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Subaru Crew - Dealers & Pricing
bonnie_rick
Member Posts: 115
us. Recommend a dealer, and tell us the deal you
got!
Bonnie Rick
Town Hall Community Manager, Edmunds.com
got!
Bonnie Rick
Town Hall Community Manager, Edmunds.com
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I love my Subaru as much as the next guy, but even I have to admit dealers have not scored well in recent surveys (JD Power, Automotive News).
Let's share our experiences, and reward the dealers that are honest and treat us with respect by offering them our business.
Also, the "how much over invoice" question is a frequent one, varies by region, and changes constantly. How to keep up?
Let us know what you paid, where, and tell us about your experience. Also, share URLs to your favorite dealer to help potential Subaru owners out.
-juice
Garry at SCOA
www.subaruclub.com
I paid about $200 over invoice in August 1998 for a '98 Forester L. That was the first year for the Forester, when it was in hot demand. I visited three dealers, too, all in the DC suburbs.
College Park Subaru didn't have a 5 speed in stock. The dealer at the Auto Mall on Rt. 29 had a 5 speed but would not come close to the ad price I had for Farrish. Finally, I went to Farrish and bought mine.
However, I do not recommend them. Farrish sales staff kept playing with the price, very vague. I had to be firm to get them to commit to a set price.
I've taken a friend to Fitzgerald Subaru and he was treated much better, and got a better deal to boot (just under invoice for a '99 Outback last summer). They have a no-haggle policy, and post their prices openly on the web:
http://www.fitzgeraldautomall.com/carfind/search.asp
They're currently offering 2001 Foresters for $300-400 over, Imprezas for $100-300 over, and Legacy/Outbacks for $50-800 over invoice.
-juice
The buying process through carOrder was not without its hiccups, but I'm very happy with the deal I got.
Manny
With the low CDN dollar and the proximity to the US border americans can probably get a pretty good deal
Congrats on the purchase.
Manny: that's unreal. I think you were one of the lucky few to get an amazing deal from carOrder.com when they were trying to get their foot in the door.
-juice
Phil
Like Juice, I live in the Washington DC Metro area. Last month, after looking at several vehicles (e.g, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV 4, Town & Country AWD), my wife and I decided to go look at a Subaru Forester. I checked Edmunds for invoice pricing and looked at a few websites (Carsdirect, Greenlight) to get an idea on the "going price" for the car. I went to a local dealer that also sells Jeep and Kia and was underwhelmed by the tactics of the salesperson. They seemed mildy interested in dealing, not very serious. I kinda felt like I should take a shower when I got home.
I then called Fitzgerald Auto Mall and spoke to a very nice person ("Marc") who offered me by telephone to sell a 2001 L Forester at dead invoice. Unfortunately , they did not have one in stock and I needed to take delivery immediately. I phoned Stohlman VW/Subaru in Tysons Corner Virginia and spoke with their internet manager "Tom G" who offered to meet Fitzgeralds' dead invoice price. I checked Stohlman's inventory on the web and found that they had an Arctic White 2001 Forester S Automatic in stock without any additional options. This was exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, when my wife and I decided to purchase the car and went back to the dealership, Tom was out so I dealt with another person who didn't seem overly interested in the deal; I felt as though I was an inconvenience but he was nonetheless willing to make good on Tom's price for the 2001 S at the dead invoice price of $21,990 plus $125 processing fee. (I don't necessarily mean to judge the salesperson who sold me the car, someone else might get along with him great; he and I just did not hit it off. I only wish that Tom would have been there to complete the deal.)
We are happy with the car and would deal with Tom G at Stohlman anytime and highly recommend him. (I would not deal with the person who sold me the car again.) The dealership is incredibly busy on Saturdays and Sundays, but it appears that they are willing to deal fairly and are honest and trustworthy.
I had the windows tinted at LA Tint. The car is really beautiful. My wife loves it. (But what does she know, she's only a girl.)
Regarding a favorite link, I really like www.dealernet.com. Using the drop-down menu, you can search for dealer links in a 200 mile radius of your home. Even better, you can easily get a list of the inventory of dealers within a 200 mile radius of your home.
So Juice, if you're ever in the Tysons Corner area and see that white 2001 Forster S with tinted windows and a happy, smiling driver, please wave.
See ya.
Thanks,
Faye
There was a hilarious story over in the Forester topic where one of the guys joined and then wondered out loud if he should get a canoe! Cracked me up...
Richard: bargain, dude! I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Consider yourselves lucky, though. I visited Fitzgerald today and the only S they had sold while I was there.
The Premium package has the sweetest, largest moonroof I've seen IN MY LIFE! It's MASSIVE! At least twice as big as my 15"x30" aftermarket roof. It serves the front and rear passengers, on both sides!
Faye: hang in there. Dealers are independent, so try more than one. Hopefully someone near you can make a recommendation.
