My Second BAD Experience with Planet Subaru

[Guest heightsgtltd]

This thread delivers!

[G.T.Subie]

Good thing Subaru makes so many sales so they can just push out paying customers.

[andrew.anderson]

I will be impressed if wrx2blackGThas the self control to not post again.

[Guest heightsgtltd]

self control or lack of damage control... doesnt seem like anyone is concerned about perceptions

[Guest]

I heard that it's not uncommon for Subaru dealers to refuse test drives for STIs... indeed they must think it's a Ferrari or something. For a brand new car there is maybe a point, since an actual buyer (typically enthusiast in case of STI) would want to buy the car with minimum number of miles. But used STI?

[RobE]

Wow. So much for "Your Undealership."

[ToddMcF2002]

I heard that it's not uncommon for Subaru dealers to refuse test drives for STIs... indeed they must think it's a Ferrari or something. For a brand new car there is maybe a point, since an actual buyer (typically enthusiast in case of STI) would want to buy the car with minimum number of miles. But used STI?

 

The STi is no Ferrari but its a high performance vehicle.

 

Dealerships screen STi test drives for the same reason Mitsu screens EVO test drives. Since its relatively inexpensive, they don't want teenagers coming in racking up miles with no intention to buy. Screening out actual buyers? Someone in their 30's like me? Someone who is an existing customer? Giving them nonsense stories about a saftey check and then rearranging the story to some BS about purchase contingency just to drive it?

 

I can walk into any BMW or Porsche dealer and be driving a car in minutes. Planet LOL. What total BS. Sad sad sad.

 

 

Lucky for me however there are multiple dealers in the area who will happily have my business. Even better - there is another STi Limited in NJ with 9K miles and it is white. A color in higher demand and of course significantly less expensive since it doesnt have the requisite, extra super special "Planet" price gouge. :spin:

 

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_45_%7CD-_408_%7CN-N%7CR-10000%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-02339&aff=national&paId=250736444&recnum=8&leadExists=true

[Guest heightsgtltd]

I hear Ralph Lauren is looking to add a Planet Subaru edition used STI limited to his world class collection

[RobE]

What’s YOUR horror story? We hear them all the time:

“The sales manager was a condescending jerk.”

“The price was good but then they killed me on my trade.”

“I didn’t even get out of my car before I was practically tackled.”

“As a woman, I walked in alone and it took me a half hour to get helped.”

“Maybe I got a good deal but it didn’t feel very good.”

“I had a small problem with the car and they wouldn’t help me a week later.”

“I love the car but I would never ever go back to that dealership again.”

 

 

We’ve learned that folks have two primary fears when they buy a car. They’re afraid of being mistreated, and they’re afraid of paying too much.

 

Unfortunately, most people assume that they can’t get a great price and be treated well at the same dealership. At Planet Subaru, you get both.

 

Conventional dealership economics: high pressure stores have the advantage of volume, so they can make less per unit and still make money. The customer service stores are smaller so they need to charge more, but they treat you better to justify the price difference.

 

Planet economics: Slash the biggest expense in auto retail (advertising) and rely on raving customers to spread the word and to come back for more. Now we sell large volumes, with a small expense structure, and we never forgot how to offer an experience unlike the typical dealership.

 

On our Planet, we promise a great price and a great experience.

:lol:

[Guest heightsgtltd]

Success!

 

What’s YOUR horror story? We hear them all the time:

"I wanted to test drive a used car and they wanted me to committ to buying it first"

 

[Jonathan]

Just thought I'd share, since this is my second bad experience at Planet and now I'm an officially pissed off Subaru buyer.

...

 

What can I say? They just don't care if they lose customers. I guess I'll just call TriCity in NH again and do the deal with them. Planet doesnt care. They have an STi Limited and yes it is a rare car but the arrogance about selling it is beyond belief.

 

I won't name the salesmen. Dispite this unbelievable BS I still sort of like the folks there. God knows why.

First time, shame on them. Second time, shame on YOU. Don't get fooled with again.

 

FWIW, WRX2BlackGT sounds to me like a decent sort of salesrep who has to follow his dealerships policies. Don't blame him, blame the sales manager.

 

Yes, its just a Subaru. At the same time, from the dealer's perspective they only have "X" amount of these cars and "Y" amount of would be buyers. Apparently "Y" is so much larger than "X" at Planet that they feel they can pull this stuff. Fortunately for you there are other dealerships that can also sell you a car. Continue to use Planet to service your Subaru, but don't waste you time actually attempting to purchase cars from them. Its not worth it.

