inspection at another dealership in about 15 minutes. After the usual back and forth on the figures the sales guy finally tells me that he can't negotiate on those two. There is only one he can negotiate on and not only does it have about 5,000 miles more but the in-service date is about 4 months older than the ones we are looking at, and I'd only be saving about $700.00.
Long story short, I finally get them to throw in the "all weather mats" (a $55.00 value), and 4 cargo nets (a $167.00 value). They also beat the other dealers sale price on the AutoStart/Alarm by $50.00 and sold me the 7yr/100K, $0.00 Ded "Gold Plus" warranty for about $50.00 less than the best price I found until that point. So I saved $1,160 or about 55% off of MSRP.
By the time we hammer out the financial details, get the vehicle inspected, and finalize the paperwork another 5 hours or so have passed, for a total of 6 hours.
However, I don't think I could have done much better on a used one in this area unless I waited a couple of months, but if the asking prices on the average 2004 is any indication I don't think so. For the fun of it when we were having the vehicle inspected we spoke with a salesperson who told us the best they could do on a comparable 2005 was $21,000 to $23,000.
The whole gruelling ordeal should be over when we pick the vehicle up today.
~Cath
A quick follow up to my earlier response. New Jersey is not a New England state so the whole New England emissions thing is a non-issue. I don't know if NJ has any special emissions requirements. Assuming they don't, that just reinforces my impression that they may be able to do slightly better on price. Once you offset the extra feature you got ($187.00 auto dimming mirror ???) against the $308.00 dealer swap / N.E. emissions they are charging you there's theoretically $100.00 they can come down in price.
Also, if you want to go through with the deal --on either vehicle-- see if they'll throw in some all weather mats ($55.00) &/or the 4 cargo nets ($167.00), and perhaps the cargo light, a glorified flashlight, $45.00. All they would be losing is their profit on these items. Although, I'm told the mats require installation, I don't know if they could do that before you pick the vehicle up.
Good luck.
I'll be checking back to see how you do.
Oh, by the way, I just heard from the Central Mass dealer and they say they now have a 2005 for about $1,000 less. It does have about 3,000 miles more and 2 months less on the in-service date and I don't think they would have thrown the mats & cargo nets in or negotiated in price on the warranty or autostart so the actual difference in price to me is probably about $500 - $700, but again I'm doing better on miles and time left on warranty.
Of course, I just heard from my husband and the car won't be ready to pick up today. They forgot some paperwork. So it's starting to look like we won't actually get the vehicle until Wednesday.
Oh well.
Also, I need to follow up with Subaru warranty to see if they'll give me the $200.00 loyalty rebate the quoted you.
~Cath
Martin
I think you meant the cargo nets. The nets require that someone install the little plastic buttons that the nets hang from. If you can handle an electric drill, you can do it yourself. The net kits should come with templates to tell you where to drill the holes.
The mats can be just be thrown on the floor. Even the driver's mat that requires the little hook can use the hook that holds the standard carpet mat.
Jim
P.S. Wow, you really drive a hard bargain! I should have talked to you before buying my 2006 Outback on Saturday.
Hi Cath, steve and all those who are following this thread.
First off: Cath, great deal on the 2005! Good for you! Persistance is your middle name!
I now have nestled in my garage my 2006 Outback. Becker was true to their word...and price!
Damaged spoiler was traded out and the car looks great.
Once again: 2006 Outback with auto dimming mirror. $21,300 + $75 for doc's, tire tax.
Passed on thier expensive "Gold Subaru Warrenty", going with Stacey Suburu quote of $1499.00/0 deduct/100,000miles
For those in shouting distance of Allentown PA and looking to get a Great Deal...look them up!
ONLY DRAWBACK of Becker. Owner is a "7th day adventus" (sp?) and closes the dealerships after Friday at 5 PM! That makes their 3rd in the country Suburu Volume dealership even more impressive!
So you need to take time off work to complete the deals.
Once again thank you cathy for all the update's and information....I could not do it without you!
John
About a month ago a couple of MA dealerships were advertising "up to $6,000.00 off" of 2005s but the selection was pretty limited with few if any base model automatic wagons. The non-base models were way out of my price range.
