2013 and earlier-Subaru Forester Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • imm1962imm1962 Member Posts: 11
    Did anyone try to negotiate the price online with fitzmall bellow what they offer on their website?
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    Oak,

    The $2000 rebate has been on the books since at least the end of April. I doubt it will go away until the cars do.

    I was quoted $17,700 (and they were offering to go lower) for a base model 08 forester from a Denver dealer over a month ago. (I would have done that deal, but have opted for the 09 instead.)

    Re: putting money down when you have the option of the 0% financing.
    I'd recommend only putting the minimum amount down. (I think this is $0 with that deal, but not sure.) Put your $12k where it can earn some interest and make your payments for your subie from that, as they are due. It may not be a lot of interest, but you will be money ahead. You will also have an extra year to save up (plus the interest on that "newly saved" money) before you have to start pulling from the "newly saved" money (ie the money you don't have now to pay for your car) to pay off the rest of your car.

    The only reason not to do this is if you think you are not a good saver. but you have already saved $12k, so that doesn't seem to be the case. :)
  • samirataustinsamirataustin Member Posts: 17
    Picked up my 09 Forester (2.5X, manual transmission) from West Houston Subaru last week. Worked out to be over $500 less than the closest overall price here in Austin.

    MSRP (incl destination): $21,434;
    Invoice: $20,043;
    Price: $19,533 ($510 under invoice).

    I got dealer installed leather seating added to it from Classic Soft Trims- paid $800 for it (got quoted $1425 directly from CST, and $1299 from all the Subaru dealers I asked in Austin). I paid for the leather in Houston- but will get it installed at the Austin CST tomorrow.

    Total $20,333 plus TT&L (no unreasonable/ marked up charges). 2 year maintenance (at any Subaru dealership) was included at no extra charge.

    Closest quote from Austin dealers was from Georgetown Subaru at $500 under invoice and $1299 for the aftermarket leather.

    West Houston Subaru was hands- down the best price I ran into- and amazingly- the friendliest experience I had. Most of the negotiations were over email- with a final 15 minute phone conversation to close the deal. Highly recommend these guys- well worth the drive from Austin and/ or Dallas especially if you want to take the family for a mini vacation now that schools are out.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats!

    We pick ours up today! :shades:

    Newport Blue Pearl Limited model, PZEV! I'll get pics when I get the chance.

    I'm excited, we've been waiting a while for this special order to come in.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats to you as well, I can't believe prices are under $20k already. Demand is strong, so I don't know why dealers are offering such big discounts.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fitz is a one-price shop, so they won't.

    The exception is the VIP program, but they're prices are below invoice anyway.

    I'll get my exact pricing tonight when we pick up ours, but to be honest I doubt the VIP will end up saving us any money.

    Maybe it's worth it in some regions where pricing tends to be higher. Alaska for instance.
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    Yeah! Congratulations!

    It'll be worth the wait.

    I wish I could get the PZEV model here.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We had to special order, and wait a loooong time!

    5 extra HP, plus it's cleaner. :shades:
  • mole7374mole7374 Member Posts: 5
    Hey everyone!
    So I'm in the market for an '09 Forester X Limited, and I'm in NJ so its also PZEV. My '05 Outback lease is up and here is what my local dealer, Wayne Subaru is offering...

    Forester X Limited PZEV
    $400 out of pocket
    12 K miles a year
    .00175 money factor
    $399 a month.

    I don't know if this is in line with what everyone else is paying, but I was a bit shocked it was so high. Back in May of '05 I must have gotten a super deal on my Outback LLBean b/c I did 2K out of pocket with a trailer hitch and I"m at $345 a month. Let me know if you think this is a good deal.
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    Might as well buy it. :confuse: Especially if you qualify for the 4.5% interest rate they are now offering. Or perhaps you could do better at your own bank or credit union...

    This is the current lease deal that Subaru is offering my my neck of the woods:

    SPECIAL LEASE OFFER* ON 09 SUBARU FORESTER (9FA)
    Now through June 30, 2008 - $249 per month for 39 months with $1,299 due at lease signing. $0 security deposit. Tax, title and registration fees extra. Other leases available on other models. Cannot be combined with any other incentives.

    This is from Subaru website...put in your own zip code to see what is offered and don't forget to read the * part down below: http://www.subaru.com/tools/financialsolutions/special_offers.jsp?from=topNav

    Good luck!
  • mole7374mole7374 Member Posts: 5
    Yea for that amount each month I was thinking the same thing about buying, but my only hesitation is that within the 3 year period Subaru would come out with a much more efficient engine and I'd eventually want to swap...