-juice
Since my car came without any options other than automatic transmission, I have been looking to add some things. I found www.subaruparts.com which has the best prices around.
I'm considering the rear cargo cover, rear cargo net, auto dimming mirror, woodgrain trim package and the tweeter package. Any suggestions on the level of difficulty for the installation of the auto dimming mirror, tweeter package and trim package? Any suggestions on other worth while options that I can self-install.
Regarding the Forester, I have owned it a little short of a month now, have put about 900 miles on it, and find it flawless. Lots of fun to drive and very sure-footed. A co-worker of mine saw me drive in the parking garage at work and commented on how beautiful the car is. (I must admit that the rear tinted windows contrasting with the white car along with the alloy wheels make the car very attractive.) First time I have ever owned a vehicle that someone told me it was beautiful.
Hey Juice, any local rallys or shows planned that would be worth while to attend. What about local Sube clubs?
Thanks again for a really fun site. I gotta go and read the other Subaru Crew boards.
www.acanet.org. When you join you get a flyer with the details for the 3 year maintenance package.
Phil
Pick up the car Mon.- can't wait!
Following information on this site, I e-mailed a few dealers. They respond that they will respond and then don't. I visited two dealers Friday and they were way above invoice and one was over $400 more than the other and insisted it was his best price. I would like to sell my 96 Legacy Outback 2.5, rather than trade. Any ideas about the best way to do that? Are Autobytel classified ads any good? The Internet Manager of the Dealer I bought my car from, Monadnock Subaru, quoted me a very high price.This is why I HATE to buy a car. I don't mind traveling 150 miles from my home in SW New Hampshire to buy my car.Any HELP would be appreciated.
Richard - by now you've probably found the Events topic.
Phil: thanks for the link.
Julie: don't sweat the price, those are indeed hard to find. The price for the moonroof is a total bargain. I believe it's $1000 plus includes other options, right? Less than that at invoice. A power roof alone (aftermarket) is about that price, and no way it's that big. (imagine my jealousy!)
tex: the dealer pays very little for that warranty. You can follow Edmunds links from their pricing page to get quotes for extended warranties, then compare those to what the dealer offers (you could always buy it yourself later). Price will vary with the length, a lot I'm sure. The powertrain is covered for 60k miles, which is reassuring.
-juice
Thanks
http://edmunds.com/partners/1source/index.html
Though I personally don't find them worth the cost.
-juice
The best, comparably huge, selection is at Santa Monica Subaru. Our Forester had just come off the delivery truck that day! The salesman there was very knowledgable about the vehicle. The money man gave us a good deal. Then came the problem.
We had been warned about the finance guy. I don't think I should mention any names (am I supposed to?) He was a real "character" (bluster and attitude). When it came to paper signing time he had added $50 to the price previously agreed upon. My husband caught it right away. It was corrected, but there was no apology. Then he berated us for not wanting the extended service contract. (As he had also done to the folks who had warned us about him.)
Just a warning from our personal experience.
That makes our voices more powerful.
-juice
PS Unfortunately, due to economies of scale, the huge multi-brand dealers are all too common. None of the dealers I've seen is exclusively Subaru.
Sorry to hear about your experience with "the finance guy." I purchased my '00 Forester through carOrder.com, and picked it up from Irvine Subaru. It was actually Irvine Subaru's finance guy that did the vehicle check and customer walk through. Zero pressure to get an extended warranty, and they only sell Subies, so they had a pretty large selection of vehicles.
If they were closer, I'd definitely take my Forester back there for service. The closest dealer to my location (San Diego) is one of those multi-manufacturer dealer (Chrysler, Plymouth, Isuzu, and-oh-yeah-by-the-way, Subaru). I've heard mixed things about their service department; but I figure I'll give them a try with the 3,000 mile service. It's just an oil change and tire rotation -- should be pretty hard to screw that up (knock on wood).
Manny
Thanks for the info.
Skip
I took my dad to Fitzgerald over the weekend, to look at Foresters. Oddly, he though mine was small but insisted the 2001 he saw at the mall was bigger (ok, if you insist...).
They ended up falling in love with the Outback Limited. He almost bought it, but decided to wait until July when he actually moves here (he was just visiting).
Price was $25.7k for an automatic with CD changer and several other small options in Winestone Pearl, which was $200 over invoice. Though they do have internet pricing at $100 under invoice, my dad wanted the free service loaner and discounts they offer with the regular deal.
So he's planning on another trip to the same dealer. The pricing was right on the window, no pressure and no hassles. He's dead-set on going back to the same place.
My cousin has one, so it would be the 3rd Soob in the family
-juice
Just out of curiosity, who was the salesperson that you talked to? Too bad that Dolly is no longer with them (moved to Florida).
Their Sales Manager, Marc Painter, is another good guy to talk to or deal with.
Great to have your dad as a Soobie owner!
Francisco
They have another guy there, but he selling the only Forester S Premium they had in stock (2nd time I visit when that was happening).
