2013 and earlier-Subaru Forester Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ateixeira · January 2010

Better yet, do the preventative stuff yourself, as much as you can (and learn in the process).

jaybee9 · January 2010

My wife and I just bought a 2010 2.5 Ltd for 26300 from MSRP 27311 in the bronx. I work on LI and called two dealers Donaldsons and Port subaru. At Port subaru the AAA contact Howard gave me the AAA price of 26290 so what you were quoted was pretty good. my local bronx dealer matched the price so i got it there, but if not i would hasve gopne with Howard at Port subaru. he was nioce, no pressure.

Main thing to watch out for is Ext warranty. My dealer started at 2000. at port the Finance guy george quoted me 1695 as his "best" price. Howard cut that to 1395. I got my dealer to give it to me for1200. Alarm with remote start 595 could not get any lower( they started at 795). bumper guards my dealer 'best price 400. Howard said no more than 200. got my dealer down to 250.

I would recommend Howard at Port subaru, which if my local dealer did not match Ext Warr price, I would have purchased from him.

Hope this helps.

jaybee9 · January 2010

We just bought a 2010 forester ltd for 26300 in the bronx. i called port subaru and donaldsons, Port gave best price 26200, so your price is good.

main thing to watch out for is Ext Warr. My dealer quoted me a "special' credit Union price of 2000. I negotiated down to 1700, but still felt it was too high. Port gave me same 7yr/70k for 1395.I negotited with my dealer for 1200. Alarm with remote start 595 9 could not get it lower). Bumper guards, my dealer 400 Port 200, my final price 250.

Hope this helps.

sacco23 · January 2010

thanks jaybee. I have contacted six dealers and nobody can get below $26k. Most cars have the same basic options. I'm trying to max out on my trade now and will probably close a deal in the next week.

jaybee9 · January 2010

No problem, sacco. Happy hunting, and dont forget your only edge...get up and start walking out if the Finance guy doesnt work with you..

I also checked the online Ext Warr prices, and they are all about $500 more than i negotiated.

smovva · January 2010

I had an offer from a local dealership for a New 09 2.5XT Lmtd for $25,300 + taxes + doc fee. Do you guys think this is a good price? Can someone tell me the major differences between 09 and 10.

sgloon · January 2010

These are a couple of things that come to mind off hand...

There is a different heater box in the 2010, per Subaru employees. IF it was a very late run 09, it 'may' have the newer heater box.

A few of the parts in the 2010 appear to be even cheaper/looser/etc.

Some of the '09s didn't have the AWP [all weather package].

2010s have slightly larger piece of plastic to protect rear panels from road debris which flies up & hits it from tires. If you are on dirt roads at all, the paint will chip dramatically. The new piece isn't big enough either.

There's probably more, but that's all I recall tonight. Good luck.

ateixeira · January 2010

Nothing major, no.

The Navi models got Bluetooth. The very early 2009s were LL Bean models, instead of Limiteds, but you're looking at a Limited anyway.

Subaru also just announced the 2010 Limited will get a HID option, packaged with Navi for $2300. Not sure when those will arrive, though.

If the 09 is a significantly better deal, go for it.

Phillies08 · January 2010

seems kinda high for the ext warranty. Next time check out ebay. dont have to buy the ext warranty when and where u buy the car

imaginary · February 2010

Is this a good deal? I got this from Heuberger. They're apparently the largest volume Subaru dealer in the U.S. One reason why I'm glad to live in Colorado I guess.

"Your Internet price for a 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited with Navigation.
Includes Engine Start, Auto-Dimming Mirror with homelink, Puddle Lights, Luggage Compartment Cover, Splash Guards, Illumination Kit in Blue, Rear Bumper Cover, All Weather Floor Mats and Ipod tray.

Manufactures List Price $32,433.00

Manufactures Invoice Price $29,879.00

Heuberger Motors Internet Price $28,739.00

Dealer Handling, Taxes, Tags and License extra."

xwesx · February 2010

Possibly, though I would be leery of the "Dealer Handling extra" and not pay any fees added under this category. I spoke with Heuberger in late August and they quoted me at invoice without haggling, so it seems they are consistent in that regard.

indianajohns · February 2010

About 5-6 years ago I had a Ford dealer include the optional Wear Care warranty on my lease at about $450 without telling me it was optional. When I got home and read my lease agreement I was furious. When I got my customer survey directly from Ford I wrote on there how the dealership had lied to me and how I was never going to buy or lease another Ford vehicle. About a week later the General Manager of the dealership called me and said he was mailing me a check for $450 if I would redact my bad survey.