    I did see that lease deal and it does apply for me locally as well....only problem is that deal is for the base X Forester and I'm shopping for the X Limited which throws off the equation.

    To make matters worse nobody has any X-Limited in stock and dealers are saying the wait is 6 to 8 weeks which is really bad....thankfully I have time left on my outback lease, but subaru is really dropping the ball here...they release a new model and don't have inventory available to buy! Furthermore the price is not exactly attractive at 400 a month for a forester and now they are making me...a loyal subaru owner... consider other manufacturers --like a RAV4 --where there are some sweet deals right now.

    Subie you need to step it up !
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I did a special order and it did not take that long. I think it was about 4-5 weeks.

    It's worth it, trust me! You get exactly what you want.

    And on that note....
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We picked up our Newport Blue Pearl 2009 Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV (wow that's a long name!) last night.

    We were under the VIP program so it was 2% below invoice, which came out to $25,023 after adding the PZEV option, bumper cover, cargo cover, cargo liner, and mud flaps. It didn't come with cargo nets so they deducted that amount. I may install them myself later.

    Dealer was Fitzgerald Subaru in Rockville, MD, AKA "fitzmall.com" for the famous web site.

    Big kudos to the dealer, they really took care of us. We were in and out of there in less than one hour. 355 Toyota could learn from them, that deal took about 3-4 hours and was like a dentist's office visit compared to Fitz.

    We had $1600 Subaru Bucks, so the price paid came down to only $23,423, pretty amazing.

    Add 6% MD sales tax, and tags, of course.
  • mole7374mole7374 Member Posts: 5
    Oh wow that is a deal! Ok so you bought yours... I see... that throws my leasing calculation off a bit however.. but thanks for the info. 2 questions however...

    1. What is the VIP program, and I assume that I can't try and leverage that if I don't even know what it is! :)
    2. I hope to be a subaru owner forever...hope... so for uture purchases I'd love to leverage the subaru bucks thing.....how does that work and how do I get signed up?

    Thanks!!!!!
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    CONGRATULATIONS!

    I know it has been a long wait. Let us know how it is after you have been playing with it for a while...
  • phdhuskyphdhusky Member Posts: 116
    VIP pricing is for ppl who work for companies that are part of the program and usually receive 2% below invoice from dealers who are part of the program. In most cases, and in mine, i was able to negotiate 2% below invoice if not a little more with just some good old bargaining. Of course it's not as easy but you can still do it.

    Subaru bucks comes from using the Subaru Chase card and you earn 3% from your purchases up to 500 a year toward other purchases, service, etc.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Thanks.

    We got our Chase Subaru credit card about 2 years after we bought our 2002 Legacy.

    Prior to that we had a Toys-R-Us card and used the credits to buy diapers! :D

    The kids got out of diapers, so we got the Subaru one, and have accumulated $2000 so far. $100 was spent on accessories and $300 in the body shop, though we cashed out because insurance paid us. ;)

    I recommend it, if it fits your needs. You earn 3% back, limited to $500 per year, and the best part is you don't have to buy a new Subaru to use them. You can ue it for CPO Subarus, parts, accessories, mechanical repairs, service, even body shop repairs. They're not hard to spend. The trick is saving them up!

    http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?partner_dir_name=subaru&page- =cont&mkid=60MN&msc=Z0003088
  • packrfanpackrfan Member Posts: 50
    Does anyone have any experience, pro's or con's of buying through a fleet dealer. I'm told they can buy single vehicles at fleet pricing, or arrange for a dealer to see directly to consumer if leasing or financing through the dealer, at prices lower than the consumer can negotiate. I don't see a downside to this, as long as my net cost is lower. Any thoughts?
  • djmacedonasdjmacedonas Member Posts: 12
    Just picked up a Limited...Dark Grey w/platinum leather interior...Somerset Subaru, NJ.

    09' Forester X Limited
    PZEV
    Not sure of the other options (auto dim mirror, methinks)
    Definitely had the rear bumper cover
    Dealer added crossbars, no charge.

    $25500 total

    Seems a bit high after visiting here, but same as what other dealers quoted...after bargaining.

    Oh...my first Subie,

    And Bill, the manager there, worked with me for over 2 months... and never pressured. Excellent sales manager.
  • sampson614sampson614 Member Posts: 1
    $25,931 vehicle price
    289 document prep
    1296 sales tax
    85 plates
    $27,601 total


    Autodim mirror with home link
    Luggage compartment cover
    Puddle light kit

    Is this a fair price?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    To both of you.

    I didn't get the auto dim mirror, and those aren't cheap, so it makes sense that yours would cost a little more.

