Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

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SC Anteater
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Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

I will need to buy a new Outback before 8/31 (son is buying our 2015 version to take to college for Sr. year). Inventory is annoyingly low now, but will it get any better in 5 short weeks? Is there any reason to wait into August, or should I just buy now?
123
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by 123 »

Sure go ahead. Buy it.
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Mr.Chlorine
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by Mr.Chlorine »

When I was looking at Foresters, the Subaru dealership let me know when their next fleet would arrive and even reserve a specific one. They did not negotiate much on price, but were upfront on everything.
squirm
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by squirm »

Can you wait until the new model year start to appear? Then you might have a better chance on pricing for the current year.
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SC Anteater
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

squirm wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:13 pm Can you wait until the new model year start to appear? Then you might have a better chance on pricing for the current year.
2022s are arriving now. There aren't any 2021s left at any of the dealerships I've been looking at online.
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TexasPE
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by TexasPE »

My local dealer (SE TX) has 6 2022 Outbacks listed for sale

https://www.jksubaru.com/new-cars/subar ... and-tx.htm
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by snackdog »

Have you checked prices for used ones?
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by clemrick »

snackdog wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:32 pm Have you checked prices for used ones?
Subarus keep their value very well. Several years ago when we were buying our Forester, I looked at used cars and the price didn't drop significantly until 5-7 years-old cars.

1-2 years-old cars were only 2K less than new.
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SC Anteater
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

snackdog wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:32 pm Have you checked prices for used ones?
Prices aren't worth going used ones. I'm just going to buy new and keep it (we would have kept this one longer but the crazy used car prices this year when the kid was going to buy a car changed our plans).
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SuzBanyan »

This is a timely thread for me. My 92 year old Dad had his 2012 Outback stolen last week from the street in front of my brother’s house while they were vacationing in Hawaii. Because he didn’t think he was in the market for a car, he wasn’t aware of the inventory issues. He has a loaner from another brother, then insurance, so he has some time but will need to get a replacement by mid- to late August.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by Tavistock1 »

SC Anteater wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:03 pm I will need to buy a new Outback before 8/31 (son is buying our 2015 version to take to college for Sr. year). Inventory is annoyingly low now, but will it get any better in 5 short weeks? Is there any reason to wait into August, or should I just buy now?
Great vehicle, our family has owned 5, latest a 2018 3.6 ( finally splurged on the 6 cylinder to get on highways quicker).
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JupiterJones
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by JupiterJones »

I suppose in a pinch you could always just rent an economy car for a few weeks/months to hold you over, if it meant getting the exact Outback/year you wanted.

(Personally, I've long liked the Outbacks and had been thinking of making it my next car when/if my current one ever poops out. However I also think I might go back to a manual transmission for my next car, and I don't think they put those on Outbacks anymore, do they? So now I'm thinking Forrester.)
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SC Anteater
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

I've reserved one that is supposed to arrive the first week in August. Only got the Costco $1000 off MSRP due to the market, but I don't think I can do any better in my timeframe. Good news is that demand is so high I didn't need to lay down any cash to reserve because the dealership said they've got plenty of people to sell it to if I don't want it, lol.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by 02nz »

JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:06 am Personally, I've long liked the Outbacks and had been thinking of making it my next car when/if my current one ever poops out. However I also think I might go back to a manual transmission for my next car, and I don't think they put those on Outbacks anymore, do they? So now I'm thinking Forrester.
You can have any transmission you like on the 2021 Forester ... as long as it's a Lineartronic CVT.

The Crosstrek and Impreza can still be had with a manual, but maybe not for long: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/3-reaso ... preza-soon
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by stan1 »

SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:51 pm I've reserved one that is supposed to arrive the first week in August. Only got the Costco $1000 off MSRP due to the market, but I don't think I can do any better in my timeframe. Good news is that demand is so high I didn't need to lay down any cash to reserve because the dealership said they've got plenty of people to sell it to if I don't want it, lol.
Come back and let us know if the dealer follows through or sells it out from under you to someone paying $1000s over MSRP.
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SC Anteater
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

stan1 wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:09 pm
SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:51 pm I've reserved one that is supposed to arrive the first week in August. Only got the Costco $1000 off MSRP due to the market, but I don't think I can do any better in my timeframe. Good news is that demand is so high I didn't need to lay down any cash to reserve because the dealership said they've got plenty of people to sell it to if I don't want it, lol.
Come back and let us know if the dealer follows through or sells it out from under you to someone paying $1000s over MSRP.
Ugh, is that a thing??
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Watty
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by Watty »

SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:06 am
snackdog wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:32 pm Have you checked prices for used ones?
Prices aren't worth going used ones. I'm just going to buy new and keep it (we would have kept this one longer but the crazy used car prices this year when the kid was going to buy a car changed our plans).
How much is your 2015 outback worth?