Jim,
I only know what the dealer told me about the "all weather" mat installation. Apparently the "installation" involves some sort of fastener the mat hooks onto; the mats are still removable for cleaning. However, those mats are so heavy I wouldn't think they'd need to be fastened down.
Regarding being a hard bargainer, theoretically I think I might have been able to better on price but I have a tendency to suffer from "analysis paralysis" sometimes and I decided to err on the side of making a decision rather than dragging it out any longer. I already have a lot of time into this and I've got other stuff to worry about, for instance getting a new roof on the house.
Next time (hopefully not for another 10 years or so) I will educate myself a little better on the "real dealer invoice" on a new vehicle, check Fitzgerald Auto Malls & Becker, then do an email campaign to all of the dealers in MA to see if they are willing to sell a vehicle for a couple of hundred over "real dealer invoice", inclusive of destination charge only. The goal of course is to get a deal like the one Hoop got. As my husband said, every time you buy a car you learn something new.
Hoop,
Congrats, I'm glad everything worked out for you. Have you followed up with Subaru Warranty for your $200.00 loyalty rebate? I need to give them a call myself.
I do have a P.S. on the Central Mass dealer. They have a new "Lost Leader" in the price range I was hoping for. Too bad they didn't call me Thursday or early Friday. I spoke with a sales guy yesterday who seemed pretty anxious for me to back out of the deal I am committed to. On paper I'd be saving about $1,000 but after adjusting for miles and in-service date the real difference is more like $700.00 and then I'd have to pay another $80+ for a pre-purchase inspection, which narrows the real price difference to about $540.00 (if you include the inspection I've already paid for). Not to mention the fact that I could schlep out to Central Mass and find out that there is something wrong with the vehicle.
I guess I'm a little proud of the fact that I'm not suffering from Buyer's remorse. I made the best decision I could under the circumstances and I can live with it.
Thanks for all of the info and moral support. Enjoy your new car!
~Cath
Congrats on the "new" used OB. As for your decision to stick with the deal you already worked out, I fully agree. There will always be someplace else that will tell you "Oh, I could have saved you even more $$." I feel that if you are happy with the deal you worked out, don't worry about what some other dealer is claiming to offer you. Just enjoy the car:-).
Mark
Well, I finally called Subaru Warranty at (800) 932-0636 and they had not heard of any sort of loyalty discount or rebate. He did say, generally speaking, those types of incentives are offered regionally or perhaps to special VIP or preferred customers. He also referred me to Customer Service, (800) SUB-ARU3 or (800) 782-2783.
I called that number and pretty much got the same story. the rep I spoke with did say that occasionally they will make that type of offer for owners experiencing problems with their current vehicle.
So, Hoop, what's the deal? Were you having problems with your current Subaru? Are you a VIP / preferred customer?
Or are you just more likable than me?
Obviously if there's any chance I might qualify for the same deal I'd appreciate whatever info you could give me. Was the offer made through the Warranty Dept or Customer Service? If I remember correctly you were simply going to mail them a copy of the title and the warranty info once the deal was final. Did they give you an address or were you going to follow up with them again?
An extra $200.00 would help take the sting out of the negative buying experience. Not to mention bragging rights for paying slightly under dealer cost for the warranty.
Anyway, I'd appreciate any additional info.
Again, congrats on paying at or under real dealer invoice on the 2006 Legacy OB.
~Cath
What I had done was call customer service and was poking around trying to get details on the VIN number.
When the VIN came back with "no retail sale assignment", the Cust Serv. pressed me for why I was checking on this VIN.
I told them that I was thinking about getting an extended Subaru warranty. That being the owner of 2 Subarus in the past, I have never had the extended warranty.
I also told them that my last Subaru was in a vey bad accident, no one was hurt badly..except the car. I said that I would not be thinking of getting this new car but that I need to replace it,,,,and the cost of the xtnded warratny was a bit much!
I was not trying for any sympathy...I was just trying to gather as much info on the VIN Number
She just blurted out that if I buy one she would offer me $200 off the price!...Thats it! She gave me a claim number to use when I send in the paperwork!
