Ask the Car People.SM


Subaru Forester Prices Paid and Buying Experience

3515 messages,  Last post on May 24, 2013 at 2:56 AM

You are in the Prices Paid - Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Wagon, SUV

Messages Page 321 of 352

#3196 of 3515 Subaru shortage? by galever

Apr 14, 2011 (1:14 am)

My 2010 Subaru Forester was recently totaled. I will soon have my money from the insurance and plan on purchasing a new Forester.
 
I recently went to my dealer and he implied that because of the quake and Tsunami in Japan Subaru's were in short supply and that prices would be going up.
 
Has anyone heard anything about this? I know it affected Subaru and other Japanese car makers, but was wondering how much was the dealer just trying to make a buck.

#3197 of 3515 Re: Subaru shortage? [galever] by jogousa

Apr 14, 2011 (3:58 am)

Replying to: galever (Apr 14, 2011 1:14 am)
You should get a car that is "in stock" on dealer's lot at previously advertised prices. Alternatively, you can shop around at different dealerships within 100 or 200 miles radius or more.
Another option is to buy "used" Subaru that is still under warranty with options that you want.
 
As far as I know, Forester is still made in Japan. Most others are assembled at SIA's plant in Indiana.
 
Some dealers may be asking for "sticker" prices due to this shortage and may not be willing to give customers any discounts.
 
Most other dealers selling Japanese brands that are truly made in Japan may do the same. But most of them also sell Japanese brands that are assembled in the U.S. and Canada where there are sporadic shortages, mostly of parts or components that are made in Japan.
 
How did you "total" your Forester? What prompted your insurance company to total your car? How many miles you had on yours and how much did you get for it?

#3198 of 3515 Re: Subaru shortage? [jogousa] by ateixeira

Apr 14, 2011 (11:13 am)

Replying to: jogousa (Apr 14, 2011 3:58 am)
Yup, all Foresters are made in Gunma, Japan, and not only did the plant close, it's *still* not operating at full steam.
 
To add insult to injury, Forester was in short supply before any of this happened.
 
I would also try to find one you like from stock, and price shop other dealers. I'm afraid it has indeed become a seller's market for Foresters, however.

#3199 of 3515 2012 Forester by logtrail

Apr 17, 2011 (9:58 am)

I'm considering trading in my 2006 Forester for a 2011 since a local dealer is supposedly giving 125% of Kelly Blue book on the trade. What changes are predicted for the 2012?
If there was a 6 cyl, a 5 or 6 speed transmission, or a diesel I would hold off and wait for the 2012s to come in.
    Any information?

#3200 of 3515 Re: 2011 Forester 4dr Auto 2.5X Premium w/All-W Pkg & TomTom Nav Price [xwesx] by rustythepuppy

Apr 18, 2011 (12:07 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Jan 16, 2011 2:28 am)
i went into kendall fairbanks before i had my first oil change to find out what kind of oil my subaru required - the service manager wouldnt confirm it was synthetic. then i go in for my first oil change, and they advised me that synthetic IS required. I am glad that i didnt require oil before that.

#3201 of 3515 Re: Subaru shortage? [galever] by pip3

Apr 18, 2011 (3:27 pm)

Replying to: galever (Apr 14, 2011 1:14 am)
Try other dealers. I bought a new forester last weekend and was able to get a good price. It's true that there must be some shortage currently, but maybe this has been offset somewhat by people's fears about getting parts, warranty issues, even radiation exposure. A couple of the dealers I talked to said they had more foresters that were in port and on their way (and had copies of the stickers to prove it.)
 
For the last decade or so, once I decide on the vehicle I want, I always do my negotiating via email, contacting several dealers in my region within a reasonable distance. I let them know that I am comparison shopping and researching price with Edmunds and Consumer Reports. I ask for their rock bottom price and sometimes it comes in right about where it should; sometimes I have to counter offer.
 
This time, I contacted 5 dealers within about an hour's radius. Out of the 5 dealers, only ONE used the shortage to try to seriously rip me in price. I would say the other 4 were all fair, and 2 were actually below edmund's TMV. The other 2 were close enough. There was a 700+ holdback on the car, so they had plenty of room to make some money.
 
In addition, a couple of them didn't even have the color car I wanted (options were all remarkably similar in this region) on the lot and were willing to get it for me at the good price. A guy might tell you there is a shortage and so he won't deal much, but a buyer in the hand is worth.....you know the saying. The guy that refused to go below his so called good offer (3 % above invoice) was claiming that Edmunds TMV was not accurate supposedly because of the shortage vs high demand. Meanwhile, I had 4 other MUCH better quotes and crossed him off my list.
 
