Subaru WRX Forum banner

Ask a Subaru Dealer

159K views 714 replies 194 participants last post by  TheWolverine 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,
As some of you may know I am a Subaru Dealer in North NJ. Quite few people asked if I could answer car buying questions for them so I thought I would put together a thread to help you guys out! Let me know what questions you may have. Lets keep this civil please and please no thread jacking, if you have advice for folks make your own thread, I dont want to be associated with other people's mis-information. So... Go ahead ask away!
 
#337 ·
Yeah we don't get VONs from SOA. We get VANs which are useless. Honestly VONs are waaay less than perfect anyway. no matter what you're going to have a tough time trying to track a WRX with Subaru's current system.
 
#338 ·
Hey rexxx, so I would like to get the Cobb access port for my 2015 Wrx but I'm concerned about the dealer saying it caused issues with my car and denying a warranty claim. I have read all 23 pages of the thread and saw that you said all dealers are different and to just ask them. My question is, how would i go about phrasing it when I do ask them?
 
#339 ·
Not trying to jump in on Clayton's thread here, but I see you're from Morgantown, and with that being said, you probably deal with John Howard Subaru.

I can tell you 100% that they're not a very "mod friendly" dealership. If you have a catback or just stage 1 on an accessport that you flash back to stock or something, that's fine, and if your car is stock, they will go to the moon and back to fix any problems that arise under warranty. It's not like they're out to get you when you're just going in for routine maintenance, etc..... but once you slap on that down pipe, your warranty is done, they go as far as checking the bolts for marring to see if the downpipe has been removed/swapped back to stock and everything if you have powertrain problems.
 
#340 ·
Yes, John Howard is where I bought it and where I would be taking it for servicing. I have no plans of modding except for a mishimoto cold air intake and I wanted to get a stage 1 tune to be safe and also improve the car. I just don't know if that would make them deny a warranty claim if, say the turbo went out.
 
#341 ·
As long as it's simple things like that, I highly doubt they would void your warranty. In that situation, you could remove your new intake, and flash your car back to stock. If you have that intake on when you take your car for servicing, however, they'll likely note it. A friend of mine took his 07 in to get the oil changed because his garage was being worked on, and his receipt had all of his visible mods listed, even though his car was clearly out of warranty. In the "comments" section basically said " Customer has installed the following aftermarket parts: blah blah blah blah" I guess they just try to cover their backside. So if going back to stock every few thousand miles for your oil changes is worth it to you then go for it.
 
#352 ·
I'd either give it to the next owner, or if they don't want it/we don't want to sell the car with it (like with an accessport, as a dealer we would rather return the car to stock for obvious reasons) I'd put it in my car or donate it to one of my previous clubwrx customers :drive2:
 
#353 ·
Few questions.

I'm a driver for Reliable Carriers, I have sea/air port access and permission to load personal vehicles on my trailer. Could I see any benefit to factory ordering and taking delivery at the port? I see no reason to involve a middle man to do my job for my car when I'm better at it.

On a related note, I have access to a supplier VIP discount blah blah call it what you will. After a cursory Google search it seems this is readily available to anyone remotely interested, and not the exclusive job perk we have been led to belive. My question being, I have a suspicion I'd be better off dealing with you. Granted that's not actually a question but maybe you can confirm/deny.

Lastly, what kind of down payment have you seen smooth over a lack of credit. I don't have a bad record, just a thin file.

I lied, one more. When I unload a vehicle on a dealorship lot, without fail I'm left waiting 20-30 minutes, sometimes with cold treatment as though I'm an inconvenience. Do you folks have an issue with car haulers? I understand that open rack guys can be difficult to deal with, but we're a different breed. The orange truck earns us a some level of respect everywhere but dealerships.

I'm not suggesting my time is any more valuable than the next persons, but that half an hour can mean a 2017 prototype or $3,000,000 bugatti is late, and everyone but dealerships seem to understand that and expedite our interactions.

To be fair, subaru has always treated us well.
 