Good to have Marc's name, but I doubt we'll need it. The staff were curteous and put absolutely zero pressure on him. Price was set and up-front.
He even agreed that my dad should wait until he moves here to buy it. Dad didn't want to leave a new car abandoned for months, so I KINDLY offered to "care" for it while he was gone. Nope, darn.
-juice
Bob
Um, not to be critical, but doesn't that statement describe 99.99% of the world population, much less a poor salesperson?
..Mike
tincup
He was able to find the strap you have to lift to fold the rear seat bottom forward. Once we had that, it was easy. I still found removing the headrests a pain (my Forester you just pull the knob and plop it down flat, in two seconds flat).
On the other hand, the rear seat is downright luxurious in the OB Ltd. Leather is sweet, the moonroof opens in the right place. It's comfortable, with plenty of room for me and my 16 year old sister to spread out, even with a baby seat between us.
Every time I see it, I'm impressed with the cargo compartment. It's truly huge and useful. Especially the width, it's impressive. It may not be as tall as mine, but that's it. Tie downs are everywhere. Liked the child seat tether anchors, the new cup holders, the side air bags.
Which, by the way, are ergonomic touches Mike taught me to look for. I used to go to the dealer and drive it hard, and then buy it, before even noticing much else!
-juice
I live in the SE PA area. The two dealers that have been most willing to deal via Email have been Fred Beans in Doylestown, PA and Becker Subaru in Allentown, PA. Becker offered me invoice as well, but I don't remember them mentioning this advertising fee. I will have to Email Becker again to see if they are adding this fee as well.
Again, thanks for the info.
Talk to you later,
Skip
tj796
The advertising fee is legitimate; nevertheless you should be able to get it reduced or removed, especially if you have a competing offer that does not included it.
I bought my Legacy GT sedan for 1% over invoice, and when all the taxes, tags, etcetera were thrown in I still paid less IN TOTAL than the sticker price. That's a good enough deal for me.
Cheers,
WDB
TJ: that price is way, way low. Consider the car new, and deduct, say 15 cents per mile or so, and you still get $8,100 off. Then knock off 10% a new car loses immediately. It's still worth about 15 grand.
I'd have it checked thoroughly, though. It may have been abused in races or off-road. Also check for body damage and frame repair.
-juice
Stephen
A few weeks after I purchaced the outback I decided I wanted the extended warranty (7 yr or 100,000 miles w/no deductable). Her dealership gave it to me at $200 over invoice. The best my local dealership would do was $600 over invoice!
I've been in Houston and bought the car here, but will be driving it to Massachusetts next week. There was no way the New England dealers could touch the deal I got here.
Though Texan Subaru fans are going to be upset that you got one of the few ones allocated to that area
You're probably right, though. In NE Soobs are a hot commodity. Even here in DC every Premium I see sells in front of my very eyes (twice already).
-juice
PS I have only seen them in person in white, not black yet.
Sounds like your experience was much better than mine. Farrish Subaru pulled the old bait and switch, and though I got a good price the experience was painful.
They took a deposit, but didn't cash the check, which I found odd.
-juice
Chris
Jeff
We could have bought off the lot but we ordered to get exactly what we wanted. Click on my profile (the "miksmi" in the subject of this post) to read about the ordering process.
..Mike
..Mike
I have a Legacy L Sedan with the 5 speed.
I did have some trouble adjusting to the shift gate for quick 5th to 4th downshifts, but now that we have had 3000 miles together, the Legacy and I understand each other.
I am very pleased. The 5 speed offers:
improved performance
better highwqay MPG
$800 savings in initial cost...
plus I enjoy working the gears.
I did test drive the 4EAT automatic and it is a very capable automatic. So, if I go for a walk in a minefield someday and loose a leg, I could be happy with the automatic.
But for right now, everything works, so I enjoy the 5 speed.
gearhead4
The 5 speed in my Forester is similar (it's actually improved since then). The clutch pedal is very light and easy modulated. The shifter gives good feedback so you know when it's in gear, and what gear you're in. Matching revs for downshifts makes for smooth, fun driving.
There is a nice dead pedal in the Forester, not sure if the Legacy has one too (Mike?), but I imagine it does. No regrets here.
However, if you must drive in traffic a lot, and conduct business in your car, or you have lots of young kids distracting you, the auto is quite efficient and offers a very modern AWD system. The engine's torque characteristics (lots, low down) also mate well to either tranny.
Good luck.
-juice
-Paul
Thanks,
WDB
I still wonder, though, if you have an RV / motor-home, why would you tow a Subaru? I would probably get one of those little Jeeps for serious off-road driving, and tow that, and/or a super econo-box like the Geo Metro, or maybe now one of the hybrid 70 mpg cars. Take the RV when you need lots of hauling, take the Insight (or whatever) when you want to save $ on gas. :-)
I believe with the auto there is a fuse you can pull for towing that makes it FWD, but you need to lift the front wheels off the ground.
-juice