I am currently in the market for a car and have decided for sure on Forester since it seems to be far better (safety and quality) than any other small SUV on the market. I definitely want 2003 or newer for the side airbags as well as other newer features since there was a redesign that year. As well, I know 2006 had another redesign that I'm interested in. I definitely want to buy used though and for now I have use of my fiancee's car and since we work at home often one car isn't that bad. It's a old car but gets us around. The point, I want to get a good deal and am looking mostly at private owners figuring I'd get a better deal than buying used from a Subaru dealership. I know when the 2007's coming out prices will go down a lot, espeically for the 2006's. Yet I don't know when this happens. Does anyone know when theese come out? It seems hard to find used Foresters for sale, probably becuase people are so happy with them. What are the places to find the best deals? The Subaru dealerships seem high but will they go down a lot in price? My concern is of course since this is the first time buying used, I want to make sure I get something that's reliable and not traded in for a reason such as major problems. I know about doing a carfax on it as well as getting a 3rd party thorough evaluation on it. If I buy from Subaru can their 140 point inspection be trusted? Are there used cars often safe? Just as an example, I have looked at one Forester. It was a 2004 XT Turbo with 20,000 miles. Well turned out I did a carfax on it and it had been wrecked a year earlier. That' why it had low mileage. The guy wanted $17.7K. I told him when I found out about it's history and he just said how it was a minor wreck (but later told me it was a rollover) and the lowest he'd go is $17.5K because he put so much money inot it to fix it up. Well I think this guy just buys these wrecked cars for $600 or so, puts maybe $3000 to fix the surface stuff, not the guts ad then sells for a huge profit and I know how you can have problems down the road, a less safe car in a accident, and a much lower trade in value. I like the Turbo and the power but really, I am not concerned about speed, just pickup and power driving around town. I live in Colorado so at times I do some mountain driving. the AWD is important to me but honestly, if I don't need the turbo I want to save on the cost of the car and future gas costs. Do most people find the standard engine is enough? I know this is many questions but this is a major purchase and I figured talking to fellow Subaru owners (my last car was an Impreza) I'd get some very good advice. Thanks!
- posted
18 years ago