[RobE]

This thread has really changed my mind about going to them for my next car.

[ToddMcF2002]

First time, shame on them. Second time, shame on YOU. Don't get fooled with again.

 

FWIW, WRX2BlackGT sounds to me like a decent sort of salesrep who has to follow his dealerships policies. Don't blame him, blame the sales manager.

 

Yes, its just a Subaru. At the same time, from the dealer's perspective they only have "X" amount of these cars and "Y" amount of would be buyers. Apparently "Y" is so much larger than "X" at Planet that they feel they can pull this stuff. Fortunately for you there are other dealerships that can also sell you a car. Continue to use Planet to service your Subaru, but don't waste you time actually attempting to purchase cars from them. Its not worth it.

 

Something tells me that dropping my car off for service at Planet would not be the wisest course of action at this point

 

I've already lined up a backup for service - as has my brother in law. That however is another story I won't get into.

[MSPRO]

As far as my situation, I could have walked in with cash in full b.c I had a local dealership say that they would buy my car for 15k since it was paid off. I am glad someone got that car for that much, but there is no way I personally would pay 23-24k plus tax/title/ect for a used LGT, but that is just me. If I was going to drive that far it was going to have to be worth it for me, they wouldn't budge on the car, or do the trade, so I went somewhere else that would. That is the plain and simple thing, not saying its a bad place just saying that is what happened.

[FameMax]

This thread has really changed my mind about going to them for my next car.

 

There must have been a break down in communication. No one intentionally upsets someone in a sales environment. Not only does it confirm the sale will never happen, it allows for an upset person to voice their opinion.

 

You know that statistic, when someone has a great experience they will tell 3 people, when someone is upset with an experience they will tell 10 people. That seems to be the case.

 

I am just curious what exactly was the most upsetting part? Was it that you could not drive the STi?

 

A majority of people trade their current cars in, was it unreasonable to assume that?

 

First impression of a car is everything, if it had not been though the service department yet the car might not be cleaned, it might not have gas, there could be something on the car that needs to be replaced or fixed before it is available for sale.

 

Even with 7000 or so miles, anyone who wants an STi of that caliber wants the least amount of miles possible, especially on a limited. Why didn't you test drive another one with higher miles? They all drive basically the same.

[G35C_WRX_MX5_MR2]

I wish this thread was posted back in early October, before I drove almost 3 hours to test drive an '05 LGT lmtd wagon 5MT that they wouldn't budge off their $23998 asking price. I offered 21500 since it was a clean car and they wouldn't even counter. It's usually understood that there is some room in used car pricing. What a waste of time, I won't ever go back to this dealer for anything.

[Guest heightsgtltd]

 

Even with 7000 or so miles, anyone who wants an STi of that caliber wants the least amount of miles possible, especially on a limited. Why didn't you test drive another one with higher miles? They all drive basically the same.

 

The hole is getting deeper

 

So since they all basically drive the same, one shouldn't want to test drive the USED one that someone has already driven for 7K that's for sale?

 

[FameMax]

The hole is getting deeper

 

So since they all basically drive the same, one shouldn't want to test drive the USED one that someone has already driven for 7K that's for sale?

 

 

 

I'm not following your logic. 7,000 miles on a STi LTD is more valuable then say a 2004 non ltd with 30,000 miles, or 06 non ltd with 20,000. I'm sure you would agree with that.

 

Anyone can go into a Subaru dealership and test drive an Outback, Forester etc..

There are more people out in the world who would rather test drive an STi just because, and who wouldn't its a blast to drive!

 

But it is really all the same just in a different order. If you test drive a car and don't like it, you don't buy it. So there isn't a need to talk about price, trade, etc...

 

However if you talk about all those control points first, and confirm everything works out, then drive the car, if you don't like the car, you still don't have to buy it. However, most people shopping for a STi, will enjoy the drive. Naturally everyone should drive a car before they purchase one.

 

I know was looking at a GT or STi when I got my Legacy. The STi was just a little too much money for me at the time, so I went with a Legacy.

[ToddMcF2002]

I am just curious what exactly was the most upsetting part?

 

 

Good question. The fact that I was sitting in the car with it running and I was being told I couldnt drive it set the stage. That compounded with having been told by someone else a different reason I couldnt drive it: it hadn't been "safety checked" yet. I was interested in THAT car specifically and I had waited a week for it to come in. This isnt the first time I've inquired about an STi Limited at this dealership BTW. Just imagine sitting in it with the engine running while being fed a new line about test drive sales contingency and dealership policy. Oh and they need to evaluate my Legacy GT before a test drive.