So that's the whole story!
Hoop
In light of that I'm guessing it's unlikely they'll make me a similar offer. I might give them another call today and give it a shot.
We did get the car yesterday and I felt better when I looked at the all weather mats and the cargo nets that they threw in.
I might check back here once in awhile to see if you've had any developments with your purchase, otherwise maybe I'll see you around on one of the other Subaru boards.
Happy Driving, ~Cath
I got the $500 loyalty cash offer, actually my wife did for her 2002 Legacy. Tempting, but I'm waiting for the Forester's $2000 rebate to apply to all models, not just the base X.
-juice
Was the $500 off for a new or used vehicle? Was it to be applied to the vehicle itself or the Subaru extended warranty / "Added Security" plan?
As I understood it, the discount offered to Hoop isn't a cash rebate on the vehicle itself, but rather an unspecified type of savings on the Subaru extended warranty / "Added Security" plan. Furthermore, it seems like the discount that Hoop got isn't merely a "loyalty" rebate; otherwise I think they would have offered it to me.
From Hoop's most recent explanation of how he happened to receive this offer --and from what I learned when I tried to finagle that type of offer myself-- it sounds like Subaru Customer Service Reps have some authority to give small special incentives under unusual circumstances. In Hoop's case it sounds like one part owner loyalty, one part hardship, and one part incentive to buy a warranty where he hasn't in the past.
When I spoke with Subaru Warranty and Customer Service I got the impression these types of offers are most commonly offered when a current Subaru owner is trading in a vehicle due to warranty issues and the discount is offered as an incentive to stay with Subaru and perhaps to take the sting out of any inconvenience arising from the warranty issues. Which might explain why they gave him a "claim number" to refer to when he applies for the discount / rebate.
Although Hoop's current Subaru was in an accident it doesn't sound like he has any warranty issues. I'm guessing the Customer Service Rep got a little confused.
Anyway, that's my impression.
~Cath
-juice
thanks
2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe Granite Crystal over Saddle
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
No idea on the rebate, au1994. Right now the X is a screaming deal, but I kinda want heated seats and a moonroof, and that model only gets half the incentive, just like the LL Bean.
Maybe when the 07 models arrive, the rebate will be the same across the board, at least I hope.
The X Premium auto is around $22k, maybe a tad higher. If they increase the rebate and accept my $500 coupon, that would put the price around $20.5k, I might have to jump at the chance.
I think it's unlikely that both would occur, though.
Luckily I can afford to be patient. My '98 is running well, so there's really no reason to get rid of it yet.
-juice
This is the out the door price and includes the all weather floor mats as well as the rear cargo net. This seems like a good price - any thoughts?
Bill
Happy shopping!
Bill
First I get a call from the dealer with a "loss leader" priced about $1,000 below what I paid (but it sold at the end of Feb). I had been speaking with their internet manager to see if they could do any better on some similar vehicles they had. The dealer's owner actually got involved and said no. But here we are two weeks later and they've got another "loss leader" that --on paper-- looks about $1,000.00 cheaper. The salesman assures me that I can back out of the deal I have if I haven't "taken delivery" yet.
Next, I get an e-mail from the manager at another dealer. I respond and explain I've bought a comparable vehicle for $1,000.00 less than their "loss leader". He replies by email expressing some disappointment that I didn't contact them to let them try and meet or beat the price and advises me that if I haven't taken delivery yet that they have plenty of used 2005s and that they'll give me free tire changes for life and some free oil changes. I respond that I got the warranty for about 45% off and the autostart at a $150.00 discount and remind him that he and the saleperson had made it pretty clear that their "internet prices" were not negotiable. I haven't heard from him again.
Despite these developments I don't have any buyer's remorse and I still feel good about the purchase. My only minor regret is that Becker Subaru isn't a little closer otherwise I might be driving a new 2006 for about $2000.00 more but then I wouldn't have the all weather mats and cargo nets.
Oh well, in about 15 years this might be my daughter's car and I'll be in the market for a new one. Perhaps Becker will have a Massachusetss dealership by then or perhaps I'll be in a better position to take the road trip.