I would think that if it has a higher trim level, low milage, etc then it could be worth well over $20K or even $25K+ in the current used car market.

If that is the case then you might look at buying a less expensive new car that you could buy for your son and you could keep the Outback. Of couse if your Outback has a lot of miles or other issues that makes it worth less then this would not make sense.

There would be a couple of advantages with that.

1) You could check different models like a Civic, Corolla, Elantra, Veloster, Mazda 3, Forte, Soul, etc to see if there is one where the supply is not too short so you could get a decent price on it. Some of them have good safety ratings but I am not sure how they would compare with your Outback since it would be a bit bigger.

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks

2) A new car would be under warranty while your son is in college so if there is a problem he can just take it into the dealer to get it fixed. If he goes to grad school then that would even get him through grad school.

3) It would last longer after he graduates so your son would have more time to get established before he needs to buy a different car. A Hyundai or Kia would have a full five year warranty.
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SC Anteater
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by SC Anteater »

Watty wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:52 pm
SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:06 am
snackdog wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:32 pm Have you checked prices for used ones?
Prices aren't worth going used ones. I'm just going to buy new and keep it (we would have kept this one longer but the crazy used car prices this year when the kid was going to buy a car changed our plans).
How much is your 2015 outback worth?

I would think that if it has a higher trim level, low milage, etc then it could be worth well over $20K or even $25K+ in the current used car market.

If that is the case then you might look at buying a less expensive new car that you could buy for your son and you could keep the Outback. Of couse if your Outback has a lot of miles or other issues that makes it worth less then this would not make sense.

There would be a couple of advantages with that.

1) You could check different models like a Civic, Corolla, Elantra, Veloster, Mazda 3, Forte, Soul, etc to see if there is one where the supply is not too short so you could get a decent price on it. Some of them have good safety ratings but I am not sure how they would compare with your Outback since it would be a bit bigger.

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks

2) A new car would be under warranty while your son is in college so if there is a problem he can just take it into the dealer to get it fixed. If he goes to grad school then that would even get him through grad school.

3) It would last longer after he graduates so your son would have more time to get established before he needs to buy a different car. A Hyundai or Kia would have a full five year warranty.
KBB values it as $17 pp, $15.1 trade in. 70k miles.

I did think about your plan originally. Son was going to look at Mazda 3 hatches or some similar car. He's a civil engineering major so he can't buy a sedan, he needs a hatch or SUV for all the tools he drags around. For his summer job he's been driving our Outback - sometimes he has 5 gal buckets full of dirt in the back. My husband is convinced it's better for him to buy this car (for 10k) because paying insurance will be less on an older car. I was pretty resistant to giving up my car earlier - our other car is a 2006 Volvo S40, so that's going to need replacing soon unless we just go to one car - but they've kind of worn me down. If slightly used car prices weren't so high right now I don't think I'd do it.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by RootSki »

SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:29 pm
stan1 wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:09 pm
SC Anteater wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:51 pm I've reserved one that is supposed to arrive the first week in August. Only got the Costco $1000 off MSRP due to the market, but I don't think I can do any better in my timeframe. Good news is that demand is so high I didn't need to lay down any cash to reserve because the dealership said they've got plenty of people to sell it to if I don't want it, lol.
Come back and let us know if the dealer follows through or sells it out from under you to someone paying $1000s over MSRP.
Ugh, is that a thing??
100% a thing right now. Call them back and make a $1000 down-payment (not a deposit) to really secure it.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by JupiterJones »

02nz wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 5:55 pm
JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:06 am Personally, I've long liked the Outbacks and had been thinking of making it my next car when/if my current one ever poops out. However I also think I might go back to a manual transmission for my next car, and I don't think they put those on Outbacks anymore, do they? So now I'm thinking Forrester.
You can have any transmission you like on the 2021 Forester ... as long as it's a Lineartronic CVT.

