2013 and earlier-Subaru Outback Prices Paid and Buying Experience

sandman1318 · December 2007

I emailed Subaru and was told, "Our records do indicate that you purchased a 3 year/45,000 mile Subaru Added Security Classic Plan with a $100 deductible for your Outback." I want to elaborate on something though; Whether I paid $260.00 or $2.60 is not the issue. What bothers me, is that it's looking more and more like I've been lied to by the salesman. According to the agreement, it is 100% refundable within the first 60 days. BUT, if I'm to believe "it's a gift," I'm probably not going to ask for a refund, (or so the salesman no doubt would think.) I was also lied to about "everyone who buys a new Outback gets this "gift." I just caught my salesman trying to pull another sleazy thing over on me but I won't get into that. Thanks for the reply!

hi_sharath · December 2007

Planning to buy Outback Basic or i. One of the dealer in in Minneapolis, MN area quote me 20200 for Basic.

Please let me know the best price for both the models. :confuse:

Thanks in advance.

fxoffroad · December 2007

Yawn... contact the Attorney General in your state. Otherwise get over itsalesman, by their very nature, are sleezy. Unless, of course you buy a Saturn or a Lexus. :P

ateixeira · December 2007

Must be a dealer-specific warranty, probably not worth the paper it's printed on.

Frankly, I'd forget about it. It probably comes will all sort of strings attached, like having to do all the maintenance at that dealer.

What they really want is your service dollars. They don't make money on new car sales, so they make it on service instead. Enough that's it worth trying to secure your business by offering this "warranty".

sandman1318 · December 2007

I've been corresponding with Subaru and I did indeed pay for this Added Security agreement from. It is NOT a dealer thing and is from Subaru. They faxed me a copy of the application that I supposedly filled out and it's been added to my financing. (This was done AFTER the paperwork was completed and AFTER I left the dealership. All I can say, is the "you know what" is going to hit the fan, REALLY BIG, very soon!

dules · December 2007

If they faxed you a copy of the paper you filled out - did you fill it out? If you did, then you did, and that's your mistake (sorry). If you didn't, then it's fraud, and yes, that is a bigger problem.

Good luck!

sandman1318 · December 2007

Nope, I NEVER filled out ANY application for ANY "extras."

rickyriver · December 2007

I am in WI, and was looking for 2.5i outback auto. Up front, I was offered invoice - $250 (half of the holdback as they told us) - $1500 rebate + $99 service fee + tax + title + 0% APR for 2 years (if qualified). The car we were interested was about $24000 (invoice), so the before tax and fees price was about $22250.

After some haggling and told them we were buying today, they agreed to give us all of the hold back which was $498, and that brought the price down to about $22000 before tax and fees. We offered back $21500, and they rejected. We tried to walk out of the door, expecting they would stop us, but they let us go. So the deal did not go through. I guess $500 below invoice is pretty close to their bottom line (that is before the rebate, tax and fees).

Now I am not sure if I want to go back. If so, they will probably hold very tight onto the $22000.

sandman1318 · December 2007

rickydriver: You're one heck of a negotiator!! That's the way to do it, if you have that kind of patience. If they let you walk, that means they couldn't go any lower and still make a worthwhile profit. I would go back and offer them the $22,000, assuming it's within your budget.

xwesx · December 2007

Does the car have any accessories on it? MSRP on this car, including destination, is $25240. Invoice is $23745. Less the $1500 rebate to $22245. Hold-back of 498 drops the price to $21747.

$21,500 is dirt cheap; if they can sell it to you for that and not at a loss, they would likely need to be a volume dealership that receives additional incentives from Subaru.

I am all for tough negotiations - I do it too. But, if you want those negotiations to be fruitful, you have to go into it with the understanding that you want a good car at a great price, but you have to work within the constraints of the product to get there.

One way to get an additional discount on the car is to use Subaru Bucks from a Subaru Chase Mastercard, if you have them.

rickyriver · December 2007

The 2.5i has the popular accessories that almost every outback has: the arm extension, auto-dim mirror with compass, and rear cargo net. I think the MSRP is about $25637. It was silver.