#354 ·
Even with port access, I highly doubt you would be able to go to the port and pick your car up personally (although that would be great if you could).

As for the VIP program, I am not sure which one you mean exactly but I am assuming it is subaru's VIP program which is nothing special really and more expensive than my deal. I think VIP actually excludes STi/WRX but I'm not sure they may have changed it.

Down payment of 20% would be great to get around a light credit situation, but like most credit related questions, the answer really is "it depends". Certainly the more you put down the better.

As far as shippers go, I have to admit they typically are super annoying from my end. Here is how it goes usually (Yes there are good shippers out there too, but like good car salesmen they're hard to find):

MR CUSTOMER: "Ok Clayton we're all set! I just got off the phone with the shipper, they will be there at 2pm on Thursday"
ME: "Ok Mr Customer, sounds good, I will have everything ready for then"
10 minutes later
Shipping Co: " Hi Carlton, were calling about Mr. Customers shipment, we will be there some time in the morning, either Tuesday or Wednesday"
ME: But I just got off the phone with the customer and he said 2pm Tuesday!? Do you know what time they would be coming on Tuesday or Wednesday?"
Shipping Co: "Hmm ok I'm not sure about that. I'm not the driver, but I will have the driver call you"
Me: Ok

A few days go by, the driver never calls. I call the shipping company again, they promise the driver will call. Sometimes he does, mostly he doesn't.

Its Monday now, I'm in the middle of writing a deal up and trying to handle another couple as the dealership is busy. All of a sudden a huge truck pulls up and parks illegally on the side of rt 17, effectively blocking the entrance to the dealership. A guy with a clipboard hops out and walks in.

Driver: "Hey is Carlton here?"
Receptionist: "Clayton? Yes he is with customers right now"
Driver: " Well I don't have time to waste here how long is he going to be?'
Receptionist: " I don't know, as soon as he is done I will let you know"

So I see this gruff truck driver staring at me while I am trying to do my thing, he is obviously annoyed at the lack of attention he is getting from me. I tell my customers I'll be back in a minute
Me: "Hi Mr. truck driver can I help you?"
Driver: " Yeah, I'm here to pick the STi up from Mr. Customer."
Me: "Ok well nobody called and you're a day early, the car is not ready to go, it's at our other storage lot"
Driver: "@%#% THIS IS RIDICULOUS, I HAVE TO BE IN MARYLAND IN 6 HOURS WITH THIS BUGATTI RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!!"
Me: "Well next time, call, make an appointment to pick up the car and I'll have it ready to go as soon as you come, at this point you are yelling in the showroom, interrupting 2 sales, and blocking the entrance to my dealership for 20 minutes. Plus the car is at a completely different location!" (at this point I'm sure I am coming off as an ******* too as I am obviously annoyed.)
Driver: Storms out mumbling curse words. Has to come back tomorrow, or in a few days later or whatever. Usually still doesn't call ahead, or shows up early or late, and a lot of times has to wait another 20 minutes while I have to rush to get the car.

So maybe your company is different but like 50% of the time this is exactly what happens with shipping companies, so that is why you're getting the cold shoulder from a lot of dealers. With that said, the good shippers who are organized and have good communication will have zero problems here.
 
#355 ·
Thank you for the thorough reply!

I looked into the discount, it's 5% under invoice and waived destination fee. So I think you'll be hearing from me.

As for that example of a driver's behavior, rest assured that man wouldn't last two weeks at reliable. I always call the moment I have your number, then 24 hours prior to ETA, then half an hour before pulling up. And you never never NEVER block the driveway of your customer =(

That being said, the only place we're actually legally allowed to park is called a truck stop =P
 
#356 ·
Sounds great! I wish all the shipping companies were like you guys.
 
#359 ·
I don't. They are making it so easy for me!!!
 
#360 ·
PM me a phone number and I will be happy to call you up with the lease program info, I just don't know how SOA would feel about me posting that in a public place and they do monitor these posts.

As for rebates/incentives, there are never any since we just don't need them. Subaru is literally the least incentivized car company on the planet excluding low production exotics. The silver lining is that you will not find out your buddy got it for 2k less than you on fourth of July or something.
 
#361 ·
Hi rexxx, I'm planning to buy a 2015 WRX Subaru Certified Preowned with under 6,000 miles. Everywhere I look shows a 7year/100,000 miles extended warranty for certified vehicles, but on the Dealerships website it only has it listed as the factory warranty 36month/60,000 miles. Does the Subaru Certified Preowned warranty vary by dealership?
 
#362 ·
All CPO cars are the same program... They have passed a 152 point check, have no major accidents, and come with 7 yr 100k powertrain and roadside assistance, that is from the original date of title (which you can find on the carfax). By the way I can probably match whatever you are looking at spending for something like that on a new car : )
 
#363 ·
Hello. I'm looking to lease a WRX base model. But I currently have a slight problem. I'm upside down in my 2012 Nissan Frontier SV. The pay off is 17,064.78$. Interest rate of 3.44.
I was wondering if you could tell me what my options are?
My goals are to get a 2015 or 2016 WRX base. With low monthly lease payments.
Thanks for your help.
 
#367 ·
#370 ·
Ouch sounds like more than 2k upside down but maybe not that bad if you're in the south. 2wd is a value killer here in the Northeast.
 
#372 ·
as far as I know that is true, I do a better price anyway, especially if you're military:thumbup:
Subaru has the very common VIP program you can get by working for a corporate affiliate or being part of an organization or club like the Mountain bikers of America club or whatever that gets you invoice less any incentives (which there never are rebates since Subaru dosent need price gimmicks to sell cars, so basically invoice) which explicitly excludes the sti/wrx models. That's what your dealer meant. Many organizations qualify for vip program pricing, you have to apply for a VIP letter and bring it to the dealer contact person on the letter.
The truth about these programs and Subaru is that they are all pretty much obsolete if you can use the Internet and negotiate decently well on your own.
 
#373 ·
Hi Rexxx0486. I'm new to the forum and stumbled on this thread which is just what i was looking for.

I'm in the market for a 2015 STI. There's 2 dealers within 50 miles of me both offering used 2015 STI's. Both Lightening Red, base models, no options. Pretty much identical except for mileage.

First car: Listed for $34,900. They said its was a Subaru corporate demo. Prob means it was beat on by journalists or something. Has 10,758 miles. I know its been offered for sale since March 3rd. I would think they would want to move the vehicle so I went in about 3 weeks ago to see if they would deal but they wouldn't budge off $34,900. I offered $31,000 and they didn't even make a counter so I walked but the sales woman has been emailing me periodically asking how my car search is going.

Second car: Listed for $35,888. They said they picked it up at an auction. Has 7,423 miles. I know its been on their lot for atleast 30 days now. I emailed them and went back and forth. Kept trying to get me in for a test drive. Mentioned i already test drove the other STI. Just wanted to talk price, they said they were willing to negotiate but would rather do it in person. So I went in to see what they were offering. They offered $34,888. I was a little pissed that they made me drive 50 miles to tell me they beat the other dealer's price by a whopping $12. Mentioned it to the sales manager and he said, "well $12 is a lot to some people." Told him I didn't like the price and offered $31,000 and even showed them a brand new 2015 Red STI i found on autotrader for $34k but they gave me the line about some dealerships can take a hit and how he has to pay the bills and keep the lights on and pay his employees. I showed him what Edmunds had his car appraised at, and he said he doesn't even look at book values on STI's because they are such a "special" car that you can't go by them. He kept saying he's only making about $500 profit off of what he was asking for the car and said he could try to get me financed for 7 or 8 years if I wanted a lower payment. Needless to say, I walked on that deal too.

