benefits of buying 2001 Outback

[Bryce]

I need to know why buying a 2001 Outback would be a good idea. Where can I
go to read up on this model. Are there any inherent problems with this car.
Some have told me it is very good. I've got one with 31,000 that I can buy
for $15,000. Is this a good deal? It's in great shape. It just looks like
it would be expensive as heck to get fixed if anything goes wrong with it.
Is there anything that goes wrong with these usually or are they pretty
good. I've gotta decide by Monday if any of you have any good
recommendations on where I can go to read up on the 2001 model.

It's the basic model, not the six cylinder or the limited, but still looks
very nice.

Thanks for any info.

Bryce.

 

[jabario]

I bought an '04 obw NEW for $19 and change in 1/04. Why not pony up a
few more $$$ and get a new one? Used car buyers puzzle me. Who would
pay that much for a daily driver with NO warranty, no guarantee and an
unknown history? I bet you could find an 05 OB basic for $20k or so.
Why buy another person's trouble. For $15-20k there are many vehicles
you can buy new and have peace of mind!!

John

 

[Paul Pluzhnikov]

Used car buyers puzzle me.

And new car buyers puzzle me: the moment you leave the dealer parking
lot you throw away about $3,000.

Why not let someone else throw away his $3000, and buy a 2-3 year old
car instead? If you inspect it beforehand, there will quite likely be
nothing wrong with it, and you'll be able to use it for another 10 years
with little problems.

Who would
pay that much for a daily driver with NO warranty, no guarantee

Huh? Last I checked the Subaru warranty lasted for 3 years/36K miles and
powertrain for 5 years/60K.

you can buy new and have peace of mind!!

When you buy a new car, you may worry about it being stolen or
scratched. With a used car I have a much better peace of mind

Cheers,

 

[John Rethorst]

Used car buyers puzzle me.

When I bought my '01 OBW I saved $10,000 over a new one. There were 2
years/24,000 miles left on the powertrain warranty. The dealer's warranty was
only 4 months but, bumper to bumper, that means it's been gone over. The car was
in pristine condition. I think I got a good deal.

A nice thing about an '01 is it was the second year of production of that model
design, so bugs had been worked out. 2004 was the last year of production of
that design, so more bugs will have been worked out.

I wish I had gotten an '02 since:

- it has variable speed intermittent wipers, laughably trivial unless you live
in the Pacific Northwest

- it has a couple other very small electrical thingies - ignition key light etc.

I'm glad I didn't get an '02 since:

it has the radio antenna in the windshield which, while slicker than a wire
antenna, doesn't pull in stations as well. I like to look around for distant
stations when on the road.

I'm glad I didn't get an '03 or '04 since:

they took out the cassette player, leaving only the CD. I have a big collection
of cassettes from back in the day, and they and the car are perfect for each
other: fidelity is fine for the car and they're easy to handle. I have mostly
vinyl for home listening since I think it sounds better. So the cassette
bookshelf is right by the front door.

I'm glad I didn't get an '05 for the 03/04 reason plus the interior really isn't
as nice. More hip maybe, but not as nice for my taste.

Conclusion to all this: YMMV.

It's a great car.

 

[jabario]

John Rethorst Mar 10, 9:19 pm show options

t has the radio antenna in the windshield which, while slicker than a
wire
antenna, doesn't pull in stations as well. I like to look around for
distant
stations when on the road.<<

The stick on antennae on rear quarter window works fine on 04. Depends
on the stereo. The stock had ok reception , an aiwa sucked , and the
kenwood I have is fine
collection
of cassettes from back in the day, and they and the car are perfect for
each
other: fidelity is fine for the car and they're easy to handle. I have
mostly
vinyl for home listening since I think it sounds better<<

Who wants a cassette player these days? I'd spit in the face of any
salesman who tried to sell me a new car without CD!!!! Trust me buddy
if you think vinyl sounds better than CD you need to get a better
stereo . The pops scratches and SSSS dont enamor me on the vinyl
experience.

 

[Bonehenge]

I bought an '04 obw NEW for $19 and change in 1/04.

Where? That's an abnormally low price, or you got creamed on a
trade-in.

Barry

 

[jabario]

And new car buyers puzzle me: the moment you leave the dealer parking

lot you throw away about $3,000. <

Thats total BS to get suckers to buy USED cars. MY 04 OBW had a
sticker of $25,500 . I paid $19,xxx. If it was totalled or stolen the
day I bought it I'd make money. Dealers love to sell used since they
make more money. In central NJ dealers mark up used cars $4k over what
they give as trade. New cars arent as profitable when people research
invoice cost etc and only pay a few hundred over invoice. Except for
my first car I've only bought new and definite.y gotten my money's
worth with careful maintenance and purchase of quality cars.