The fishy things were: 1. the $99 services fee which they told me every car dealership charge it and they charge the least. But I have never heard off it at the other dealerships. 2. I saw somewhere on the web that subaru holdback is 3% of the MSRP which is about $750 to $800. If that's true, they are keeping $250 to $300 of the holdback after giving me the $498.

So I thought there was still some space to get the price down. When I offered $21500, you know I was ready to pay $21750 or more. They should know that too. I was expecting them to at least stop us from walking out and give me a chance to raise my offer. Even for $21900 I would have probably taken it. Unfortunately, they let us go. Maybe I gave them a strong buy signal that they were confident I will come back. Or maybe they really have no room to get the price down. Usually, the dealer will give me a call a day or two later trying to get me back to the negotiation. However, I realized that I did not even give them my number.

Before I walked in, $22000 was my prefect price, and ready to pay between $22000 to $22500. So I did tell the salesman my budget was $22000 when he asked me very soon after we walked into the dealership. The probably had sent them a strong signal of my bottom line. Then I spent more than an hour to check out and test drive the car. Then I was offered $22250. I was pleasantly surprised, but at the same time became very doubtful about my $22000 target price. Another pleasant surprise was they offered 0% for 2.5i. The last time I checked, it was 2.9%. But from $22250 to $22000, the price is only down $250. It did not look like much of a good negotiation. My wife, who had done no research and judged only from the $250 difference, had a strong feeling that $22000 would be way overpaid. So I was actually pressured by my wife to offer $21500. She wanted me to offer $21000, but I had no way to speak it out to the salesman who had been very nice to us and looked honest.

We are expecting our first baby at the end of February. So we want a safe car in the snowy Wisconsin, for my wife and the baby. She drives 45 minutes one way to work every day, so we like the outback over SUV because it has better MPG. But the second row space in outback is just not big. My in-laws will come when we have the baby for at least a month, and they don't drive. I just don't see there is a way to fit the car seat and two adults in the second row. I am not very sure if outback is a good fit for us.

rishiprasad · December 2007

I can tell you what happened. You probably agreed to a monthly payment price. You might have also agreed to a purchase price for the car. Lets say you agree to purchase car for 20,000. Then lets say the dealer says that comes to 420 per month and you say OK. Dealer has to disclose interest rate by law. I have not done the math but lets say that is 8%. Dealer knows you might freak if you hear 8%. So instead dealer throws warranty into purchase for $500. They pocket $300 of that profit and then the interest rate becomes 6.9% which sounds OK to you.

xwesx · December 2007

You probably would not damage your credibility if you contact them again within a day or two to find out if they had reconsidered at all on their price. I am not sure of the terms offered on the financing, but "0%" will result in significant savings for you as well, depending on whether or not you would finance it regardless. Even at $22K, you are getting a good deal on the car - not saying you should not hold out for better though if you can get it!

More importantly is that you are not entirely sold on the car at this point. Yes, the car will be a tight fit for 5 adults and an infant. You would all fit, but not comfortably, so the trips would need to be of relatively short duration. At only 1 month, though, that part is not all that important. With only one child, the Outback works well. We had an older Outback before and after our first child and it was a very comfortable car. After the second one, however, the car is full with 4 of us. There is no opportunity to take along a friend or family member of any size.

Fate intervened and destroyed our car, so we ended up with a minivan. The van is in a whole different league when it comes to family comfort, even if the driving experience is extremely mundane.

If it is about safety and durability in a car comfortable for commuting long distances, though, the Outback should fit the bill. Take a look at my carspace page, there are a couple shots of an '08 Outback fully loaded. After 5500 miles in three weeks with a 3-year-old and a 3-week-old, I still found it comfortable.

dules · December 2007

Thought I'd follow up on this. Very happy with our experience.

Got the 08 Outback 2.5i Limited w/VDC, PZEV engine, in the color of our choice (blue) today at the dealer I referenced in my original post, for 23,499 + sales tax and doc fee (don't have paperwork in front of me but it was under/right around $200 for registry, inspection, new plates, etc.).