    I also did not get crossbars.
  • djmacedonasdjmacedonas Member Posts: 12
    Actually,

    I went back to the dealership on Friday. No autodim mirror. Included mudflaps, luggage cover, and aero crossbars and all weather car mats. I'm calling him tomorrow to add:

    The door trim (to protect)
    The cargo tray (I think its useful)
    May add the autodim mirror. It's hard to justify almost $200 bucks for a mirror (I can always just use my own garage door opener, and the GPS navigation unit I have has a pretty good compass.

    I'll ask for what price he can add those things.

    djm
  • imm1962imm1962 Member Posts: 11
    I was quoted $25271 for 2009 Subaru Forester Ltd in spark silver with Popular Equipment Grp 4-A, #F9I: auto dimming mirror, compass, Puddle Lights and Luggage compartment cover, #O9A. I have to pay Va tax 3%, tag & title fee $93, processing fee is $99, and out-the-door price is $26224.10 . I did not get the auto dimming mirror with Homelink ( my garage opener will do the job:)
  • mole7374mole7374 Member Posts: 5
    Hey Everyone!
    I shopped around and went to Liberty Subaru in Oradell, NJ and got the best deal I've seen around.
    Got the 09' X Limited, PZEV, White with Mud Flaps and Rear Bumper Cover

    They sold me the car for $25,000 even... then add in the price of the flaps/bump cover (not sure but that's like another 150 bucks or something.

    Net out.. I leased the car for 36 months, 12K miles a year, 790 out of pocket, 370 a month.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    To both of you.

    We have a Ltd model as well. The Beans are all gone, I suppose.

    We're all lucky because these models are hard to find. I special ordered mine, and even when I took delivery my dealer did not have a single Bean or Limited in stock (and they have 2 locations!).
  • snowbeltersnowbelter Member Posts: 288
    Our dealer has 20+ orders waiting to be filled. Few Premiums around. I still haven't even seen a Bean or a Limited and was told its probably a two-month wait for one. Someone at SOA told me that they couldn't find enough available boats to ship all the Foresters over to the US, but it also looks like people want Limiteds and the initial production is mostly Xs. In any case I am waiting for a phone call from our dealer to let me know what they get delivery of a Limited so we can see one. But they are all sold and can't go for test drive.
  • jeffmcjeffmc Member Posts: 1,742
    Production allocations for the year were supposed to be 26% X, 45% Premium, 20% Bean/Limited, 3% XT, 6% XT Limited. I think demand for the Bean/Limited simply caught them by surprise.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sounds like about 50% of us wanted the Bean/Limited model, actually! :surprise:
  • djmacedonasdjmacedonas Member Posts: 12
    Not me... I mean, I'm experiencing a bout of buyer's remorse.

    I was torn between a Dark Gray/Platinum Leather interior X Limited and a Base XT, beautiful, black pearl, and mean... I had just driven both of them, and was leaning towards the XT, but had the wife there, being all practical, had that green PZEV looking at me straight in the eye, and my inner hippie whispering 'forget the turbo, you're a family man, now, and gas is approaching 5 bucks a gallon, with no end in sight.', so here I am today, with the anemic limited (I guess there's more to the name than they intended ;) saying, "Why didn't I just buy the Turbo!!!!" It was the same freaking price!!!!, it would have cost me, what 10 dollars a week more to pay for premium and take a hit on gas mileage????!!!??"

    Ah, well, don't let me discourage you... It's my modus operandi, I can't make any decision without remorse... it would have been the same if I had gotten the XT. I'd be thinking about it every time I filled up with premium, or every time I got a ticket. My 40 year-old foot can't resist kicking the butt of a young punk in a Japanese econobox with the CD sized exhaust, the momo stickers, the R-type badging, and the wing from a 747, by stomping the gas of whatever vehicle I'm driving, and watching their ground effected front spoiler become a speck in my auto-dimming rear-view mirror...I feel it's my 'Civic' duty to do this.

    Yes, it came to this, refinement over performance. I didn't have to choose, I could have jumped on an identical XT limited I saw at another dealership a few weeks ago, in the color scheme I just bought my limited in. Or I could have been patient and ordered one. Maybe I would have gotten Newport Blue. Maybe not.