Be respectful, but let them know you have done the research...it really pays. I bet there is a dealer close to you that actually wants to sell a car today.

#3202 of 3515 2010 Subaru Forester XT Purchase Price by saabski

Apr 26, 2011 (7:38 am)

Hello all, I was currently shopping for a Volvo XC60, but decide to purchase a Subie instead (due to its capable AWD). I found a Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Subaru Forester XT with navigation with 20,400 miles selling for $26,995. I was thinking of offering the dealer $24,000 plus tax and TT&L. Does this sound more than fair for CPO vehicle? Also, what does CPO warranty cover on Subarus? Is CPO warranty just a Powertrain warranty like rest of the manufacturers? Subaru website wasn't much of help. Dealer is also telling me that it's better to go with brand new for pricing purpose. But I really think I could pull trigger if they can meet my price expectations.
 
Thank you all for your advice-I live in South Texas.

#3203 of 3515 Re: 2010 Subaru Forester XT Purchase Price [saabski] by ateixeira

Apr 26, 2011 (10:52 am)

Replying to: saabski (Apr 26, 2011 7:38 am)
CPO should cover Bumper to bumper, no? Ask the dealer for a list of what is covered.
 
It costs them a bunch because they have to inspect, recondition, then pay for the warranty, so I'm guessing it's worth about ~$1.5-2k more than a non-CPO.

#3204 of 3515 about to buy - financing question by ball_breakr

Apr 27, 2011 (12:41 pm)

Hi everyone,
  I put a deposit on a 2011 Forester Premium Auto yesterday at a dealership near me in Massachusetts. Very happy with the deal I got - sent it around to other dealers that say they beat other dealers offers, and nobody wanted to touch it. The internet sales manager was great to deal with, and everyone at the dealership was pretty helpful and nice.
 
In going through the financing, however, something happened that I wasn't completely comfortable with, and I wanted to run something by the group to see if I was being told the complete truth. I'm planning on financing close to the whole amount, either for 60 or 72 months. The current promotional rate Subaru is offering is 2.9% for this time period. My credit isn't great, and I was planning on having my Father co-sign with me to help get the best rate (the 2.9%). The finace manager a the dealership told me that even with the cosigner, I probably wouldn't get the best rate because they would take/use some combination of our credit-worthiness. He was able to get me a rate on my own of 4.19%, and thought the best we would do with my Dad on the loat was 3.9% so he thought it wasn't worth it. My parents live in NY, and we would have had to overnight the credit application to them and have it overnighted back.
 
I understand his logic, and the difference between 4.19 and 3.9 is pretty marginal, and I'm fine with getting the 4.19 if the best I could do with a cosigner is 3.9. But I got the distinct feeling he just didn't want to bother with the overnighting and/or he didn't want me to get the lower rate (the 2.9%) because that's less money for the dealership/Subaru.
 
I guess my question is - would I really not get the 2.9% even if I had my dad as a cosigner? Does that seem correct?
 
I'm really interested in hearing what people think. Thanks!
 
Pat

#3205 of 3515 Re: about to buy - financing question [ball_breakr] by xwesx

Apr 27, 2011 (3:47 pm)

Replying to: ball_breakr (Apr 27, 2011 12:41 pm)
It's hard to say. Your credit must not be too bad if the rate came back at 4.19 for you alone. Depending on the quality of your father's credit, he might pull you up sufficiently.
 
I co-signed on a car with my brother (who has very little credit history and a marginal score at best) because the dealership was looking to charge him 14.9% on a loan (this was back before the economic crash when auto loans were typically in the 6-7% range for great credit). I think he ended up going with a 7.9% offer through a credit union with me cosigning (13.9% without), but the original dealership came back with an 11% offer with me on the ticket. I told them to take a hike. We neither financed nor purchased from that dealership.
 
The dealer should be able to run the credit report for your father and offer a rate before issuing the loan application. Only after you have accepted a financing offer would the documentation need to be mailed out for signatures.
 
I purchased my last two Subaru vehicles 2,200 miles away in Seattle, and both times I financed them and left home with all paperwork completed and license plates in-hand. When I arrived at the dealer, all I needed was a key.

Messages Page 321 of 352

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement