Subaru Outback Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Replying to: mikgars (Jun 26, 2009 11:20 am)

Thanks again for the suggestion, mikgars. I ended up buying locally today for $5,142 off MSRP and am pretty satisfied. With the $2K manufacturer rebate, I paid $3,302 under invoice once you adjust for the fact the dealership rolled destination into the final sales price and then lowered it again to absorb the doc fee I refused to pay but which they said could not be eliminated outright b/c it's preprinted on their paperwork for legal reasons.
 
I got the color I wanted, and they agreed to throw in the all-weather floor mats. And in addition to what I believe is a good out the door price, the salesman and F&I guy were professional(!!!). After all the hours/days/weeks of online research I did to prepare for this transaction - my first vehicle in 10 years - I had steeled myself for the worst. I did have some brief email exchanges with salesmen who weren't great, but that just made the winning salesman stand out so much more. He was the first to respond to my "blast" email (within 45 minutes), he provided a pdf of the window sticker with his offer so I knew there would be no bait & switch, he thanked me for giving him the opportunity to earn my business, he followed up promptly the next morning with another email (my preferred method of contact) even though he had my phone number, he ultimately agreed to everything I requested in our negotiation, and he treated me with respect through the whole process. The F&I guy was awesome - totally lowkey and straightforward. I was offered extended warranty, considered it and ultimately declined. There was zero pressure.
 
I just want to thank the edmunds community, because I learned A TON here. I don't believe I would have had a fraction of as good an experience had I not done my homework, and edmunds along with cars.com were both key in helping me become an educated shopper. Very cool.

Replies to this message:
• fendertweed (Jun 30, 2009 7:10 am)
  • 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 1:45 pm)
    • fendertweed (Jul 02, 2009 6:53 am)
• ateixeira (Jun 30, 2009 7:43 am)
  • 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 1:51 pm)
• mikgars (Jun 30, 2009 2:52 pm)
  • 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 5:07 pm)
    • abt1 (Jul 02, 2009 6:40 am) and 6 more...

Replying to: 1stin10 (Jun 29, 2009 10:21 pm)

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• 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 1:45 pm)
  • fendertweed (Jul 02, 2009 6:53 am)

Replying to: 1stin10 (Jun 29, 2009 10:21 pm)

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• 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 1:51 pm)

Replying to: fendertweed (Jun 30, 2009 7:10 am)

Hi, JC. I may have made my initial communication to the dealers sound, unintentionally, a little more mysterious than what it really was. By "blast" email, I just meant one email message going out to multiple dealers (three or four) at one time, requesting a price quote. I did this via cars.com, but edmunds and numerous other sites will, of course, assist with getting quotes for you.
 
In my case, I used cars.com to determine where I might reasonably travel to get the best price for the vehicle I wanted. When I found it was in MD, I made sure to copy the link from that dealer's web site, showing the price and the car's description, into the body of the message that was blasted out to the local dealers. I asked them if they could beat the price, and indicated if not, I would be flying to MD to buy the car in the following three days. (I already had plans to go to MD anyway.)
 
One dealership thought I was bluffing, so came back with a price $250 higher than what I asked them to beat. When I ignored them for a day, they began to email and call me every few hours as did another dealership. When I eventually told them I already had a deal, they quickly suggested they would beat that price if I walked away from the existing deal. I told them to forget it.
 
So ... did I get the lowest, rock bottom price I possibly could have gotten? No, because I didn't go back and forth amongst the dealers. Some may regard that as foolishly leaving money on the table, but I knew from my research that I was getting a very good price as it was, and I chose to honor the agreement I made with the salesman who demonstrated from the start that he was the most interested in my business and who acted like a professional throughout. To me, it really was not worth the extra $200 or so I might have saved to go back on my word with someone who had been straightforward with me and whose dealership has gotten good ratings with the BBB and elsewhere.
 
Hope this was helpful. I'm sure it was way more than what you were looking for, but I'm a little excited right now about the experience.

Replies to this message:
• fendertweed (Jul 02, 2009 6:53 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Jun 30, 2009 7:43 am)

Thanks, ateixeira! I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. And I'm also celebrating the fact I'm able to deduct the sales tax come next April.

Replying to: 1stin10 (Jun 29, 2009 10:21 pm)

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• 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 5:07 pm)
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Replying to: mikgars (Jun 30, 2009 2:52 pm)

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• abt1 (Jul 02, 2009 6:40 am)
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Replying to: 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 5:07 pm)

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• 1stin10 (Jul 06, 2009 1:33 pm)
  • fendertweed (Jul 06, 2009 3:06 pm)
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Replying to: 1stin10 (Jun 30, 2009 1:45 pm)