The original price (24,200) was so good that no one wanted to match it, then a south shore dealer ran an ad for 23,499 which I asked them to match. They matched it no questions asked, but when we were leaving they told us that the other dealer is notorious for tacking on fees at the end (true or not, I have no idea - they ran a nice ad though!).

All contact was handled over the Internet and this sales person was incredibly nice, professional, not pushy, knew his product, responded promptly, etc.

This was Cityside Subaru in Belmont, MA, and I highly recommend checking with them if you're in the market for a new Subaru.

Thanks to everyone here and on all the Subaru forums - we now have an 03 Forester and 08 Outback - an all-Subaru family. lol.

---M

xwesx · December 2007

That is an amazing price! Congratulations - hopefully it will prove to be a reliable and rewarding car.

gf2020 · December 2007

First, a couple of comments on the recent posts above:

- for the buyer who walked out on the $22,000 price after offering $21,500, I would revisit that delaer this wekend. I bet they are looking to move extra cars before the end of the year.

- for the MA buyer who purchasd from Cityside, nice job. I have heard generally good things abut that dealership.

As for me, I just ordered a 2008 Outback XT 5-speed from Manchester (NH) Subaru. I wanted a manual transmission car in Quartz Silver and there are none to be had anywhere so I decided to order. Manchester priced the car at invoice minus $325 minus the applicable rebate at the time of delivery (probably in February). They also offered me a pretty good value for my truck in trade but with 6-8 weeks to kill I'll probably have it sold on my own. Merry Christmas to me!

paula191 · December 2007

I'm interested in purchasing an 08 outback and would like some input. We really like the leather seats but don't really want all the other extras on the limited. Today found a dealer (in Pennsylvania) with a 2.5(i) with dealer added leather seats in the showroom. Only other extra on the 2.5(i) was the dimming mirrors. They gave us a price of $23,800 ($1000 extra for the leather seats). Based on what I've seen it looks like we should be able to get the price down more. Thoughts?
Also, any thoughts on dealer added leather seats? Would it be better to pay more and get the limited if all we really care about is the seats? What about the VDC? Is that worth it? They gave us a price on the 2.5(i) limited with no additional options of $25,400.
Finally, they offered us $5,500 for our 2001 Outback with 95,000 miles. It is in good, not perfect condition. Based on the KBB site I think we should be able to get at least $500 more for the car. Any thoughts?

icdavi · December 2007

You guys in the north are getting some amazing deals. I was quoted $26,100 for a 2.5 i Limited w/ VDC and $27,800 for the same with the LL Bean package at my 2 local dealers here in Los Angeles (both prices after the rebates). They don't really sell a lot of OBs in So Cal so I understand the added cost ... but a few grand seems like a lot.

dules · December 2007

As you can see, I paid less than that for the 2.5i Ltd w/VDC. I don't think I'd spend 1K for leather when about 2K gets you the Ltd package including leather - better resale, I'd hope.

When I traded a nice condition Civic for my (then new) 03 Forester I brought the KBB and Edmunds evaluations with me. The car was pristine (pre-kids, lol!) and I argued for the "good" condition price, since they offered me the "fair" condition price and I figured they prob. never gave "excellent" condition trade in. We had already worked out the price of the new car, though, so it was just a matter of bargaining a few $ less out of my pocket.

Last word, I promise! Having bought 2 Subarus now in the past 5 years, I had fantastic experiences going with competitive Internet pricing; e.g. make it clear to the dealers exactly what you want and that the best, out the door price, gets the deal. As long as you are a serious buyer, this is probably a good place to start, at least.

Good luck!!!

M

dules · December 2007

OOh, that XT 5-speed sounds great! We had to go automatic because of potential babysitters driving. The Forester is a 5 spd though and I love it.

Do you live in NH or MA? I had wondered about the Manchester dealers as I'm in the Boston area, but was unsure how taxes would work. No complaints about Cityside though.