 

[Bonehenge]

lot you throw away about $3,000. <

Thats total BS to get suckers to buy USED cars. MY 04 OBW had a
sticker of $25,500 . I paid $19,xxx.

You've got my interest. <G>

I challenge you to the following:

1.) Scan your sales slip.
2.) Black out your personal data, like name, address, VIN, phone
numbers, marker plate number, lien holder and signature. Leave all
price and model info, and anything preprinted on the form.
3.) Post it. Don't want to post a binary? I'll offer up web space.

We have two long time family friends that own _chains_ of dealerships,
representing 22 brands. If you can prove your purchase, I bow to a
master.

Barry

 

[JDC]

If you buy new, smart, you can do pretty well. I bought a car with a list
price of $27,500 for $21,950 A brand new 6 cylinder Outback leftover. Great
car and a great price.

A 2-year old vehicle can be had at a good price, but I wouldn't buy any
vehicle older than that unless I planned on putting more money into it for
brakes, and other normal wear and tear items, etc.

 

[jabario]

No trade. You have to look for the ad car and buy that. Thats what I
did with the OBW and what I did with the 94 Trooper I had.

 

[jabario]

I'll work on that later or tomorrow. Ask your friends about the "ad
Car" . Most dealers will get people to pay more or come up with some
fine print. Those who stick firm get a great deal. You don't pick the
color or options though. I got a silver OBW when I wanted grren but
they come w/ everything I want anyway.

 

[Bonehenge]

If you buy new, smart, you can do pretty well. I bought a car with a list
price of $27,500 for $21,950 A brand new 6 cylinder Outback leftover. Great
car and a great price.

I agree. I usually buy new and drive them 9-10 years. If I'm in a
car that long, I want the exact car I want. <G> I did pretty good on
my '01 OBW, considering I had to have a blue 5 speed and they aren't
anywhere near as common as automatics. Unfortunately, the 01' is now
for sale, as I really need a truck, my wife won't part with her '99
Wrangler,and I've got a Toyota Tacoma on the way.

Model year leftovers are usually another story for two reasons:

1.) They are a year old the day you buy them.

2.) The dealer often receives incentives from the factory to clear the
old stock. This is the same as any other retail business that deals
in years and seasons.

As long as the above is kept in mind, and the dealer will play along,
a leftover can be an excellent purchase.

Barry

 

[k. ote]

Why not let someone else throw away his $3000, and buy a 2-3 year old
car instead? If you inspect it beforehand, there will quite likely be
nothing wrong with it, and you'll be able to use it for another 10 years
with little problems.

I'm not throwing any money away. I bought a new car, guaranteed to be in new
condition. If I buy it used, I take the risk that the former owner got in
an accident or had some substandard work done that he's not going to tell
me about. That's BS man. Not for a $50,000 CAD car..

When you buy a new car, you may worry about it being stolen or
scratched. With a used car I have a much better peace of mind

Please. With a Subaru WRX or STi, the stolen worry is the same regardless of
whether it's new or not. You're willing to take the risk that some n00b
diddled with the turbo just to save a couple percent in the cost?

 

[Bryce]

He doesn't seem to have ponied that up yet.

Must be busy.

 

[Paul Pluzhnikov]

He doesn't seem to have ponied that up yet.

But it doesn't really matter, does it?

Assume that:
- the 04 OBW had a $25,500 sticker
- that he bought it in late 2004 (after the 05s came out),
- that it was a "only one at this price" ad car, and perhaps had
1K miles on it,
- that he paid $19,999 for it.

That's not so unbelievable, is it?

I still wonder whether my claim of "you loose $3K the moment you
drive a new car off the lot" is complete BS (as he claimed) or not.

For example, did anyone have a new car totaled within (say) a month
of purchase, and if so, how much did it really cost (out of pocket,
i.e. including deductibles).

My experience (with fairly old cars, two of my own, my mother's
and friend's) has been that the insurance pays about $1-2K less
than it would *really* cost to replace. In other words, I get a
check from insurance for:
$N (real cost to buy the same car) - $500 (deductible) - $1500 (insurance cheat?)

Cheers,

 

[Bryce]

I think a 2 year old car is great buy.... especially on a Volvo or Subaru.

If I were graphing it, between 2-4 seems prime.