When will subaru stop taking orders for 2013 WRX's?

[Jlax2485]

Hi guys,

Looking to order a 2013 WRX base hatch w/ no options. Spoke to a dealer today and they were telling me to get in there soon because Subaru will stop taking orders for 2013 models pretty soon.

I would prefer to wait until maybe late January to place an order, due to wanting to make a bigger down payment, but it would make me feel better to know for sure that I can wait until then and be able to place an order.

Thank you for your help/insight.

[rage-wrx]

Don't quote me on this, but I think they stopped taking orders for 2012 MYs in April of this year.

It would be hard to say when they would stop taking orders for 2013s ,since there is a rumored new model in the works for 2014. Their situation with not taking orders late in the year is understandable. They wouldn't want to be stuck with a car that no one wants once the newer model is announced.

Also,please refrain from starting more than one thread on a topic.

[TimboAA]

Down payments are irrelevant this early. Chances are it will take about 6 weeks for your order to arrive anyway if it is a true order that is fulfilled and not a swap from another dealer.

Put down what you want for the deposit now ($100-500) and then as you wait for your order to come in you can save up more money. You can put more down on the day you sign the paper work. My dealer never gave me an ETA for the car and yours probably won't either, but you could count on at least 2 weeks.

My "guess" is they would stop taking orders by Feb. or March and end the production run for that model year. Per the dealer, they aren't making all of the cars all of the time. They make 1 or 2 models at a time. So it all depends on when you catch the production, plus shipping time from across the ocean, then a week or so from when it arrives at port.

I feel you would be safe placing an order around your original plan...IMHO. Just make sure the timing is good for you.

[Jlax2485]

Thank you for the advice...sorry about the double post.

Do you guys know how a trade-in would work in a situation like this? I'm assuming that I just keep my car until the new one arrives and then once it comes in we try to come to an agreement on the trade-in price?

[Sheleileigh Law]

I would work on the horse trading numbers and all the pricing before so you know what's what up front

[Hank_VA]

You could give ebay a try. Just had a great experience selling my car for 2k more than the dealer would give on trade. I am without car for a week until my DGM 5 door is ready next Wednesday, but 2k is 2k!

[TimboAA]

If you trade in your car, you still get to use your car until your car arrives. I put over 1000 miles on my car from the time the negotiation started until I received my car and I let them know that if it takes them a long time it will have quite a bit more miles on it. I also told them if they take any longer they were going to end up getting my bald snow tires and wheels.

Since you appear new to buying a new car, this is usually how it works:

1. Go to dealer
2. Test drive cars interested
3. Work numbers on the price of the car... either play the monthly payment game or the total cost game. This car I played the total cost and the previous two I played the monthly payment game. Use the online calculators and assume you won't get the best rate.
4. Get the trade-in value of your car (check Edmund's True Market Value and Kelly's Blue Book). Knock off anywhere between a few hundred to a couple thousand depending on your market for what the dealer will actually give you for your trade. The trade-in value of your car is determined at this time even if you aren't picking your car up for about 6 weeks.
5. Haggle, walk away, do whatever. They can negotiate on all ends of the deal...such as giving you more for your trade, throwing in options, etc. Check out Hassle-free car-buying experience from a nationwide network of certified dealers. - TrueCar to see what the "fair market value" is on your car you are buying to make yourself feel better about the deal you will be offered.
6. When they say to you, "What can I get you to do this today?" And assuming the deal is okay on your end, tell them you will only do it if you can test drive some outrageous sports car on the lot. For me it was the STI.
7. Give them a deposit ($100-500 or so)
8. Wait and drive you car. Do burn outs, speed, don't do any maintenance to your car.
9. Pick up your car and drive off into the sunset.

[Jlax2485]

Thanks TimboAA, I have consulted truecar.com and know where I want to be (about 25,300.00), and know that I can go to a dealer and actually get that price if I cant make a deal at this dealership closer to my house.

My final question: is there any reason why a dealer wouldn't agree to order me a car straight from Subaru as opposed to trying to sell me one off of the lot?

Here's my thinking: I'm willing to wait two-three months for the order to come in, and during that time i'll be saving more money for a bigger down payment and making payments on my current car loan to put myself in the best possible position when I take delivery of the new car.

Plus I don't want a car that other people have test driven.

Thanks again for all your help.

[vREx]

^ Dealers always prefer to sell the cars on their lot. Generally, you'll get a better deals with the ones they have in stock then ordering one. I heard that they pay fees for cars they have on the lot, and the longer they keep them, the more they have to pay. Also, they want to clear out the inventory, especially when the end of the year is approaching.

[TimboAA]

vREx, makes a point. In the end, they would rather move what they already have. Think of it as running a yard sale. You don't sell your neighbor's stuff (although you might...), you sell your own to make room for more stuff...to sell again at a yard sale in the future.

My salesman told me I could get better pricing if I were to order the car. That and they didn't have a single hatchback on the lot. When they did get one it was my last color choice. Time was also on my side...as it should be yours. Even if time isn't on your side, you want the dealer to think it is. There is no reason they wouldn't agree to order a car for you either unless production as stopped. After all, they still want to earn your business. It's not uncommon for a WRX/STI buyer to be particular about their car when purchasing new...and that was straight from the mouths of 2 or 3 salesmen at different dealerships. If the one dealer won't order it, try another.