    The Limited I bought is actually a fine vehicle. My first drive to my work (mixed farm road and suburban driving) got me 25 mpg my first time out today! Better than I expected. The car is slow (but I'm babying it), though it does accelerate smoothly and fairly quietly. Sneaky in a way, found myself exceeding the speed limit a few times... I know I will grow to love it. There are some minor annoyances. A rattling which I think is the 3rd rear seatbelt that I tucked into the roof, some roughness in the engine when I first ignite it (is this normal?), the transmission thatt always seems to be hunting at moderate speeds, etc. but overall I'm happy with my purchase, especially compared to others I looked at (and drove):

    Acura RDX: Nice luxury, lousy fuel economy, fairly overpriced (though thinking about it, the limited I bought is not much less)
    Acura TL: Beautiful, but I wanted a crossover
    Honda CRV: Loved it when I drove it, excellent and well thought out interior, but hated it the more I thought about it. Also, too many of them on the road
    Mazda CX7: Nice ride. Fuel economy and reliability killed it for me though.
    Mitsubishi Outlander: Test drove the I4 SE though the lying salesman told me it was the V6 XLS. Then found a slightly less slimy dealership and drove the XLS. Actually liked the car (paddle shifters kinda cool, but a bit ridiculous on an SUV), but interior felt to cheap. I tried to ignore it, but in the end I couldn't.
    Toyota Rav4: Drove the V6, I loved the power, I loved the ride, but the interior was bland. It made me sad. Boring as anything. Too many around, like Honda

    Subaru Forester: The sunroof, the AWD, and the style sold itself to me. I couldn't resist that face :D
  • pgb0517pgb0517 Member Posts: 84
    "Transmission that always seems to be hunting at moderate speeds ..." I thought it was just me. Is there a cure for this? Will it get better? (We have about 1,700 miles on our '09 Bean.)
  • jeffmcjeffmc Member Posts: 1,742
    "I feel it's my 'Civic' duty to do this."

    Too funny! :D
  • camrytimes2camrytimes2 Member Posts: 31
    My cure is to use the "Sport" setting exclusively. The standard "D" setting upshifts prematurely to boost MPG and lugs the engine.
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    My new Sage Green Metallic 09 Forester 2.5x Premium with MT is in the driveway! Yeah! :D They delivered it from about 130 miles away today. :shades: At no additional charge except the gas it took to get up here... I'm in CO for those doing comparisons...

    Here's the deal I got:

    2.5x Premium, manual transmission with:
    Homelink mirror (I've programed it already, works well)
    Rear Bumper Cover
    Splash Guards
    Luggage Cover
    Cargo Mat
    Tweeter Kit
    And, it came with the 2 different color lines of detailing on both sides (so I'll know which one it mine)...not something I asked for, but the MSRP difference was only $12.

    MSPR: $23,997.00
    Invoice: $22,382.00
    Price: $21,258.00 This dealer did not raise the price quoted! Yeah! ;)
    Add all weather mats for $51.00
    Sub Total $21,309.00 = $1,134 below invoice

    Sales Taxes: 1,429.00 ah, the government...
    OTD: $22,737.00
    Loyalty Incentive: 500.00 = $1,634 below invoice
    Total Paid: $22,237.00

    Title & Plates will of course be extra...

    The surprise of course is the mpg recorded on the car. It has 280 miles on it and it says the avg mpg is 35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shades:

    I know it was mainly hiway driving, but isn't that fantastic! Is anyone else seeing those numbers? Or is it imaginary because the car is so new???

    And one more question...Aren't we suppose to get 2 remotes to go along with the 2 keys that they give us??? How many remotes did you get?

    I had to ask to assure I got the owner's manual & other paperwork, as it wasn't in the vehicle when I inspected it, so I want to be sure I have everything...

    Heading off to Rendez-vous on Tuesday with the car loaded, Thule rack on top and dirt roads to drive just to get there....I'll let you know how it handles on back roads driving at 9-10,000 feet when I return...

    WooHoo! First new car in 22 years! My last Subaru lasted that long (282,000), and would have gone another 5 years easily if someone hadn't hit it in a parking lot!
  • asdf9asdf9 Member Posts: 26
    I got 2 remotes as well as the car key. I also got a valet key that can not open the glove compartment! This is my first subaru 20,785 plus tax, reg, title. And that includes the hitch bike rack. Silver exterior and for once I'm looking forward to winter after driving rear wheel drive for ten years!
  • longhorn5longhorn5 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for posting this. This is pretty much the same configuration I want to get, except the leather seating. I will check them out. Hope you are enjoying your new car.
  • packrfanpackrfan Member Posts: 50
    Congrat's on getting a great vehicle and deal! Your config sounds just very similar to what we're looking for except for needing AWP in Chicago and hadn't planned on tweeter - does that really offer significant improvement in sound? 35 mgp - holy cats, that's really surprising for 1st tank. Be interested in what mpg you get on your trip. Have fun!

