Finally ready to buy

I test drove a Legacy GT yesterday and I was impressed as expected.

 

But all this dealer had were automatics unfortunately. I'm looking for a red '06 Legacy GT w/ manual transmission and I was a little surprised at how hard that combo is to find. I asked the salesman to find me a red or a black one and only found one black LGT w/ a manual out of 6 states.

 

So since what I'm looking for has limited availability, it seems to limit my bargaining power. What would you guys suggest? Right now they're quoting me $29,684.78 (TTL) for this black '06 LGT with armrest ext., security, wing, & auto dimming mirror. This doesn't seem to be the greatest deal to me. I could settle with this car though if I could get that price down.

 

Or should I just order an '06 like I want it? Apparently I'd have to do that this week since production is ending. Or should I wait for an '07?

 

Thanks,

Steve

Where are you located?

 

Last Friday I picked up a 06 BSM LGT 5EAT for $25,680 and I made the dealer let me have parts at cost.

I'm in Mckinney, TX. I'm sure I can talk them down on the price... I'm just not sure how much yet. Perhaps I should do that first.

 

The one other car I was wanting to look at was an Evo, so I may do that as well. After all, I would be using either car for both daily driving and autocrossing. At least with an Evo, I could leave it stock.

You should be able to get the price down several thousand dollars at a minimum. Have you used any of the websites to find the "true market value" of the car in your area? That is a good number to have in your hand when you start negotiating as well as the invoice.

 

Back in March there were numerous Garnet Red 5MT LGT LTD here in Northern California, I got one The Red is pretty. After having two black cars, I was happy to get a red one. Black is a bitch to keep shiny.

 

Hope you get what you want and keep a couple "large" in your pocket.

 

Be well.

Go to subaru.com and search the inventory yourself to see if you can find one you like. AFAIK the production for '06 has already ended. The '07 will be at the dealer lot by July. There are a lot of white 5-spd here in CO but I think only 1 black and no red. I got the last silver one around the area for $24,609 + tax couple of weeks ago. You can probably get the '07 in July for $29-30k so I would not buy a '06 for that price.

Mention that you are consider waiting the month and a half for the 07 so you can get the exact color and options you want and they might drop the cost a couple thousand. The dealers want to get rid of as many 06's as they can before they are last years model.

Thanks fellas. I think I have a better idea of what I need to do. I'll keep you posted...

Is that price with TTL? Or without?

With TTL. I can't remember exactly what it was without. I'd have to look at the quote again (which is at home)...

Yark Subaru here in Toledo, OH still lists a red 5MT LGT in their inventory. It's been there a few months so I'm sure they'd be happy to have it taken off their hands (I know that's kind of far from you...): http://www.yarksubaru.com/en_US/frm_index.chtml?noc=1&pageName=VehicleDetails_1&overrideUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fnitra.subaruusa.com%2Fyark-toledo%2Fen_US%2FVehicleDetails.jsp%3FsiteId%3Dc69c9ae001a810048847080020fccbcc%26version%3Dlive%26page_type_layout%3DVehicleDetails_subaru%26pageName%3DVehicleDetails_1%26search%3Dnew%26web_id%3Dsubaru-yark-toledo%26id%3D549904324

A lot of people are getting into the low to mid $25k. I bought mine for $25,6xx with spoiler back when the rebate was $1500. (I hate that spoiler.)

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So since what I'm looking for has limited availability, it seems to limit my bargaining power. What would you guys suggest? Right now they're quoting me $29,684.78 (TTL) for this black '06 LGT with armrest ext., security, wing, & auto dimming mirror. This doesn't seem to be the greatest deal to me. I could settle with this car though if I could get that price down.

 

 

I found two Black 2006 LGT Sedan that your local dealership quoting you are in Austin Subaru and North Park in San antonio. Both with same MSRP: 30,276. Also, I found a 5 speed Garnet Red LGT Sedan in Royalmoore Subaru (Hillsboro, OR Portland area), MSRP: $30,047. Good luck.

robe is your price6t of 25,600 before or after the rebate?

Well I think I'm gonna stick to the original plan and wait for an '07. I'm saving a lot of money now that my car is paid off. So if I wait for an '07 I'll be able to make a larger down payment. Plus it should be easier to find just what I want.

Check out the CarsDirect price for your area and use that as a starting point. I was able to go another ~$700 under that.

 

The other consideration is the number of 2006 LGTs configured the way you want in your area. If there aren't that many, you run the risk of missing on getting an 06 as supplies will run out sooner or later. In which case, if you have decided on an LGT, you may be forced to get an 07 (which might not be so bad, because the upfront cost may be higher, it will likely be worth more than an 06 when you sell it since it's a more recent model year).

How about http://www.fitzmall.com??

 

Try them out...

 

Good luck finding/buying it...

 

Flavio Zanetti

Boston, MA

I have a bad news for you SWortham: according to cars101.com http://www.cars101.com/subaru/legacy/legacy2007.html#colors , Subaru will not produce any Garnet Red LGT Sedan or wagon, and this may apply to 2007 Subaru Outback as well.

robe is your price6t of 25,600 before or after the rebate?

After

Just to give you guys an update, I've done some more car shopping over the past couple weeks. After learning that all '06+ LGT's will have sunroofs and only 37.5" of headroom, I thought I should check out some other cars. So far I've test driven an '04 Porsche Boxster and an '06 Mazdaspeed6.

 

With the Porsche the driving dynamics were beautiful but it didn't have as much headroom as the numbers led me to believe. The interior felt a little too cramped for a guy my size to consider it for a daily driver.