Am I asking for a too low of price? Edmunds has the dealer trade in, and private party value under $31,000 so I was asking somewhere between private party and dealer retail. Should I try again to offer $31,000 but to a different sales associate, or maybe their internet dept, or email their sales manager directly with my offer? I would think that they would be more willing to deal, especially with the 2016's coming out soon and with those 2 cars sitting on their lots for so long.
 
#375 ·
31k is too low honestly considering the market on these cars, but 34900 is too high for a car used car with miles, you can buy a new one from me for less than that with 0 miles on it and a year newer. If you are somewhat local call me and give me a shot, I am not sure where you are from though. I will say this, if you are going to buy one of those 2 cars you mentioned, go with the Subaru demo. It wasn't beaten up by journalists, it was a short term demo given as a perk for a high ranked Subaru employee, like the director of marketing or something like that, typically an older guy who would not want to risk their job by blowing a trans beating on it or something like that... The other car being an auction car scares the crap out of me! What dealer would wholesale a nice 2015 STi in the first place if there was nothing wrong with it??? There must be a reason it went to an auction instead of retailing it.
 
#378 ·
@Shook187 yes i'm familiar with the Subaru name. It ranks up there with Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini......and yes i'm also familiar with an STI. I know its the three letters that makes all boys between the ages of 16-25 wet themselves while wearing their hats backwards and dreaming of putting on their "illest" sticker on the car.

So you say $31k is an EXTREMELY low offer........so what would you say is a good offer on a used STI with a dent and a paint chip on the hood? Oh yeah.....and its a base model with no options. You tell me. If you had the same exact car, how much do you think a dealer would give u for it on a trade in? Or if you went to Carmax, how much would they give u for it? Edmunds says $28,734 on trade in, $30,645 for private party, and $32,086 for dealer retail. Maybe Edmunds is wrong. Maybe they just pull these numbers out their ass for fun. I don't know, but as a consumer, I'm going to go by what these research sites say. Maybe $31k is low, but if it is, then they should come back with a counter until we can meet somewhere where we are both comfortable. I've only made my offer to the two dealerships that I visited. I have not made any offers to the dealerships I have emailed so that's not the reason why they are not replying to my emails. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that I'm not in their area. The two dealerships I went to, knew I was serious about purchasing. I wasn't there for a joyride. They ran my credit, they appraised my trade in, I talked to their finance people. They knew I was serious. The first dealership I visited, their sales person still emails me every week asking how the search is going and how I should come in and check out their brand new STI they got. I passed on the brand new one when they kept trying to pressure me into leaving a deposit on it when I came to look at the used one and told them I didnt like the color of the used on. They gave me some line about a single father with two kids that just got a big settlement check came in looking for a STI and I should hurry up and leave a deposit before he comes back. Well it's been over 3 weeks now, and the used STI and the brand new STI are still sitting on their lot so obviously that was just a tactic to push me into buying. I don't like to work with dishonest sales people so everytime she emails me, I just politely reply with I'm still looking.
 
#379 ·
@WishBone33 you made a terrible mistake by running your credit. Every hard hit inquiry, makes your FICO score come down and lowers your credit rating. But of course you already knew that right? So why would you allow them to run your credit if there was no terms agreed upon?

Also if you knew anything about Subarus you know nada is what dealers go by instead of checking those consumers online research that means nothing to a Subaru dealer. Unfortunately a car like a WRX dealers have no issues selling it off at retail. 31k for a 2015 STI even with a small ding is a pipe dream
 
#380 ·
Terrible mistake? Really? Like there's no coming back from running my credit? OMG my credit is ruined forever now because I let them run my credit. Yes I know running your credit dings it a little. I let them run it to show them I'm serious about buying and that I can get approved for financing. Obviously if I had terrible credit, then there's no reason for the dealer to waste their time talking to me if they know i can't get financing. By showing them I have good credit, that lets them know I can secure financing and that I'm serious about buying if we can come to terms on a deal.