    Still finding AWP to be limited but supposedly more equipped with it are coming in these days than previously. What is the Loyalty Incentive? We have 02 Forester which we will hopefully trade and are interested in this.
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    RE: tweeter
    It came with the car, and is on most other premium's in my area. I probably wouldn't have ordered it...but, it does seem to brighten the music quite a bit, so it does sound better IMO. I only heard one vehicle without the tweeter, and it was a while ago...so I could be mistaken. Short answer, I'm happy I have it now as I can really hear the high end clearly & distinctively.

    Re: Loyalty Incentive is not related to trading in a vehicle, but is something the main office gave me. It is atypical. I was just lucky (after being unlucky). :)
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    Thxs! I'll have to make sure I get them...and the tool called the "lever" which I have learned is missing. Still reading the manual to find out what else might not be there...

    Also need to have someone fix the "rear seat recline button", as that basically just fell out of where it it suppose to be and doesn't work. The other side is fine.
  • herbie129herbie129 Member Posts: 1
    June 18th I placed an order at Stamford Subaru. The Salesman and owner were very easy to deal with and I test drove both the X- Manual and the LL Bean - automatic. I didn't have to negotiate much, just asked for the car for 24,000 They upped it to 24,500 and then we sorted out the deal. It was not difficult at all. The LL Bean was the car I wanted with the 6 cd changer. (They have the LL Bean Dark Grey Mettallic with Nav on the lot) I ordered the Limited Dark Grey Mettalic paint with Platinum Leather interior, and so far didn't ask for any extra accessories. They said Delivery will be first week of August.

    $24,500 including delivery
    $299 - dealer fees.
    I still have to pay NY State sales tax and tags...

    If your looking for a good deal then drop by Stamford Subaru. I went to other dealers in NJ and they wouldn't even touch the $24,500 price and that is invoice on the car from what I read. Additionally the Stamford dealer takes the base models and puts leather interior and heated seats in the car. They had a base X model in the showroom with heated seats and Leather. Not a bad choice for those who don't want to pay up for the LL Bean model. I am currently driving a 98 Jetta TDI with over 214k miles so an upgrade for sure.

    Can't wait to get the new wheels!

    Rob B.
  • mfletou1mfletou1 Member Posts: 508
    Who did you deal with at Fitz? I sent you an email to the address listed on your profile...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I will reply from there. We're not supposed to list names here.

    35mpg holy cow! :surprise:

    Nice to know that much is possible. They must have been driving 55mph while drafting a UPS truck!
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    Historically in the local paper, Outbacks were priced higher than Foresters. But since the 09's have come out, I have noticed that the Foresters are listed higher. Anyone else noticed?
  • phdhuskyphdhusky Member Posts: 116
    The Outbacks ads may be taking advantage of the incentives that are out on them right now which are pretty good. The 09 Forester does not have any incentives.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    True, though Subaru did lower the effective price on the 09 Forester by $800-1200, depending upon the model.

    So you might say they built incentives in, rather than offering rebates.

    I bet residuals improve. In fact, they already have - 59% after a 3 year lease with 45k miles. That's great. Most Subies are 52-57% or so and many competitors do a lot worse.
  • tomme12tomme12 Member Posts: 11
    I was about the pull the trigger on a lease deal on forester X premium on Sunday, but decided to wait until the new incentives came out. Anyone done any shopping lately?

    I was at $600 out the door with $320 including taxes. I bet I could have gotten a little less, but Im think I can beat that to zero down and under 299 this month.

    Anyone?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If you can get below invoice now, I say go for it.

    June was up over 40% compared to last year, and supply is still short. Don't expect incentives any time soon - they're just not needed.
  • tomme12tomme12 Member Posts: 11
    This may be an silly question, but where can I find invoice prices?

    Thanks for the input though!
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    Tomme, you have a few places to look for invoice prices.
    A quick and easy one for generic options is: http://www.cars101.com/subaru_prices.html#Forester%20prices

    The detailed one, where you can build your own car and then find the invoice is on edmonds: http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/subaru/forester/100992079/options.html

    They haven't changed things for July, so it is just the 4.5% financing for the forester.
  • sgloonsgloon Member Posts: 323
    See my post in 2009 forester for first MPG's. It did great on my trip!!!! Way better than EPA ratings!

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f178d36/1815
  • tomme12tomme12 Member Posts: 11
    My dealer is saying that purchases prices have gone up and lease rate has stayed the same. Do I have any wiggle room on this to work out a better deal? I feel like I should be able to lease a 3 year 36k x with premium pack for zero down and $300 a month. (not sure what residual would be, etc)
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