[ForcedInduction]

I'd guess that I probably would have liked the V6 in the RDX more than the turbo 4......

.......not me......having driven both normally aspirated and turbocharged engines....I would go with a turbo hands down....any day of the week.......now electric drivetrains are a whole other ball game....(instantaneous torque=instantaneous smiles..... all of the time).....

 

[Sandbag]

Go see Cindy Laudermilk at Brilliance Subaru in Elgin Il if you're close by. Got my Forester from her and real easy to work with. Also, this dealership is fairly new and has a small town atmosphere which I liked.

(224) 281-4300

 

[Noeladams]

Please let me know the outcome!

I was the Ambassador who shared the coupon If you were local I know who I'd send you too but I hope this doesn't dampen you wanting a Subaru.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

.......not me......having driven both normally aspirated and turbocharged engines....I would go with a turbo hands down....any day of the week.......now electric drivetrains are a whole other ball game....(instantaneous torque=instantaneous smiles..... all of the time).....

My '06 RAV4 had a V6 that was pretty similar to that found in the RDX and I honestly found that car to be more fun to drive than my FXT, in general...there are certainly circumstances where the turbo 4/CVT performs better. I think the RAV4 was limited by a rather crude tranny and the 6 speed with paddles in the RDX probably would have been a big improvement.

Go see Cindy Laudermilk at Brilliance Subaru in Elgin Il if you're close by. Got my Forester from her and real easy to work with. Also, this dealership is fairly new and has a small town atmosphere which I liked.

(224) 281-4300

That looks to be in a decent part of Elgin (right on the border), but I would be very careful about driving in the downtown area at night to get to/from that dealer.
Not kidding, I used to live there...

 

[tofupedia]

sorry to hear about your bad experience @sforester_l
I actually in the process of getting my car from Grand Subaru.
i was looking for 2.5 touring with no add on back in mid-June. they did mention about dealer "swap" for such model. but I wasn't sure what that mean. so I offer that I can drive to that dealer to pick up the car myself. ( I ordering from out of state anyway) Then they explain how dealer "swap" work which involved someone driving the car from Wisconsin to Chicago. so I said NO to that. later they agree to order from the factory and it takes 2 months wait.
I wait 2 months without any update so I send email to the dealer yesterday which they quickly reply (same day) that the car has arrived and I should come pick it up this Friday or next Monday. (this part is kind of worry me. shouldn't they reach out to me if the car I orderd really arrive ? or I just email at the right timing.)
I will email back and ask about the VIN and current mileage for the car just to be sure. If there is any curve ball on this deal , I will take my business else where.

 

[Malayali]

Yes before you step into the dealership confirm VIN and miles in email.During the interaction I had these folks,the Sales Manger Brian S,mentioned it would nt harm to ask twice even in email...so to be safer i would have ur sales guy confirm with his manager all in same email. At times during dealer swap they do exchange cars...I personally would have picked the car if odometer shows like less than 50..that too is stretch.. given new cars only shows 5-10 miles on a average,but given my circumstance I was willing 50.
Keep us posted how it goes.

 

[Malayali]

For those of you who are watching this....
We finally have our first Subaru-2.5i Premium and definitely liking it .We made the purchase from Gerald Subaru of Naperville.The experience was way too different-in a good way-
My Sales Mgr-was Mason.L,who made sure price and accessories was what agreed upon in email and showed me the vehicle before the starting the paper works and also went over few car techs.Once we gave the okay.
They started the paperwork . The approval for 0 % took some time with the extra documentation ,we had to submit,given our immigration status. Per recommendation from -Finance Mgr-Asim. I had to put a higher down payment for securing the SOA loan. Alternative was to use use my pre approval CU loan.
Then after signing the paper works,SM- Mason-,did the final walkover and we were on the road.
Side Note:The ambassador coupon is in my name and they mentioned they can only list my wife's name on paper-title etc I am working with them around that . will keep you posted,how it turns.

 

[FXTerrific]

I almost wonder if that salesman was in his boss' doghouse and the sale was killed intentionally to punish him...

im pretty sure subaru dealerships (or maybe all for all i know) have a program where you (the buyer) can rate/review your purchase and experience. the reps and dealer take a very big hit, from the manufacturer, by a poor review...so much so that sometimes its better to not sell the car, then to sell it and get a poor review. ive been told that by more then one person (salesman) that that can be the case.

 

[DaveB00T]

I feel like I am missing something. Is this the same Grand Subaru? If so, did they call you back to come in to finish a deal, you call them back? They swap the car for another one?
Or is this a different Grand Subaru, which I assume?

 

[subiesubieDOOO]

For anyone in the PA, NY, CT, NJ area, looking for new or used, contact Joe Gardina @ Ertle Subaru in Stroudsburg PA.. Hes the sales manager and given the experience I had, they did everything possible to secure a new replacement XT in a timely manner for me.. Good people there IMO..And no I am not affiliated with them in any way..

 

[Malayali]

Gerald Subaru of Naperville..

I feel like I am missing something. Is this the same Grand Subaru? If so, did they call you back to come in to finish a deal, you call them back? They swap the car for another one?
Or is this a different Grand Subaru, which I assume?

 

[Malayali]

Thanks to efforts from Ambassador @Noeladams ,here and SOA,the dealer accepted the coupon and finally closed the paperwork and expecting the title some time next week.

For those of you who are watching this....
We finally have our first Subaru-2.5i Premium and definitely liking it .We made the purchase from Gerald Subaru of Naperville.The experience was way too different-in a good way-
My Sales Mgr-was Mason.L,who made sure price and accessories was what agreed upon in email and showed me the vehicle before the starting the paper works and also went over few car techs.Once we gave the okay.
They started the paperwork . The approval for 0 % took some time with the extra documentation ,we had to submit,given our immigration status. Per recommendation from -Finance Mgr-Asim. I had to put a higher down payment for securing the SOA loan. Alternative was to use use my pre approval CU loan.
Then after signing the paper works,SM- Mason-,did the final walkover and we were on the road.
Side Note:The ambassador coupon is in my name and they mentioned they can only list my wife's name on paper-title etc I am working with them around that . will keep you posted,how it turns.

 

[J53072]

Bought a Forester from Grand a month ago. Our internet salesperson Sandy was great but yeah the after process was slow and painful that day. Also it took a long time for them to install the starter and check the CVT fluid on a return visit.

Not sure I would do business again. I almost wanted to tell Sandy she deserves a better place.

 

[Malayali]

Well there are lots dealer in Chicago area... Just curious was starter OEM or non OEM.

 

[milkycow]

Dang, I usually use Grand Subaru for quotes in the Midwest region because of their high volume. Usually the first offer the give beats the Subaru VIP program by just a couple hundred. There is not much negotiating in Michigan, so using that piece of knowledge as negotiating leverage is key.

Test drove FXT Touring the other day on east side of Michigan. The salesman gave me a quick quote of what some people have negotiated down. Adding on the various fees from Grand also makes the drive and hassle not as worth it though their quotes are some of the lowest. When I am much closer to purchasing I'll definitely weigh the options and hopefully they still have good financing rates.

 

[17forester]

sforester_l Glad to hear you finally got the right vehicle. :smile2: I'd be pretty upset if those things happened to my wife and I, 8 hours is ridiculous. I think they were not happy since they didn't make money from the aftermarket remote starter, none from the finance, and it cost them some money for the transfer (a couple hundred or so I'd guess).

 

[Malayali]

@milkycow..Try Gerald Subaru Of Naperville,thats where I brought the car from after the fiasco with Grand.
On bright side Gerald even quoted me $200 less. My sales person -Nea & Mason over there.Give it a shot.They just opened new showroom and looks like is trying hard to meet OCT target.So you might turn lucky.
@17forester...Yes we were upset but now we are glad that didnt fall through,apart from lessons learned ,there were few other savings as well.

 

[tofupedia]

i also worked with Sandy from Grand Subaru. She is really great. I was surprised how long i have seat through all the recommendation products at different phase of the purchasing process. I needed to travel from Michigan to Chicago and spend whole afternoon there. its very time consuming. However , i have to say the whole process isn't bad , just takes a lot of time. (I think it was during the day on Friday so they are not so busy) I will say keep yourself well hydrated. it help to keep your mind clear. its gonna be marathon.

 

[257Roberts]

I think some folks have the idea that large internet dealers are to be avoided, but I purchased a new '16 Outback from Heuberger last year, had them ship the car and everything was perfect. No pressure, no surprises, no problems. I had gotten a quote from Grand and even though they were closer and shipping would have been $3-400 less, I passed after reading some reviews of the dealership. Heuberger on the other hand, had nothing but satisfied customers.

 

[milkycow]

@sforester_l

I just purchased from Grand, yesterday to be exact. The price was hard to beat. Unfortunately it is hard to find my exact vehicle. There was one in MI but the dealer did not want to go lower then 34.5k, while just the first email from Grand was 32.1k. I wasn't going to trade in my vehicle, but they gave me higher then KBB value, so I thought I would save the hassle of private selling and give up a couple hundred.

My circumstance was me driving 4.5hrs to do this deal. So, they guaranteed my trade and OTD cost in an email before I drove. I got there at 3:30pm and was out of there by 6:30pm, since I submitted finance app online before driving and emailed all necessary documents. Then I dropped the Ambassador coupon at the end. Maybe I could have saved another couple hundred, but overall I got everything I wanted.