The dealer and salesman get bonuses based on how you score them on the survey. The $450 was probably a drop in the bucket.

calculus · February 2010

Which dealer in Portland did you went to? Can you let me know?
I am in the market for a Forester, I am located in NW. Thanks.

iliketoshift · February 2010

My wife and I are looking for an 09 Forester X Premium. I'm trying to gauge how much under the posted prices I should offer/expect to pay. The Edmunds retail price is $20,911 which seems a little high. NADA and KBB's prices for an '09 are above what you guys are saying you've paid for a new '10 so so I'm throwing them out. My search returns about half a dozen for posted $23K. So if Edmunds is correct, that's about a 9% markdown.

Does that seem right or should the number be closer to 20K or even under?

ateixeira · February 2010

Not to dodge the question, but with new ones costing so close (~$23k or so), why get used?

It's harder to get a loan, and the warranty is partially used up.

The Forester doesn't depreciate much at all. ALG rates it #1 in class for resale, in fact.

chuck68516 · February 2010

Get the 2010. 2.9% financing for 60 months.

iliketoshift · February 2010

We're being pushed to buying new. But I just can't wrap my head around the idea that 1 year old and say 15K miles costs more than new. How can that be? Why would anyone buy used ? Is there something about my appearance that makes the dealers not want to sell used to me?

xwesx · February 2010

Well, it definitely should not cost *more* than new, at least not the OTD price, but it will not cost a whole lot less. Then again, sellers are free to ask whatever they want, but so too are you free to tell them to take a hike.

If you finance a significant portion of the car, the difference in interest rate between new and used may narrow the gap such that it really does not make sense to get the slightly used vehicle.

ateixeira · February 2010

Just keep in mind those are asking prices.

Compare that to, say, MSRP.

You'll pay 10% less for either new or used, more than likely.

sgloon · February 2010

Don't know if this is helpful, but, I got rid of my 2009 X Premium in September 2009 (purchased a year earlier). My local dealer offered me 18K in trade, before I had the 2010 picked out...but basically they knew I was looking for the same vehicle. Prices from other dealers varied a bit, but most were about 16K, including the dealer I had originally bought it from (I told them they were low-balling me, which they were). Some around 17K. Even the Toyota dealer only offered 16K and they said they had called my dealer to get an idea on prices as they had no info on the resale value either.

I don't think it would have mattered squat what the other add-on features that I had paid for originally as to the price they offered me. Original price of my car was about $22,000, only had about 10K miles.

baires60 · February 2010

Hi all,

I'm new to Subaru and this forum. I bought my forester 2010, picked it up yesterday. Sat with the finance guy and we spoke about the ext warranty. Does anyone know if you can back out of the ext warranty? I just saw what you paid for your ext warranty and I way over paid - I paid $1953 + tax for the classic coverage 7/70K. The car came in earlier than I anticipated so didn't get a chance to research the warranty portion - it was due end of March- and they wanted to move the car out Saturday or Monday - Monday would have been harder for me to get to pick up the car. So I chose Saturday, since I could get a ride. I am furious and want to get out of it - I can't believe I was taken for soo much. I also bought it on LI, NY - the guy was new and there at the dealership only 3 days but not new to the business..

What is my recourse? Any idea's?

Thanks.

artour · February 2010

This happened to me (other circumstances but same overcharge) in the early 1980's in NJ. You have up to 72 hrs to cancel in NJ, maybe same in NY.
Check with a lawyer quickly. Good luck.

kevinm7 · February 2010

Got 2010 Forester, base model with special edition package, $22000 OTD, here in CA you get 9.25% tax.

ateixeira · March 2010

Call the dealer before you call a lawyer.