 

One thing I forgot to mention ealier - I've had several conversations with this salesman in the past and I've mentioned I'm interested in a variety of cars including the E92 M3 and the EVO X. While he was telling me about the test drive parameters and sales contingency on the test drive he decided to throw the M3 and EVO X in my face telling me I wasnt ready to buy. How presumptuous is it to assume whether the customer is ready to buy or not? Is he a mind reader? So I tell him I've got plenty of money and he shouldnt assume I'm trading the Legacy GT. That's when I got the nail in the coffin line about him not caring who I was and how much money I have etc. I honestly felt betrayed by then. So I left.

 

Don't forget I've been given the runaround by this dealer before.

 

Noone suggested driving a different STi and frankly I was far too annoyed by then to care. Sadly, I would have had no problem paying the asking price for the car but I'm not buying a car under duress and arrogance. Who would?

[Garandman]

Your sales manager claimed the M3 was too hard to sell up north in MA so I got a low ball offer. Luckily I was able to make the deal in the deep south of New Hampshire. :rolleyes:///

Given how active the local chapter of the BMWCCA is, that is very hard to believe.

 

Last year I was thinking about getting an STi but wasn't sure if I'd fit in it. I emailed Manchester Subaru and made an appointment, and when I got there it was sitting next to the door, with plates on it, ready to go. Not sure if that's true for everyone (I'm old and have three kids, so odds are I wouldn't taco the thing) but they've been easy to deal with.

 

In fairness, Planet has a decent reputation. But the sales methodology of the entire industry is 10-15 years out of date. It's foolish to expect really skilled salespeople: you might get lucky, but eventually they'll be driven off by the antiquated, manipulative sales methodology and the opportunity to make more in a professional selling environment. We generally buy a couple of company cars a year, and lately I've been buying used models in private sales because dealing with most of the dealerships is so frustrating.

[ToddMcF2002]

Given how active the local chapter of the BMWCCA is, that is very hard to believe.

 

Last year I was thinking about getting an STi but wasn't sure if I'd fit in it. I emailed Manchester Subaru and made an appointment, and when I got there it was sitting next to the door, with plates on it, ready to go. Not sure if that's true for everyone (I'm old and have three kids, so odds are I wouldn't taco the thing) but they've been easy to deal with.

 

In fairness, Planet has a decent reputation. But the sales methodology of the entire industry is 10-15 years out of date. It's foolish to expect really skilled salespeople: you might get lucky, but eventually they'll be driven off by the antiquated, manipulative sales methodology and the opportunity to make more in a professional selling environment. We generally buy a couple of company cars a year, and lately I've been buying used models in private sales because dealing with most of the dealerships is so frustrating.

 

I'm 37 with 2 kids. That's exactly why I want the STi Limited.

[gibjer]

I'm not following your logic. 7,000 miles on a STi LTD is more valuable then say a 2004 non ltd with 30,000 miles, or 06 non ltd with 20,000. I'm sure you would agree with that.

 

Anyone can go into a Subaru dealership and test drive an Outback, Forester etc..

There are more people out in the world who would rather test drive an STi just because, and who wouldn't its a blast to drive!

 

But it is really all the same just in a different order. If you test drive a car and don't like it, you don't buy it. So there isn't a need to talk about price, trade, etc...

 

However if you talk about all those control points first, and confirm everything works out, then drive the car, if you don't like the car, you still don't have to buy it. However, most people shopping for a STi, will enjoy the drive. Naturally everyone should drive a car before they purchase one.

 

I know was looking at a GT or STi when I got my Legacy. The STi was just a little too much money for me at the time, so I went with a Legacy.

You expect someone to drive a different used car then the one they are buying? I don't care if they drive the same, it's a used car, hell I won't even put a deposit on a used car till I've put it on a lift.

[ToddMcF2002]

You expect someone to drive a different used car then the one they are buying? I don't care if they drive the same, it's a used car, hell I won't even put a deposit on a used car till I've put it on a lift.

 

Clearly you havent closely studied the NADA STi depreciation schedules some dealers have. When a car goes from 7822 miles to 7824 there is a 11% drop in wholesale value.

 

Its in their little brown NADA book really.

[CTATV]

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[gibjer]

No dealer in their right mind goes by nada, kbb, or edmunds, unless they are lying to you.