~Cath
If they wanted to earn your business they should have offered those terms to you sooner. Period.
-juice
As to Becker, they are in a separate region for Subaru and pay less for the cars they sell than the New England dealers; having a place up your way wouldn't make a difference.
Obviously you are both right. Even with the benefit of hindsight I don't think I would have done anything differently, except perhaps to go to Becker in Pennsylvania.
I feel pretty good about the whole deal. Even if someone else buys one of the other ones for a less in a couple of weeks I still got the pick of the litter with lower miles and a more recent in-service date. I have a car that is almost brand new but with a little more than 6 years of manufacturer's warranty.
Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.
~Cath
Join us in the Subaru Crew threads, they're pretty active and helpful to most people.
-juice
Thanks in advance,
Bill
Where are you located? Does $28434 include TTL? Several dealers on east coast and west coast are selling LL Bean with the options you mentioned for about $27300 + TTL extra.
First, the mileage is quite high. So even without the salvage title that would be a concern, the value would certainly be a lot less than most 01s.
01 was also the first year for the H6. Not a big deal, since it was reliable off the bat, but still.
Salvage? Katrina damage, maybe? Water has a way of slowly corroding all the electrical wires, I wonder how long before the ECU is fried. You'll have a lot of trouble selling it, and even if you can find a buyer you gotta figure it's only worth about half what it would be with a clean title.
I'd stay far away from that car. Sad thing is someone will buy it for peanuts ($5 grand is a guess), clean it up, wash the title, and sell it for profit. :mad:
-juice
I wonder if your insurance company will insure it. Mine won't insure a salvage car, you can only get liability on it. So if it's stolen, it's your total loss to absorb.
-juice
The amount and quality of information in a collision report depends a lot upon how the form is designed and how descriptive the person filling it in is. Sometimes they don't give you a lot of space to write in and people in general tend to be sloppy and vague when filling them out (including police officers).
I am not familiar with MN reports (state or local) in particular. My working assumption is that you are referring to a police report completed by a responding officer. Again, generally those tend to be pretty vague. The exception to that rule is probably when the accident is serious.
Certainly, there is no harm in requesting it if it isn't too expensive or inconvenient.
Police reports are a matter of public record and you can usually obtain them but oftentimes if you aren't an "interested party" any personal info is "blacked out". However, if they leave the owner / driver info on the report you might be able to contact them and ask about the accident and about the car in general. But since it's a re-possession it's not likely they'll be in a talkative mood.
If the car were a little younger I'd suggest you randomly try one or two Subaru dealerships local to the bank on the chance that the owner was local to the bank and had it serviced and possibly repaired there. You would need the VIN #. In Massachusetts Subaru dealers can only look up their individual record or national recall records but not other dealer's records. It might be different in MN.
Obviously if you get the police report and find that the owner wasn't near the bank then you would use their address to try and guess where the vehicle might have been serviced and repaired. If you get really lucky the report might note the tow company and / or where it was towed to.
I am guessing it probably isn't worth the aggravation. As another poster suggested you might be bidding against someone that can make a profit on it regardless of how badly it was damaged and how well it was repaired.
Good luck. ~Cath
First I get a call from the dealer with a "loss leader" priced about $1,000 below what I paid (but it sold at the end of Feb). I had been speaking with their internet manager to see if they could do any better on some similar vehicles they had. The dealer's owner actually got involved and said no. But here we are two weeks later and they've got another "loss leader" that --on paper-- looks about $1,000.00 cheaper. The salesman assures me that I can back out of the deal I have if I haven't "taken delivery" yet.
Next, I get an e-mail from the manager at another dealer.
Your post would be helpful - if you said who the dealers were!
Funny how those loss-leaders always seem to have sold when you get there!
Sincerely,
jmwindstone
How do I know if my 2000 Legacy Outback engine is "interference" or "non-interference"? Are all of the 2000's the same type of engine?
Thank you!
Can anybody tell me the fair price for 2006 Outback 2.5i Auto?
I am in NJ area. My recent quote is $23300 plus TTL.
Thank you!