Enjoy your new wheels!

paula191 · December 2007

Thanks for the input. Your point about the limited is a good one. I would be thrilled to get the price you got. Perhaps I will bring your post with me. I will use the KBB and Edmunds printouts re the trade. We just decided to buy yesterday thinking we would get a good end of the year price but I don't think I'm going to rush into it without a little more preparation. Thanks.

dmiller1973 · December 2007

Dec. 30th and I currently have a price down to $21,400 for a 2008 Outback 2.5i.(from MSRP of $25,440, invoice $24,192

I just started this process and wouldn't really do this so fast but we know we want this car. Is this price really low in terms of the end of the month/year?

dules · December 2007

Is that out the door? If so, sounds good, looking back at what others have done of late. If you really want the car, this seems like a good time to get a good deal.

senthilk · January 2008

Why is everyone recommending the PZEV engine ? Some pointers would be appreciated.

dules · January 2008

Link to Subaru and the Environment

rickyriver · January 2008

Thank you to those who gave me advices and are interested in my experience. I just want to follow up with my story.

Long story short, I ended up buying a 2006 pre-owned Subaru B9 Tribeca from another dealer. It is 7 passenger limited with navigation and 39,000 miles. It was a rental car.

Here is the long version.
I was planning to go back to the outback on 12/31. But I also wanted to keep my option open and have all the ground work laid out before that day, so I tested drove a few other cars. I came across this tribeca. The car has been on the lot for more than 60 days. The dealer was so determined to sell this car that I think once he noticed I showed interested in it he intentionally keeping the price high for the other cars I was also interested. He offered me $22000 for the tribeca, and gave me $2000 for my beat-up trade-in that I bought for $3000 7 years ago. During the negotiation, he was not dropping the price for the tribeca, but kept increasing the trade-in price from $1000 to $1500 to $2000. I realized that is a trick for them. But I think the price is great, and the tribeca is an awesome car.

so with about the same price, I thought tribeca give me more car for the money. I hope I made the right decision.

tedstor · January 2008

I wasn't interested in extra features. I was buying the Subaru reputation for making an incredible, reliable AWD car. The Outback met all of my needs. I bought my base model with automatic transmission for 20700 out the door. I probably could have done a little better, but I still feel like I got a fair deal. I did about 95% of my shopping on the internet. I asked for quotes from 6-7 dealers and let them bid for my business. I probably spent a total of 2 hrs in dealerships, including the 45 minutes it took at the dealer that I bought the car. I the car cost 19, 800 and the fees, taxes, tags made up the other 900.
I hope this helps.

hi_sharath · January 2008

I am from Minneapolis around. I paid 20900 for outback i Manual Trans (MSRP: 24440). I got it on last Saturday.

I was wondering before that arm extension is useful or not. It is useful for 150$ and that too mine is manual trans.

I tried with few dealers and I felt it is good deal.

Got a internet price and nobody beat that. So one final price and it was easy shop.

ateixeira · January 2008

You did great. Back in May of last year (since it's 2008 now) that same car was $25k.

tifighter · January 2008

That deal sounds pretty good; effectively around $400 under invoice less rebate or so. If you tell me its Satin White Pearl, I'll get jealous.

Nice job!

senthilk · January 2008

I got a 2008 2.5 i Ltd w/ VDC (27695.00) + Equip Group 1D (381.00) + Center Armrest Extension (163) + Floor Mats (55)

for 26172.20 all included out of the door (tax in CO is 7.4 %)

I thought it was a reasonably good deal. The dealer was Heuberger Motors in Colorado Springs and the salesguy was Josh Slead who is pretty good.

I did the deal in person.

hi_sharath · January 2008

Nope Quartz Silver Metallic and dark grey interiors.

Enjoying the car.

xwesx · January 2008

We had to go automatic because of potential babysitters driving.