The Crosstrek and Impreza can still be had with a manual, but maybe not for long: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/3-reaso ... preza-soon
Well crud.

C'mon Subaru, don't make me buy a Jeep. I can't afford the repairs! :(
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by OldBallCoach »

JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:06 am I suppose in a pinch you could always just rent an economy car for a few weeks/months to hold you over, if it meant getting the exact Outback/year you wanted.

(Personally, I've long liked the Outbacks and had been thinking of making it my next car when/if my current one ever poops out. However I also think I might go back to a manual transmission for my next car, and I don't think they put those on Outbacks anymore, do they? So now I'm thinking Forrester.)
Are you going to get a crank starter for the front of it as well? Why does anyone want a stick in a regular street car? I can kinda see one in an exotic...maybe...but in your everyday driver? A stick? To each his own...cheers...
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by vitaflo »

OldBallCoach wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:05 pm
JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:06 am I suppose in a pinch you could always just rent an economy car for a few weeks/months to hold you over, if it meant getting the exact Outback/year you wanted.

(Personally, I've long liked the Outbacks and had been thinking of making it my next car when/if my current one ever poops out. However I also think I might go back to a manual transmission for my next car, and I don't think they put those on Outbacks anymore, do they? So now I'm thinking Forrester.)
Are you going to get a crank starter for the front of it as well? Why does anyone want a stick in a regular street car? I can kinda see one in an exotic...maybe...but in your everyday driver? A stick? To each his own...cheers...
Not sure why you're surprised people have different wants/needs with cars, like anything else. You may as well ask why people still ride bikes or horses. Personally I find automatics boring. Not much more to it than that.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by jpjr »

Simply put, standard transmissions are more fun to drive! I almost cried when I had to use my 2000 Toyota 4 Runner as a trade-in (for my 2016 Subaru). It was the last model year Toyota had for the standard on the 4 Runner and I miss the interaction with the car vs the sloppy automatic transmission. Love my Outback and we have had several Subarus over the course of our lifetimes, but I sure wish they and other auto makers would offer standard in more of their models.
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Watty
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by Watty »

jpjr wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:23 pm ...but I sure wish they and other auto makers would offer standard in more of their models.
Not that it is anywhere near the same but my '21 Forester which is an automatic has a manual setting and paddle shift levers where you can change the gears yourself.
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Crosstreks are much smaller than Outbacks (to me a good thing...we switched from Outbacks to Crosstrek in 2013 because the Outback had gotten too big) and are available with the 6 speed manual, without a sunroof, if you want and with manual seats. These are 3 must haves for me and I have them all in my 19 Crosstrek. Besides the Crosstrek, you can get an Impreza, a BRZ, a WRX or an STi still with a manual transmission.

If you're looking for value and are considering a used car, look at 3 year old Legacys. Being a sedan, their value drops like a rock because "real Americans" don't drive sedans anymore. We bought one used and a 1 year old limited was a lot cheaper than a base new one.

In our household (2 kids and DW driving), we've got 6 vehicles. 3 have 6 speed manual transmissions.

I'm a charter member of the "Save the Manuals" club.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by JupiterJones »

jpjr wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:23 pm I sure wish they and other auto makers would offer standard in more of their models.
In Europe they still do, at least. In fact if you rent small/economy cars (which make sense given the narrow streets), it might be your only option. I always get one when I rent over there anyway. It would feel weird driving in Europe in an automatic. Yuck.

And yes, they're more fun to drive, even just for a regular (non-muscle) car. In this era of auto-assist everything and "No Need to Pay Attention Anymore" warning sensors, it's nice to actually drive a car now and then.

Not to mention they're basically carjack-proof! :D

(Sorry about the thread hijack.)
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02nz
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Re: Need to buy an Outback before 8/31

Post by 02nz »

Watty wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:34 pm
jpjr wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:23 pm ...but I sure wish they and other auto makers would offer standard in more of their models.
Not that it is anywhere near the same but my '21 Forester which is an automatic has a manual setting and paddle shift levers where you can change the gears yourself.
Your Forester has a CVT. You can't change the gears yourself because it has no gears at all. The paddle shifters are just switching between fake shift points in the "manual" mode, defeating the main advantages of the CVT (efficiency and smoothness). One of the sillier inventions in modern cars.
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