2005 LGT Limited

Hi all,

On Car Soup the other day I saw a 2005 OBP Legacy GT Limited 5 speed for sale with 126,000 miles for $9k. The price was obviously low, and seeing that it was at a dealer I figured it wasn't a salvage title or anything like that. So I called the dealership and talked to a salesmen about the car.

He said the car was taken in on trade just 4 days ago. The car threw a rod and being out of warranty the owner did not want to deal with repair costs and went ahead and bought a different car. It is apparently in extremely good condition inside and outside. It's got black heated leather and all of the goodies.

He said for that price you will be getting the car with a rebuilt motor, transmission, and clutch. I normally would run away fast, but since it is a dealership doing it I feel much better about the situation. So, I put down a deposit to buy the car contingent on a test drive once the work on the car is completed and I am satisfied with the repairs. I would actually be getting it for $8k.

Does anybody have any insight into this situation? I know quite a bit about Subarus and it seems like the dealer will fix really any of the possible issues with the car. I'm guessing the person who traded it in got waxed and got only a couple grand for trade in.

Yes it is a Subaru dealer. I suppose if they paid $2-3k for the car and can fix it for a few grand they can make some money off of it even at $8k.

Already ran the VIN, the title is clean.

If the car was like you say it is - basically in decent shape, why would they sell it for 8k? They'd price it right at retail and say 'old lady drove it to florida and back a coupl-a times'.

Ask them if they'd give you some short warranty on it. Like at least 1k/1 month. If they won't I'd skip it.

If the car was like you say it is - basically in decent shape, why would they sell it for 8k? They'd price it right at retail and say 'old lady drove it to florida and back a coupl-a times'.

Ask them if they'd give you some short warranty on it. Like at least 1k/1 month. If they won't I'd skip it.

The car right now is not in drivable condition. They are in the process of fixing it now. And they are going to warranty it for 3 months.

The car right now is not in drivable condition. They are in the process of fixing it now. And they are going to warranty it for 3 months.

Notice he did not bother answering "why would the dealer sell it cheap" if it is all fixed.

"Let the buyer beware."

Carfax is a must for the first step.

You could also have a tune-up @ a local shop (or even a different subaru dealer) & see if they find any major flaws in the vehicle. It might cost you ($100 or so), but it's a worthwhile investment if the neutral shop finds problems that the dealership isn't revealing.

You could do it on a "prolonged test drive." Or you could tell the dealership straight up that you plan to have the car checked out elsewhere; if they refuse, move on.

Good luck

If it's a Suabru rebuilt motor, there should be a 1yr/12k mile warranty on the engine itself I believe. Also, if they did the work themselves, they should be willing to provide you with a copy of the service records.

I bought mine in a similar situation at 80,000 miles, trade in, one owner, rebuilt engine. I could tell it was driven hard but I was hoping for the best and it looked pretty clean overall. 9,000 miles later and I'm a happy camper so far...

Well, there really isn't a good answer to that. The VIN is clean, all mechanical is being taken care of. It is kind of high miles... but that's about it...

^ in no way did that answer my question "...kind of high miles..." is your reason it is cheap???

Again, if it is ALL BETTER and FIXED why sell it for anything less than what a perfectly good one is worth.

I'm going on Tuesday to pick the car up. Since I got first dibs on the car via a deposit I've since learned that they realized their pricing mistake and had the listing changed to $2k above what I am paying. Either way, they've replaced the short block and heads. I went ahead and ran the VIN: one owner, owned only in Minnesota, no accidents or special uses reported, etc. The car is clean and has no rust at all. The tires will need replacing soon, but that's not a big deal. What other problems can a car have? All the drive train stuff is taken car of. I have the means to fix it if for some reason it breaks, but my gut is that I was just at the right place at the right time on this one.

^ in no way did that answer my question "...kind of high miles..." is your reason it is cheap???

 

Again, if it is ALL BETTER and FIXED why sell it for anything less than what a perfectly good one is worth.

Well once again, and this was mostly mentioned above, but there isn't ANY reason at all. I honestly have no idea. But the car is physically in good shape and has never been in an accident big enough to be reported to insurance and the motor is being completely rebuilt. One owner, non smoker, etc.

When buying a used car you are always taking a chance in one form or another....less chance than you take when buying new.....

But....there are way more used cars being purchased than new all over the world....I sell cars and won't buy new until I win the lottery.

i just bought a used one and I'm scared to death it was beat...all I can do is perform the regular maintenance on schedule....wether previous owner did it or not it is too late to worry about that...

Save a bit of money and buy the car.....get the warranty in writing and start doing the maintenance...even do the maintenance that you are behind on and drive and enjoy the friggin car....

you did your due diligence.....you cannot control the past of the car, you can control the future....save some money just in case.

congrats...take some pics.

I'm going on Tuesday to pick the car up. Since I got first dibs on the car via a deposit I've since learned that they realized their pricing mistake and had the listing changed to $2k above what I am paying. Either way, they've replaced the short block and heads. I went ahead and ran the VIN: one owner, owned only in Minnesota, no accidents or special uses reported, etc. The car is clean and has no rust at all. The tires will need replacing soon, but that's not a big deal. What other problems can a car have? All the drive train stuff is taken car of. I have the means to fix it if for some reason it breaks, but my gut is that I was just at the right place at the right time on this one.

Well once again, and this was mostly mentioned above, but there isn't ANY reason at all. I honestly have no idea. But the car is physically in good shape and has never been in an accident big enough to be reported to insurance and the motor is being completely rebuilt. One owner, non smoker, etc.

Sounds great! Please let us know how it goes. As long as the dealership did a good job, which we can only assume it will, you've got a great deal there. Have fun. Don't forget to chenge oil every 3k!

Mike

I'm really, really picky when it comes to my cars. My dad owns a body shop so fortunately during closed hours I have the time and resources to get things done correctly. I have changed the oil in my 1990 RX-7 religiously since I got it 2 years ago every 2,000 miles. So I don't think every 3k will be too difficult

Here's my RX-7 next to a buddies '02 WRX:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/David343/IMG_2394.jpg

And by itself:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/David343/IMG_2513.jpg

I used to own a 2000 2.5RS which I bought in June with leaky headgaskets which I fixed and then sold in December and made a few grand on:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/David343/7028_175011010361_595540361_3795248.jpg

I plan on going Stage 2 once the motor is broken in. I already have an appointment for window tint and I ordered 6000k HIDs from DDM last week. I'm also going to paint the fogs yellow and try to find a wingless trunk. I also plan to either do a firm strut/shock combo or coils -- we will see. I may pick up some Rotas as well, but that will be further down the road.