 

The Mazdaspeed6 easily had an inch over the LGT in the headroom department. And I could probably wear a helmet while racing in one without much of a problem. I was very impressed with the overall feel of the car with the exception of the super sensitive clutch and its portly demeanor at nearly 3,600 pounds.

 

My list keeps growing but I think I'll check out a new STi next. Strangely enough, it actually has more headroom than the LGT.

If you are putting STI on your list you might as well check out the Evo IX. Amazing car but not as good of a daily driver as the LGT. But I do love that Recaro seat, much more supportive and comfortable than the LGT seats. And of course lots aftermarket support and power potential. The 6-spd in the MR feels much smoother and precise than the 5-spd in the regular IX.

I also test drove the Speed6 before buying the LGT. Its clutch has a very non-linear feel to it, the salesman actually stall the car taking it out of the parking lot... The power comes on at lower RPM than the LGT but runs out of steam at around 5k RPM. Despite its weight it actually handles pretty well and better than the LGT. What turn me off was the cheapo plastic interior. The aftermarket for the Speed6 is kindda iffy at this stage so if you are planning on modding the support might not be there. And then there is pricing, since it's a limited production the dealers around me are not coming down in pricing even thou there are tons of them sitting on the lot. Reminds me a lot of the Spec B situation.

If you are putting STI on your list you might as well check out the Evo IX. Amazing car but not as good of a daily driver as the LGT. But I do love that Recaro seat, much more supportive and comfortable than the LGT seats. And of course lots aftermarket support and power potential. The 6-spd in the MR feels much smoother and precise than the 5-spd in the regular IX.

Yeah, I was considering the Evo even before the STI. But some of the long-term tests of the Evo were a little disappointing. The STI seems to be more reliable and a better daily driver like you said. I may still try out both.

 

I also test drove the Speed6 before buying the LGT. Its clutch has a very non-linear feel to it, the salesman actually stall the car taking it out of the parking lot... The power comes on at lower RPM than the LGT but runs out of steam at around 5k RPM. Despite its weight it actually handles pretty well and better than the LGT. What turn me off was the cheapo plastic interior. The aftermarket for the Speed6 is kindda iffy at this stage so if you are planning on modding the support might not be there. And then there is pricing, since it's a limited production the dealers around me are not coming down in pricing even thou there are tons of them sitting on the lot. Reminds me a lot of the Spec B situation.

Same here, the salesman stalled it right away. They definitely got the clutch wrong. It sounds like there's hope on the price though because they are not selling very well around here.

SWortham, Find someone in your area with a modded LGT and you'll not consider another car. LGT + $1500 in mods =

 

My brother came up from NC and drove my nodded 06 LGT, and is having some buyers remorse on his Toyota Avalon not haven considered the LGT (did not even know it existed)...

Just to give you guys an update, I've done some more car shopping over the past couple weeks. After learning that all '06+ LGT's will have sunroofs and only 37.5" of headroom, I thought I should check out some other cars. So far I've test driven an '04 Porsche Boxster and an '06 Mazdaspeed6.

I bought the Outback 3.0R because it didn't have a sunroof. You might give it a try if AWD is important.

I don't know if you've read this yet but i found it very helpful in my process of getting my leggy. It's an article at edmunds where one of the writers went under cover to work at two different car lots. One was a high volume and another was a no hassle/pressure lot. It's a little dated but most of it was still accurate. here is the link

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html

it's called "confessions of a car salesman."

 

hope that helps

Well I had some good test drive experiences yesterday.

 

STi

I went with a friend and test drove the STi yesterday. It was the fastest car I've ever driven. The salesman let me drive it pretty hard too. Unlike the Mazdaspeed 6, the clutch was light and predictable, the steering had a decent enough feel to it, and it didn't take long to get the hang of it. The suspension is really great the way it can soak up big bumps. A lot of Subaru's rally experience shines through there. I found the ride quality to be pleasant by my standards (even my car is much more stiffly sprung). And the engine has a nice aggressive sound to it, but it's reasonably quiet for cruising. So I could tell it would be a fine daily driver.

 

During the test drive I was driving along at about 60 mph on the highway with a car in front of me. The salesman told me that I need to take the next exit in about 1/2 mile. So I downshifted to 5th, mind you, and floored it to pass this car and the boost poured on right away. You could hear the turbo even louder at that speed and within what seemed like less than 2 seconds I was doing 80. I thought that was pretty amazing for 5th gear passing power, a gear which is capable of something like 140 mph.

 

Naturally I was impressed with the car. My only gripe was that the headroom was still a little lacking, but I could manage.

 

Evo IX MR

On the way back from the dealer we stopped at my friend's house and he said he had a surprise for me. He opened up his garage and there sat a red '06 Evo IX MR. He had bit his tongue for a couple weeks not telling me he had bought it. Well he already had it broken in, so he took me for a ride showing me what it's capable of. He pushed it much harder than I pushed the STi, but let's just say that the acceleration is amazing. And then he slammed on the brakes and the Brembo's w/ ABS and EBD stopped the car faster than any car I've ever ridden in.

 

And he let me drive it and it's a completely different experience than the STi. The Recaro seats hold you in place extremely well. The shifter feel is more precise than the STi, and then there's the steering which is lightning quick. The super quick ratio steering is one thing to read about but another to experience. I really liked that aspect of it. I also loved the feel of the Bilstein suspension. Bilstein really lives up to their reputation once again. The ride is definitely a little stiffer and more harsh than the STi, but again it's not bad by my standards.

 

Then there's the headroom, which there is plenty of. It's basically the same as the Elantra in the headroom department.

 

Conclusion

None yet. But I'll have a few more experiences with his Evo. And I may be co-driving it at the next autocross event. Out of the box it's definitely the better track car.