J_RoK

I am back once again, this time I am looking at a 2008 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT.
A while back i was looking at legacy's but couldnt find one I liked, so decided to wait, i am now looking again.
Here were my main requirements
Wagon
AWD
Automatic
Turbo

I found this one at a dealer near me :
2008 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT (turbo)
WR Blue
3,500 Miles
$22,888.00
I had the dealer run a carfax, nothing comes up (never registered, no info). They say it was bought at an action (which carfax comfirmed), they said it was a subaru corperate car. What are the chances this is true?
I test drove it, it drove nice, although when i did get out of the car i smelt a very slight burn smell, not sure what that was, i did open the car up a little to test it. They offered me $10,000 trade in on my 1999 Lexus GS400 (76k miles) which i am ok with.

The sales men was pretty good (seemed to be honest, because i asked him questions i already knew the answers to and he didnt lie, although i have the mentality that all used car sales men are scum *no offense to any on here)

The car had the rear two windows and the glass behind the rears tinted, a very very bad job, and the fronts and rear glass were not tinted. They told me i would have to pay $286 for the tint (not included in the car price), i havent laughed this hard in a while.

What really made me think about this dealer was when the owners son approached me. When me and the salesmen were going over the pricing, i told him that there was no way in hell i would pay for that crap tint job (the sales guy understood, and said he would see what he can do) i also told the sales guy i wouldnt put down a deposit, because i wanted to think about it (he also understood, but gave me the "we cant gaurentee the car will be here")
When the owners son came over to me, first he was telling me how rare the car was, that it was a special option that subaru never released (becuase it had STI rims on it) and that they sold this car under the LLbean option, only a few of these cars were made, so i "should put down a deposit" (i told him outright that i am not putting a deposit down, if i come in a few days later and the car is there, then i might buy it, if not, oh well). Then he told me that the tints they put on will SAVE ME GAS MILEAGE, that is where i cut him off. and told him that who ever did the tint job should be embarressed, he should also be ashamed that he would expect a customer to pay 286 for a half done, half asssed job. he walked away after that.

They also told me the price is FIRM, what you see is what you pay. I wonder if another week of the car on the lot would change that.

is this deal to good to be true? Would you buy from this dealer after running into the owners son?
I would like to get a newer car, but i am not desperate, i can wait.

Thanks
-J

nabbun

i would waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait.

he just wanted to dump that car on you.

mmarshall

If you want my advice, take the 23K you were going to spend on a slightly used XT, forget the turbo, and use it to get a leftover, brand-new 2008 or 2009 non-turbo Forester. The 2008 and 2009 are very different in styling and content. The 2008 has more standard features but is smaller. The 2009 has been somewhat decontented in trim/convienence features, somewhat lighter sheet metal, and has a overly-plastic dash, but has nice hold-up struts for the hood, framed-glass doors, a much roomier interior, and an electronic stability system that the 2008 lacks.

The 2009 also offers a turbo XT model if you HAVE to have the power (and premium gas), but the turbo/manual transmission has been dropped....it comes only with the 4-speed automatic.

J_RoK

I am not really a big fan of the 09' Forester, reminds me of a Ford Esacape. More of a small suv than a wagon. The framed-glass doors would be nice though.

VorghenRiz

That's too much for an '08 XT with 3500 miles AND crappy tint. And that line he fed you about the wheels is BS. All '08 XT's came with the STI wheels and front lip spoiler. I have an '07 XT and bought it new about a year ago, with no miles, for roughly $21k. Plus, they threw in free oil changes and tire rotations for life, if that gives you any idea.

Anyhow, similar to you I prefer the styling of the older models. Plus, there are a ton of mods that can give you the same power as a WRX STi. Go with the '08 but definitely get a better deal.

mmarshall

I agree. I don't like it either. Despite a couple of nice new features this year, I personally think that, overall, it's been cheapened and decontented too much. But I just brought it up as one of your options for the 23K you are planning to spend. A leftover, brand-new, unsold 2008 with no miles on it (if there are any left in stock) is another option, like I mentioned before.

The main reason I suggested a brand-new one rather than the one with 3500 miles you mention is that you wouldn't be stuck with the problems you mention with this specific vehicle the dealership is tring to unload on you. Of course, a lot depends on whether you have to have a turbo model or not.....that, of course, adds to the price. I think in the long run that the non-turbo model makes more sense, but only you, of course, can decide that for yourself.

Good Luck.

J_RoK

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...=p4506.c0.m245

that dealer is about 1 1/2 hours from me. the ebay price is OBO, i would obviously drive out to see it.

this one is the color and options i want, but i am not buying a car off ebay with out seeing it, and i am not going down to FL
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...=p4506.c0.m245

-J