Haha, if babysitters will be driving it, you definitely do not want a turbo! :P

mangud · January 2008

I bought at Heuberger Motors in CO springs too. You got a little better
deal than mine. I am from Boulder area. I tried with one local dealer
and called up Heuberger Motors. Their first quote itself is better
than my local dealer. I didn't even negotiate as I knew the quote is
a good one. I am curious. Did you negotitate ? Based on your tax rate,
you must be from CO Springs area. My car is 3.0R LL Bean.

senthilk · January 2008

They did quote me earlier on a different car. That quote was quite good too.

When I actually purchased the car I did not even ask for a quote and simply offered 4.4k below MSRP (ignoring the destination charge). I finally got about 4.3k below.

I did not really negotiate. I love to negotiate and the salesman must have seen the look of determination on my face and pretty much gave me what I wanted.

Yes, I am in the COS area. Loving my car ! Quite a joy to drive it around.

ecycled · January 2008

Ok. I'm new to Subaru but am looking at purchasing a used 2003 Subaru Outback from a local dealership in Salt Lake City, UT. Car has had two owners and according to a VIN number check (Carfax) it looks OK. Mileage is just under 79k. Asking mid $12k range. Any thoughts on this car? Anything to look for when I test drive in next few days? Thanks.

Edward

ateixeira · January 2008

By 03 the head gasket issue was resolved, for the most part, but check these items anyway:

* inspect both head gaskets for oil stains
* inspect both valve cover gaskets
* inspect the front and rear main seals

Drive it, and listen for any drivetrain noises, turn off the radio and open the windows. Listen for noises from the differentials or the wheel bearings, common problem areas in past Subies.

If it's smooth, and the engine block is free of any signs of oil leaks, I'd buy it.

xwesx · January 2008

Listen for piston slap as well. Apparently it is not a longevity issue (though I have my doubts about that), but it sure is noisy and embarrassing. If it is present, you will not be able to miss it on start up, especially if the engine is cold.

gf2020 · January 2008

I live in MA and work in NH. I will pay the MA sales tax at the RMV when I register the vehicle.

gwnorth · January 2008

Hi,
I have been lurking a while here and had a quick question on pricing on an 08XT. I am interested in one with a manual transmission and have found one that is considered "pre-owned" on a dealer lot, even though an 08, and I am trying to get an idea on how close they are with pricing. On the website is lists 12 miles and for options it looks like it has the following:
6 Disc CD Changer
Air Conditioning
Alloy Wheels
AM/FM Stereo Radio
Anti-Lock Braking System
Center Arm Rest
Center Storage Console
Child Seat System
Climate Control
Clock
Compact Disc Player
Cruise Control
Cup Holders
Driver Side Air Bag
Driver Side Remote Mirror
Dual Climate Control
Fog Lights
Fold Down Rear Seat
Front Bucket Seats
Glass Moonroof
Heated Outside Mirror (s)
Heated Seat
Keyless Entry
Luggage Rack
Maintenance Free Battery
Map Lights
Panic Alarm Feature
Passenger Side Air Bag
Power Brakes
Power Door Locks
Power Driver's Seat
Power Passenger Seat
Power Socket
Power Windows
Premium Sound System
Protective Fender Trim
Protective Side Moldings
Rear Arm Rest
Rear Defroster
Rear Power Window
Rear Window Wiper
Rich Leather Upholstery
Security System
Side Air Bag System
Steering Wheel Controls
Tachometer
Tilt Steering Wheel
Trip Odometer
Vanity Mirror
XM Satellite Radio
They are listing it for $31,245 and I was trying to get a feel on what the true value of this car might be. This appears to be a great site and any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

pregan3 · January 2008

Hi - did you end up taking the 2.5i at $21,400? I just got a quote for $21,574 (taxes and registration not included).

This seems great - anyone think I should be able to do better (I'm in New England).

wreckerkat · January 2008

I've had mine (1996 Outback) for about 2 months. When I bought it, it needed an axle, four tires, an air filter, and that was it. It's a bit rough over bumps, indeed, but it doesn't complain too much around corners, or about going faster.

Save that, wonderful car, worth the $1700 I paid for it.

ateixeira · January 2008

That's cheap. About 4 car payments nowadays.

If it lasts longer than 4 months you come out ahead.

pregan3 · January 2008

Has anyone heard any prices paid for an '07 2.5i with 10k miles or less?

Dealers quote about 20k but I'm thinking more like 18k.

Any thoughts appreciated.

dcdame · January 2008

Here's the invoice info: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/outback2008.html#XT

Don't forget, if it's not being sold as new and if you're financing it, you'll pay higher interest rates - the spread can add a lot to your overall out-of-pocket cost.

Locally, I've found a new XT OB as much as $4500 below MSRP, but most I've seen are going for @$3250 below (all have ATs, though).

What part of the country are you in?

dcdame · January 2008

Search autotrader.com to get an idea - there are at least a few dozen dealer listings for low mileage '07 2.5i cars within 300 miles of where I live (Md.) with asking prices under $20K, including a dozen under $18K.

xwesx · January 2008

Back in September, I was also quoted $20K for an '07 Outback with 10.5K miles. I was going a little higher than I wanted, but offered $19.5K on it and was refused. I did not end up buying that car.

gwnorth · January 2008

Thanks for the reply and I actually did a little digging and called several dealers and got a quote I thought seemed reasonable. But after looking at your post that his number is not even close to $3k under MSRP so maybe not such a good deal? Dealer said it would take about 4 weeks to get from Subaru.

I am in Maine by the way.....

08 XT Limited with 5SM
MSRP $30,995
Selling Price $28,995 plus $300 title/dealer prep?

dcdame · January 2008

I still think that is WAY too much. Why is the MSRP so much higher than the base MSRP for an '08 XT Ltd 5MT ($28,540; invoice is $26,761)? The MSRP quoted reflects $2,455 in options. What are they and do you want them?

The '09s will be on dealers lots soon. I suspect that if you bought an '08 XT Ltd 5MT from Carter Subaru in Seattle (they have four per their website - blue, black, white, & red) and had it shipped, you'd still do better than the current offer (& would get it sooner). Also, I can't imagine that the price on the '09s will be THAT much higher to justify this price.

But you can do better in New England, too.

Just browsing around, I see that Maine Mall Subaru's website shows an '08 XT Ltd 5MT in Newport Blue Pearl with a $28,700 MSRP. So does Manchester Subaru in NH (MSRP $28,540).

Heck, I see that Keene Subaru in Keene, NH has an '08 XT Ltd. AT for $26,687 (sales price) - and an AT adds @$1000 to the price of a Forester.

The website of TriCity Subaru in Somersworth, NH, shows an Obsidian Black Pearl '08 XT Ltd. 5MT with MSRP of $28,767) in inventory.

Ditto Village Subaru in Acton, MA - Aspen White '08 XT Ltd. 5MT - MSRP $28,540.

Ditto Planet Subaru in Hanover, MA (Obsidian Black) - site shows '08 XT Ltd. 5MT MSRP $28,582 and invoice of $26,994.

Ditto Bertera Subaru in W. Springfield, MA (Steel Silver) - site shows MSRP '08 XT Ltd. 5MT $29,517 and invoice of $27,586 (includes tinted windows).

I found still more '08 XT Ltd. 5MTs at various Subaru dealers in NY state - all with MSRPs under $29K.

My point - if you don't want to wait for an '09, buy (for less) from a dealer in New England that has one in stock! Fax all the dealers that have what you want and ask for their best DELIVERED price (excluding tax, title & license, but including any dealership fees). They compete, you win.

dcdame · January 2008

OOPS! Nevermind the post above -- for that I was looking at Foresters (but not with my initial post where I gave you the prices I was finding locally on OB XTs). [I've been going back and forth on whether to buy an OB or a Forester and this time neglected to notice that this is an OB forum when I replied.]

BTW, $30,995 MSRP? Per Joe Spitz's website (cars101.com), that's the cost w/o destination (another $645).

Carter Subaru in Seattle does have a bunch of OB XT 5MTs, though.

2013 and earlier-Subaru Outback Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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