With an order though, chances are it won't take 2-3+ months unless it's something crazy like the orange special edition models. When you go into sign paper work...expect the car to arrive that week...and hope it won't be for whatever duration you choose. Run your numbers. Personally, I would keep more money in my pocket then putting it on a down payment, but you need to make sure your monthly payment is comfortable too.

At first, I didn't really care about the car I was getting if it was test driven or even a swap from another dealership until I had to choose between a car arriving off the boat or one coming from another dealership. I thought about how I test drove the car on the test drive.... For example, it says during the break-in period to not exceed 4000 RPMs. I DEFINITELY did that...more than once. Personally, I think you should push the car a little bit on a test drive so you know what you're getting into. When I test drove the car, I swerved, accelerated quickly, cruised on the highway, and stomped on the brakes (all with fair warning). I didn't "beat" on the car, but I wanted to see what all of the cars I test drove were moderately capable of.

After thinking about how I test drove it...I chose the car that arrived at the dealership with 4 miles and was handed to me with 6. This was my original order. I was given the option of another car (the swap) because they were taking a while and had no word on my order. The day they said they could get the swap the salesmen ended up calling back a few hours later saying that my car had arrived at port.

If miles on it when you get it aren't important, consider having them swap from another dealer. It will probably have about 100-150 miles on it and that is because they drove it from the other dealer. Or consider used within 1 year, however, take a look at the used car market by you. Here in New England a 1 year old Subaru (regardless of model) fetches pretty close to the original asking price. You might save $1-2k off of the price of a new car with about 20k miles by buying used here in New England...so in the end for me, it wasn't worth it.


P.S. I'll Paypal you $1 if you video record your deal if you go on 12/21/12 and try to convince them to do some outrageous deal because the world is going to end!

[Jlax2485]

Thank you for the response, TimboAA.

I think you make a valid point about the down payment. Even if I only put down a grand, id still be comfortable on monthly payments; a few grand wont really make a difference on a 72 month loan (got an awesome interest rate from a local credit union), and I'll pay it down faster no matter what.

The used car market here in Maryland is pretty much crap too. I can get a brand new one for very close to what a lightly used one would cost. I wont be buying used again unless its a beater.

With that in mind, I'm going to head to the dealer tomorrow night after work and work out the logistics (how long it will take, what I can get for my trade, etc.). I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Yeah- i'm pretty weird about cars. I am very particular about what I want and I just don't want to buy a "new" car that has miles that other customers put on it.

And I will ask to test drive an STI if I can get my hands on one.

[Jlax2485]

**Update: Just got back for the dealership, placed my order for a SWP WRX base hatch! Got it for $50 over the true-car price of 25,300.00 in my area.

What really pleased me was the value they gave me on the trade-in. KBB is around 10,500.00, NADA values are around 9,900.00, they were right on the money @ 9,500.00, subject to change if the condition of the vehicle changes.

Easiest experience i've ever had at a dealership (Jones Subaru of Bel Air, MD). ETA at worst will be around March/April....CANT WAIT!

It was too foggy and wet outside today to test drive anything...didn't get to test drive the STI :/

[mega160]

**Update: Just got back for the dealership, placed my order for a SWP WRX base hatch! Got it for $50 over the true-car price of 25,300.00 in my area.

What really pleased me was the value they gave me on the trade-in. KBB is around 10,500.00, NADA values are around 9,900.00, they were right on the money @ 9,500.00, subject to change if the condition of the vehicle changes.

Easiest experience i've ever had at a dealership (Jones Subaru of Bel Air, MD). ETA at worst will be around March/April....CANT WAIT!

It was too foggy and wet outside today to test drive anything...didn't get to test drive the STI :/

Congrats man.. Placed my order today as well. 5dr sti satin white with gauge, mats, and cargo tray for 35500 OTD. Got a mid march ETA

[TimboAA]

Congratulations. Hopefully your wait is the perfect length. When I was going into the dealer they would ask me when I was going to purchase. I said either before winter or in the spring. I used the purchase of the car to change residency to the state I've been living in for 4 years and to avoid getting double hit with taxes (Taxachusetts). Not to mention I own a home and got married...so I figured it might be wise to actually be a resident of this state.

Where about in MD do you live? I spent my youth up until 8th grade living in Crofton, MD before moving to NH.

[Rambo]

I heard that they pay fees for cars they have on the lot, and the longer they keep them, the more they have to pay. Also, they want to clear out the inventory, especially when the end of the year is approaching.

Not fees, loans. Dealers can't afford to pay for all of their inventory in cash, so they take short-term loans to fund the vehicle, then pay it back with some interest when the car is sold. By 90 days, banks are putting pressure on the dealers to sell the car and get paid.

My father in law has used this strategy to get great deals on cars: see a car you like that's sat on the lot for a while. Show some initial interest, maybe leave a phone number or email. Sure enough, two and a half months later, the dealer called him up about the car with an incredible offer.

Obviously this won't work on high-volume popular models, but he prefers quirky, non-pedestrian cars, so it's worked out well for him.