How to buy a new Subaru at invoice

[swc7916]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but Subaru has a VIP program where members of certain organization can purchase a new Subaru at dealer's invoice. Most of these organizations seem to be ones in which Subaru is a corporate sponsor, like National Ski Patrol and International Mountain Biking Association. It looks like anyone can become a member and the dues are $25 to $30 per year. You must be a member for at least 6 months to be eligable for this program. For a list of the organization see http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_discounts.html

[mattocs]

Go to a high volume dealer and be firm, and tell them you will pay no more than invoice. They are still making money on it...if the say no, go to the next dealer.

[idosubaru]

if you work these guys he is right, no need to be a member of anything. it is tricky, most people don't have the patience or skills to work a good deal unless the dealer you're working with is cooperative. and "invoice" is such a convoluted term these days. a dealer will "show" you an invoice that really doesn't have valid numbers on it, they are for the most part ficticious. that's why they still make money if they sell something at "invoice". that's why i say it's convoluted..."invoice" has been relegated to not much more than a word consumers think is the holy grail of car deals but doesn't really mean anything unless you're well informed about what you're buying.

[swc7916]

if you work these guys he is right, no need to be a member of anything. it is tricky, most people don't have the patience or skills to work a good deal unless the dealer you're working with is cooperative. and "invoice" is such a convoluted term these days. a dealer will "show" you an invoice that really doesn't have valid numbers on it, they are for the most part ficticious. that's why they still make money if they sell something at "invoice". that's why i say it's convoluted..."invoice" has been relegated to not much more than a word consumers think is the holy grail of car deals but doesn't really mean anything unless you're well informed about what you're buying.

Huh? There's nothing convoluted here except your argument. If I follow what you are saying, then I can never know what the invoice price is. If you are able to use the Subaru VIP program then you won't have to haggle with the dealer. Sheesh, I never thought that I would get bashed for this post.

[JohnnyB]

Huh? There's nothing convoluted here except your argument. If I follow what you are saying, then I can never know what the invoice price is. If you are able to use the Subaru VIP program then you won't have to haggle with the dealer. Sheesh, I never thought that I would get bashed for this post.

 

I don't think anyone was bashing you, they are just saying it is not as simple as you are putting it. Do you really think the dealer is going to sell cars and not make any profit from it? Go check out some car buying books in Borders or Barnes and Noble if you want more info, but the bottom line is that "invoice" price is not what the dealer pays for the car.

[Qman]

I agree. I didn't see any bashing. I noticed that you cited Joe Spits' site who is an employee of Carter Subaru. The program you cite is a valid program. But so is the rest of the information that has been shared.

 

This kind of falls in line with all the employee discount sales that everyone is putting on right now. It is a buyers market right now. State you price and be prepared to walk away. You can find alot of information on the web to be a well prepared consumer. MSRP, invoice, 1st sticker, 2nd sticker or whatever the catch phrase is this month all means the same thing... SALES!

 

Thanks for the info and please, do not take it personal.

[swc7916]

I cited Joe Spitz' website because he conviently listed the organizations that are eligible for the VIP program. If you go the individual sites they will tell you the same thing.

 

The dealer's invoice can be found in a number of sites on the web. I don't think that it is "convoluted". If you have checked at least a couple of places you will have a good idea of what it should be. Around here, the best pricing seems to be Costco pricing, which is/was $400-$450 over invoice depending on the dealer, and you may be able to get it down another $100 or so. Unless it is well into the end of the model year, it is hard, if not impossible, to do much better than that. My experience is that if I can get within a couple hundred dollars of invoice, I have gotten a pretty good deal. The best deal that I have gotten was when I bought my 2004 for $49 over invoice minus holdbacks (an advertised deal by Chaplin's.) Believe me, I price-shop and I play the dealers against each other, and I have never gotten a car at dealer's invoice. Besides, what's wrong with the dealer making a profit, as long as it's not too much? If I find a dealer and salesman that I like, I am willing to pay another $100-$200 to do business with them. What's a couple hundred dollars on a $20,000 car?

[benebob]

Do you really think the dealer is going to sell cars and not make any profit from it? QUOTE]

 

FYI: At dealer invoice the average new car dealer makes about $1500 per car.

[swc7916]

FYI: At dealer invoice the average new car dealer makes about $1500 per car.

 

Where did you get THAT information? My understanding is that dealer's invoice is what the dealer pays for the car, but there are "holdbacks" that are sent back to dealer when the car is sold. These holdbacks only amount to about less than $500, if that.

[1 Lucky Texan]

Where did you get THAT information? My understanding is that dealer's invoice is what the dealer pays for the car, but there are "holdbacks" that are sent back to dealer when the car is sold. These holdbacks only amount to about less than $500, if that.

 

Nah - holdbacks are more like 3% - 4%(MSRP or some other calciulation - with or without options,etc.) . The ACTUAL COST to the dealer is kinda tricky to figure out and even they don't know til the cars is sold!

 

 

Carl