You keep talking up Subaru's like its the world's greatest automaker and there some kind of magical aura around the Subaru badge. Yes I know they retain their value quite well. Yes I know they have a rally history. You can go on and on and on about almost any automaker to a fanboy of that automaker. Let's face it, you're a fan boy. You're one of those people that would still pay $25k for a 2005 WRX STI with over 150k miles on it because it's a Subaru and it's such a raw car. Really Shook187, Subaru is a good automaker. I get that but they are far from perfect. Their interiors are still not up to par for almost a $35k-40k vehicle. Their stereo is absolute garbage. They've been using the same EJ motors for the past decade. Yes you'll probably argue that it's a tested motor that's withstood the test of time, but lets face it, it's outdated and it's been outdated. The new FA20 motor is the more modern motor that everyone wants to see put in the new STI.

I would beg to differ on you about how dealers have no problem selling WRX's and STI's at retail. There's still plenty of WRX's and STI's sitting around on dealer lots. If they were so easy to move, then why have the 2 used ones that I've mentioned not sold yet? How about the new one that the dealership kept trying to get me to put a deposit down on? Why hasn't that one sold yet? Go look on Cargurus or Autotrader. It's not uncommon to see 2015's that's been listed for sale for over 2 months.

And I never said $31k is my absolute, firm, maximum, final offer. I was using it for a base to negotiate from. If I threw $31k at them and they said yes, great! good for me! Of course I would take it, but I was expecting atleast a counter offer.

And you never answered my question about what you think would be a good offer to make.
 
#381 · (Edited)
Guys, I don't want to start a flame war in here. I don't care if you guys want to start a thread I will break out the popcorn and read along, I just want to keep this thread in a clean and neat question and answer format so folks looking for answers can find them easier. Suffice to say you both have valid points.

Wishbone, if you are getting the same answer you don't want to hear from all the dealers, you may have to take a hard look at that and whether or not it makes sense for you to buy a car like this in this current market. Realize that the market price is whatever it is, justifiable to you or not. If that's what people will pay, that's what it will sell for. A lobster is easy to catch and looks like a big cockroach, but people will happily pay 30 bucks to eat one. McDonalds french fries cost .15 to make and sell for a dollar, I could go on and on here. Yes some of these used cars at retail price are still sitting there 2 or 3 weeks later. But I can tell you as a dealer that even if it takes them 3 months to sell it, if they are coming out $2000-3000 ahead of your offer I'm sure that doesn't bother them in the least. Call it fanboyism if you like but Subaru has the highest resale in the car industry, and STi has the highest resale of the brand. If you want to capitalize on depreciation you picked the wrong car and the wrong brand, period. Toyota Supra turbos sell for 40k 17 years later. I wouldn't buy one at that price but I wouldn't say that someone who did is an idiot either, they just want what they want. I have covered Edmunds in this thread already but suffice to say all the free car pricing guides are worth what you pay for them. Doing hard inquiries on your credit isn't great, but its not as bad as a lot of people would have you believe, I wouldn't worry too much, if you have good credit I'm sure you can afford to take a 10 point hit and still get tier one rates.
I know this sounds self serving (and it is) But why don't you just get a new one from me? You'll get a better interest rate, more warranty, and a price not far from what you'd pay for a used one. (less in some cases) You can see from experience that the depreciation will be minimal and commensurate with the use of the car for a year. If they were going to come close to your offer I'm sure they would have "what iffed" you by now.

By the way, you think your dealers are bad, check out this market report for used 2015 STi's from my VAUTO system(this is for asking prices and would average in limited and launch editions too, but still... HOLY CRAP!!!):

Distance
500 Miles
Market mode
Active

Competitive Criteria 2015 Subaru Impreza 148 vehicles
Series: WRX STi 41
Series Detail: (Unspecified), Launch Edition, Limited 41

Market Profile# Vehicles: 37
Avg. Odometer: 9,043
Avg. Market Price: $37,281
Odometer Adj: $-120
so in other words, for the 37 2015 used sti's currently for sale within 500 miles of ramsey NJ the average asking price is 37,281!
 
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top