Also, I think you get a refund (partial?) if your warranty goes unused.

baires60 · March 2010

Hi I wasn't going the lawyer route until necessary, I was getting the charge taken off my credit card first. It seems the paperwork was all messed up anyway, When I looked at the warranty contract again this morning,it was in the glove compartment I noticed the VIN number didn't look right and sure enough the whole paperwork is wrong. Someone else would have gotten the coverage after all that...needless to say I am not a happy camper but I guess it did work out for the best...they want to re-negotiate the warranty and fix the paperwork. If they don't give me the terms I want I'll go to a site mentioned on this forum and buy from them. It will also save me on tax. and I get a 10% discount to book.

I hope the registration is correct and I don't get a ticket since the car is on the street now.

Thanks for the information, I don't know about the partial refund though I didn't read that in the Subaru version of the contract and things. But would be nice...

ateixeira · March 2010

Tell them $1300-1400 is more common on the Edmunds.com forums.

I can vouch for the red carpet treatment they give Gold owners - we once got a Benz loaner while they worked on a minor issue with some slack in the throttle cable on our '02 Legacy.

Also you get roadside assistance for the duration. We cancelled AAA and saved $70 or so per year.

So it's worth considering, just try to get a better price.

Best of luck.

baires60 · March 2010

Thanks,

I did some research before I went back to the dealership - seems they put the wrong VIN number on the paperwork and registration so that needed to be re-done anyway. Good thing they are only 20 miles away as opposed to 100. I had some time to research warranty prices and they do vary from state to state and also from dealership 2 dealership drastically. I was able to get it down to $951 before I got to my dealership, they offered me $1243 but weren't able to go down to the price I got. Also not sure if they thought I was still purchasing the classic and not the Gold Plus.

ateixeira · March 2010

Congrats, price sounds great for the length of the warranty.

sgloon · March 2010

I'm in a different state...so I don't know if the prices are different there...but after you buy your car, subaru will send you several chances to buy the same warranty for much less. The 5/60 was about $660 if I recall properly. I'll try to find the latest version I got...but it was in that ball park.

baires60 · March 2010

Hi thanks, if you find it, please let me know what the 7/70K is going for - and is it the gold plus or the classic? I have heard people mention they send offers to buy warranty but have no idea on the prices, is it Subaru who sends it or your dealer?

sgloon · March 2010

It is direct from Subaru. Perhaps that is why it is cheaper?

ateixeira · March 2010

I don't think so - they can't sell them that way. I've asked SoA if they had a web site to sell warranties directly and they said they couldn't. I think the dealer lobby is strong and SoA wouldn't want to upset them.

sgloon · March 2010

The "through the mail" warranty was definitely mailed from SOA not from a dealer. Perhaps they just aren't allowed to sell them through a 'website' so as not to complete with the dealers...but after the sale is long closed they can opt to sell their own warranty?

I don't know what it would have been through my dealer, as the dealer I bought this one through never even asked if I wanted an extended warranty.

ateixeira · March 2010

I bet they would have referred you to a dealer to finalize the paperwork. I'm sure dealers would accept referrals in that manner.

baires60 · March 2010

I plan on keeping the car a while and I don't do the things like change my oil or the filter or anything like that and living in NYC the labor costs are high. If I could get an inexpensive maintenance plan up to 45K for $857 (7500 oil changes) for the 2010 Fozzie, what do you think? I normally don't believe in these plans but this is not specific to my dealership just to any Subaru shop. I will be doing these maintenance milestones in a Subaru shop.

It's just like the assurance of a warranty - if you use it fine - I have used an extended warranty a couple of times with my VW Jetta, did it save me more than I spent, probably not since I didn't really shop around - also the dealership "forgot" to call them on various repairs to ask if it was covered, so it was too late by the time I reminded them since they already did the work..and approval had to be made prior to any work.

galever · March 2010

It's an X Limited (no turbo)

They basically said the price is Dealer cost 25934.00 plus a few hundred dollors...tax, tags, etc.

The forester has luggage cover, ipod tray, ipod interface, Rear bumper cover, Auto dim mirror with compass, splash guard kit......and destination fee.

Seems like a good price, but hard to believe. This dealer actually treated me like a human which of course means I don't trust him.

ateixeira · March 2010

Just make sure you're not moving any time soon.

Those can be a good value, just make sure you're not paying for more-than-necessary services.

Also, what if you're not satisfied with their service? Can you cancel and get a refund? If you think about it, you are pre-paying them for your loyalty, so they win twice.

At a minimum the discount should be good and you should check references.

ateixeira · March 2010

Ask if the price includes freight.

