Buying a Car Tomorrow

redduck

redduck

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,851
Location
yonder
It looks like we are buying a car tomorrow. It's something we do every 10 years. We did find the car we like: a 2019 Subaru hatchback (Limited) with all the bells and whistles.
Actually, it has a few bells and whistles we don't want--such as a sun roof and navigation system, but we want the rear-cross traffic assist and leather trim and it seems they only come with the navigation system and sunroof, (which will cost us an extra $2000 or so and is included in the price below).

We are buying the car through Costco.
So, here are the few facts I have:
MSRP: $30,423
Costco Savings: $3,280 (it says it right there on a printed sheet the dealership gave us).
Cash Discount: $500

Costco member price: $26,643
Out the door price (tax, lic, reg.): $29,706

Reasonable, not reasonable? How much am I missing?
 
redduck said:
It looks like we are buying a car tomorrow. It's something we do every 10 years. We did find the car we like: a 2019 Subaru hatchback (Limited) with all the bells and whistles.
Actually, it has a few bells and whistles we don't want--such as a sun roof and navigation system, but we want the rear-cross traffic assist and leather trim and it seems they only come with the navigation system and sunroof, (which will cost us an extra $2000 or so and is included in the price below).

We are buying the car through Costco.
So, here are the few facts I have:
MSRP: $30,423
Costco Savings: $3,280 (it says it right there on a printed sheet the dealership gave us).
Cash Discount: $500

Costco member price: $26,643
Out the door price (tax, lic, reg.): $29,706

Reasonable, not reasonable? How much am I missing?
Click to expand...
Of course we'd have to go through the details (trade in or nonsense taxes/fees/extended warranties) but I bought a 2018 Outback Touring last Feb and got $4900 off (the Costco deal was $3300 off at the time), and I negotiated on a 2019 Outback Limited for my sister in Nov and got $3800 off. Also got $4100 off on DW's Honda Accord Hybrid Touring in Dec FWIW.

The Costco deal you show is decent, but I think you can do better. Have you put your info on edmunds.com or an equivalent? You'll get a barrage of phone-text-emails, and they may say "when can you come in for an appointment" without talking $. But if you say you're not coming in until they make an opening $ offer, I'd be very surprised if you don't get a dealer who offers better than the Costco discount. The whole exercise takes less than 24 hours. Go to the dealer with best discount, or better yet, go to the dealer with the second best offer and tell them to beat the best offer (you have in an email) by $300-500 or you'll go to dealer one.

And if you're worried about dealers pestering you long after, as soon as you tell them you bought somewhere else, they disappear.

And BTW your timing is good. Dealers are often more inclined to deal end of month if they're near a sales goal, they might be less so on Feb 1.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
When I bought a car two years ago, I started with the Costco price and negotiated down from there. I did it by emailing dealers and saying can you beat this price? When you get a lower offer, repeat until you are happy or they drop out.
 
Thanks guys, I will email the two other local Subaru dealers in the area and we will see what happens.
Midpack, you were the inspiration for the Subaru. They seem to be a very nice car for the money (I guess it depends on how much money, but, whatever...).
 
redduck said:
Thanks guys, I will email the two other local Subaru dealers in the area and we will see what happens.
Midpack, you were the inspiration for the Subaru. They seem to be a very nice car for the money (I guess it depends on how much money, but, whatever...).
Click to expand...
It is a nice car. You may know the Outback is slated for a complete redesign in 2020, just in case you're one of those buyers who doesn't like owning a previous model (looks or new bells and whistles) less than a year after buying.
 
Is the Impreza 5-door hatchback slated for a complete redesign?
 
One thing you're missing is telling us which Subaru model this is. I'm guessing Outback?
 
RunningBum said:
One thing you're missing is telling us which Subaru model this is. I'm guessing Outback?
Click to expand...

Yes, model is important... if it is an Outback, then it is less out the door than I paid for my 2016 Outback Limited 2.5i and better equipped... and I thought that I got a pretty good deal.
 
Redduck, enjoy your new Subaru! Hope to hear the details of your final deal.


I'm enjoying my 2 year old Forester. I bought through the auto broker with AAA. Probably could have done a bit better, but it was completely stress free and I took delivery at the local AAA office.
 
That's one brand I know just about nothing about. I know they're big sellers in the far north for the AWD, but we seldom even see any Subaru's in the Deep South since we seldom see snow.

They get good reviews, especially from the prior owners. They're a very tight bunch of owners.
 
I can't find an outback 2.5i limited with a msrp that low

must be a good deal...
 
redduck said:
Whoops. It will be my beloved's car, an Impreza hatchback.
Click to expand...

ah, that makes sense, that's one of the top of the line in that model

I drove one as a loaner last year, I actually liked it - really roomy and fun to drive

I think you are getting a good deal
 
Are there any fees in the other line (tax, lic, reg) that aren't PERFECTLY clear to you? Dealers like to 'add' things in this area to booster the profit (e.g. "dealer prep"). BE SURE.

I have a 2006 Outback and have been overall pleased with it.

Although this is a meaningless data point, I bought a Ford F150 in January 2016 (2015 model year) @ 23.1% off MSRP (including incentives and w/o Tax & Registration - which vary by state and so are not important in terms of comparison). That was a deal I couldn't say no to (although I took a couple days to decide).
 
Congrats! We bought a new car last year. The Costco price was middle of the road, but a good benchmark. We achieved a better price by getting prices at several dealers. The final price was $1,100 less than the Costco price. This was on a vehicle with a purchase price in the low $30k's. However, it was not a Subaru.
 
Didn't realize the Impreza costs that much, even top of the line. Have you double checked prices at Edmunds.com and kbb.com, places like that? If they've added on a bunch of bogus extras like undercoating, that's a padded MSRP and less of a discount than you think.

Roomy is not the word I'd use for an Impreza, but my son likes his. I've driven it. Felt a little cramped compared to my Forester, but it can definitely be the right size for some. Smaller is easier to park for one thing.
 
OK, I e-mailed the other two Subaru dealers that are reasonably close by. Waiting for a reply. We will see.
 
RunningBum said:
Roomy is not the word I'd use for an Impreza, but my son likes his. I've driven it. Felt a little cramped compared to my Forester, but it can definitely be the right size for some. Smaller is easier to park for one thing.
Click to expand...

aren't imprezas and foresters on the same body platform?
 
Bamaman said:
That's one brand I know just about nothing about. I know they're big sellers in the far north for the AWD, but we seldom even see any Subaru's in the Deep South since we seldom see snow.

They get good reviews, especially from the prior owners. They're a very tight bunch of owners.
Click to expand...
There are a few guys that got invoice price deals and drive them home. They just had to fly to Miami dealers one way to buy them.
 
Big_Hitter said:
ah, that makes sense, that's one of the top of the line in that model



I drove one as a loaner last year, I actually liked it - really roomy and fun to drive



I think you are getting a good deal
Click to expand...



He he he. Subaru owners are a cult.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Chuckanut
Buying a New Car
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
Car-Guy
Car-Guy
C
For those who buy Costco Eggs - do you buy Cage Free or Organic?
2
Replies
44
Views
3K
Koolau
Koolau
Midpack
  • Poll
Poll: How Often Have You Had A Flat Tire?
3 4 5
Replies
106
Views
2K
Redbugdave
Redbugdave
M
New Car Dealer REQUIRES Financing
2 3
Replies
61
Views
3K
brucethebroker
B
M
Where is the used car price going?
3 4 5
Replies
101
Views
7K
JoeWras
JoeWras

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom