911 Rod

I went and saw the Outback. It had more stone chips and scuffs on each panel than all 4 of my cars combined. Ridden hard, and put away wet. very surprised a high end dealer would have this on their lot. And the money they offered me for my 335 was embarrassing.

PPo

I always advise that the cash buyers who can move quickly can find the best deals. You need to know what you want, know the value, and pay attention to the market. Then review as many online used car listings as possible, daily, or more often. It's a hassle, but once you get in the groove, you get used to checking AutoTrader, Kijiji, etc. often and seeing anything new. Sure the E-mail notifications work also.

Once you find one good enough to visit, arrange to see it as quick as possible and make the deal as quick as possible. You need to buy before the seller changes their mind on the ****ty price offered on trade-in, or buy before the dealer makes a better offer.

Doesn't work on Porsches for some reason! ;-)

Christien

It's been several years since I was buying cars for inventory, but my memory was that Subarus were the holy grail. I could never find decent ones to put in inventory - the only ones that went through auction were high mileage (rarely under 200k). The conclusion I drew was that people who bought Subarus drove them for ages, which leads me to believe they're really well built cars. No idea if that's true, but it seemed to fit the scenario. So when people asked me for one, I suggested they buy brand new. They'd get their money out of it.

911 Rod

I've been researching the Subaru Outback and can find so few problems with them that it is scary. But, the majority of the people that own them are seniors. They have a tendency to have low speed impacts that mark up a vehicle.
They also have problems getting in and out.
And ya, they keep them until they cack. (owners that is)

PPo

In general, I would agree with both of you on the above posts. My senior neighbor, senior but very active, bought a Forester a long time ago. She liked the car, until her head gasket went... then the car seemed to fall apart after she repaired the head gasket. Almost like it had a soul and decided to give up all at once.

Perhaps the people who buy Subarus don't report their problems on the web... not saying they are like Tesla and actively pursue and "handle" negative reports, but they have to break somehow!

They are solid cars...

911 Rod

Actually the Subaru forums are popular. They have the kids chatting about the little racers and the old people about the wagons. Both have too much time on their hands.
It takes a while to figure out the threads that are started by seniors, but then it all makes sense. Things like complaining about the key less ignition because you forgot to shut your car off. Yes. Really.

theiceman

ok ive done that ... walked away trying to lock the doors and it wont beep .,then you go back and realize it is still running . Its hard to deprogram 40 years of turning a key and when the key isn't there it takes a bit of getting used to.

911 Rod

But did you let it run all night and then go on a forum and complain?

PPo

LOL!

Greg981

+++ this. We owned a Subaru Legacy wagon. The worst car I've ever owned. Head gasket, constant suspension component repairs etc. Over 8 years of ownership car averaged $1000 per year in repairs + regular maintenance. 8 years - 170000kms
Never again.
Oh and my sister also had the same experience.

Brian 162

So it's like Rennlist.

I drove an Outback a couple of weeks ago. Meh, there has to be something better. You don't fit the demographic of that car anyway.

moab

Outback is actually a pretty solid car. Great value. Not everyone that drives one is a lesbian (but many do!)

LastMezger

Can they do that? Leased cars are owned by the financing company and go to auction don't they?

I've bought cars from dealerships and independents...there are good and bad cars at both.

Christien

Sure, they can do that. Most cars leased from new are leased through the manufacturer's finance wing. It's just a matter of a few signatures to get a new owner into a lease return. There's way more money it keeping it in the retail market than wholesaling it at auction. Auction is rarely a money-maker, it's a break-even at best.

Imo000

Subarus are known for head gasket problems and piston slapping problems and these are not cheap to fix. I've heard this from more than one owner that i know well.Many of them (like RX-7/8) have their engines replaced at least once. If you want reliability buy a Honda or a Toyota.