I agreed with a dealer on a price, then found they tried to add freight again. No thanks.

baires60 · March 2010

I thought the maintenance plan was like the warranty plan - it can be used anywhere Subrau has a service shop? In the mainland of USA of course.

ateixeira · March 2010

Could be - that would certainly be more flexible.

xwesx · March 2010

It depends entirely on who is offering the maintenance plan. If it is offered by Subaru directly, then yes, you could use it at any authorized location. If it is offered as a dealer maintenance plan (which they often are), then it can likely only be used at that dealership or at dealerships that share ownership.

milton50 · March 2010

Is this a good deal?

I am in Orange County California...

I have the 2010 Subaru Forester Limited also in the Obsidian Black Color.

Color : Obsidian Black
MSRP 27,720.00
Invoice 25,833.00
Selling price 24,833.00 plus tax and licence.

Auto dimming mirror with homelink, cargo tray, splash guards, rear bumper cover and luggage cover.

ateixeira · March 2010

Sounds like you stole it.

Don't you feel a bit guilty? I mean, the dealer's gotta feed his kids!

Just kidding, but congrats! :shades:

stoopy · March 2010

I am assuming your "SELLING PRICE" included money you put down or trade equity.

If my first guess is wrong then my second guess is they told you the "SALE PRICE" is $24,833 then added at least $750 in "DEALER FEES" to get you back near invoice.

There is no way you could get $1000 under invoice with nothing down and no massive dealer fee. Dealer holdback is only $831.60 and they wouldn't even be able to give you all of that. The dealership has to MAKE money to pay the employees and pay the electric bill, etc.

imaginary · March 2010

Has anyone here bought a Forester with options that are not factory installed? From what I've seen on the Internet, the puddle light kits and interior illumination kits are not factory installed. I'm wondering if the dealer HAS to install them when the car arrives from factory order or the dealer gives you the option of allowing you to do it yourself or pay your mechanic to install it her/himself. And then I'm curious if they're still covered under the warranty if you do it yourself or have your own mechanic install the non-factory installed options.

I was quoted under invoice quite a bit but I'm pretty sure the "special dealer fees" my salesperson e-mailed me about are in addition to the labor fees to install my other options.

ateixeira · March 2010

Most are port-installed, i.e. they're installed here in the US after they arrive by ship.

The advantage of that is you don't pay labor and they're covered by warranty.

You can install them at the dealer but then you have to pay for labor. They should still be covered by warranty.

Finally, you can install them yourself, but then they're not covered by warranty, IIRC.

nycjsw · March 2010

Virginia
Got a 2010 Forester 2.5x Premium Edition with AT, All-Weather Package and popular option 1b.
MSRP = $25,341
Got the price down to $23,330 with All-Weather mats included in the deal.

Out the door at $24,340 with taxes, tags, processing fee etc.

So far we are very happy with the car and the dealer was great to work with.

gopalan · March 2010

hi

I got the following offer from Atlanta:

2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium w/All-Weather Pkg SUV.
Options:
* All Weather Floor Mats
* Auto-Dim Mirror Compass
* Black Cargo Tray
* Rear Bumper Cover
* Side Cargo Net
* Splash Guard Kit

Invoice: 23,730
document fee: 499
title:43
price:24272
tax 6%:1456.32
Drive Out:25728.32

I said I will be trading for my 2000 honda civic lx 120K kbb good value:2200

Invoice: 23,730
Trade in:2200 -
document fee: 499 +
title:43 +
price:22072
tax 6%:1324.32
Dirve Out:23396.32

I asked them 22000 drive out. Their new offer is 22890 + (2.9% 5 year). I think yours is better than mine.

Thanks

nycjsw · March 2010

I used the guide given at the autobrag website that showed you should pay about 7.27% to 10.27% below MSRP. I did not have a trade in. See what Carmax will give you for your old car. Edmunds will give you the MSRP of you car with all the options. Also, I did all my deal over the phone over 2 hours (lots of phone call back and forth). It helped being at home by the computer on my home turf

Good luck

biancar · March 2010

Are you in the northern Virginia region? If so, which dealer did you work with?

I am still checking inventory on line, want to drive both a Forester and an Outback (and a couple of non-Subarus) before making my decision.

2013 and earlier-Subaru Forester Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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