The road to discovering a solid replacement vehicle for my 2015 Ford Focus has been long, arduous, and included a few lessons.
It started by considering simply replacing it with one of the same, to considering a newer used vehicle, to finally deciding to purchase new. The plan was to wait until the first of year though, and purchase what was left over from the previous model year.
It was time to have a vehicle that could offroad a little though. For those that know me, I subjected that Focus to conditions I probably should not have. I was proud of that little car. It made it through some sketchy dirt and gravel roads, straddling deep ruts without getting stuck, without a scratch, and with only front wheel drive and just under 6 inches of ground clearance. Refer to Gunner Pool Road to Steele Falls Trailhead in Arkansas or North of Cotopaxi in Colorado or Evans Mountain Road back in Arkansas just to name a few.
After a thorough review of potential replacement vehicles, I narrowed my list down to what I perceived to be the best candidates; the three models were the Jeep Compass Trailhawk, Subaru Outback, or Subaru Crosstrek. An afternoon of test driving revealed the best candidate to be the Crosstrek. I just need to figure out which trim level next.
I thought I might want a Wilderness edition, because of slightly higher ground clearance (about 7/10 inch) and a heavier frame that enabled a higher towing capacity (3500 lbs. versus 1500). The unfortunate part, gas mileage drops almost 5 mpg, and I am very partial to awesome gas mileage.
Now I was down to Base, Premium, Sport or Limited. A test drive of the 2.0L versus the 2.5L narrowed my decision down to the Sport or Limited. To get most of the options available on the Limited brought the Sport up to almost the same price, so I decided just to go with the Limited. While I liked the yellow highlights on the car, I did not like them in the car, and leather seemed a nice choice. The only thing left to do was decide on color, map out availability, and wait for day one of the new year.
I worked with Van Subaru in the test drives, in spite of everything I had heard in the past about them. They were close and they had what I wanted. I was paying cash. They did not have much room to be a jerk.
The first salesman was super nice and laid back but left their employment to pursue other adventures. In reality, they probably fired him for being too helpful or he left because they were too rude. The salesman that took over for him was also really kind and only pushed a little, thankfully.
There is nothing I hate more than a pushy salesman. No means no. No does not mean maybe, and it certainly does not mean hustle, badger, or insult me.
Further visits and encounters with other salesman in my investigations at Van Subaru began to make me question whether I was working with the right folks. Snotty little remarks about my interests, choices, and timeline were definitely unwelcome.
Consequently, I spent some time on the Subaru web site and building out my own and finding every vehicle available within a 200-mile radius. I could actually buy this car anywhere. It did not need to be at Van Subaru, from a group of folks with no manners. Logging all of this into a spreadsheet, I broke each down by cost, options, available discounts, etc.
The first of the year came and I contacted the salesman Van Subaru by phone. He was not available, so his "Sales Director" hijacked the deal. This probably would not have been so bad except he was a completely different character.
He was a stereotypical car salesman, pushy and annoying. Making matters worse, he talked all over the top of me, tried to gaslight me over the phone, and abruptly ended our call without so much as a good-bye.
Throughout the conversation, I discovered that the car I wanted was not "in stock," but was in "inventory." Either way, because it was not in stock, it did not qualify for the $4000 off they were offering on all 2024 Subaru Crosstreks. That made no sense. Seems like a little "bait and switch" to me. Either you have a car in stock, or you do not. Semantics are little more than game really, especially for salesman.
When I called back a few minutes later, the Sales Director said that he thought there was nothing else to discuss. I explained that I actually had a couple more questions. There was stunned silence for a few seconds. He might have known that already had he not decided all by himself that the conversation was over.
It turns out the car was in a shared inventory with Reliable Subaru in Springfield. He could make a deal with me, but I would have to pay another $700 to have it delivered. When I suggested that I would just go pick it up myself, he said they could not allow that. I said I would just work with Reliable then and he said I was welcome to do exactly that.
Through the entire conversation, his attitude seemed to be that I am somehow doing this dealership a favor buying a car. The two salesman I worked with initially were friendly and helpful. Others the in equation and this Sales Director were not.
Calling Reliable Subaru, I discovered quickly he got to them before I did. Their price for the same vehicle was miraculously $700 higher. Imagine that.
These are only a few highlights from the review I left on Google Maps, which received a "Response from the owner," to give them a call to for "the opportunity to turn [my] experience around."
I called. The person was to have called me back. They did not. Instead, the "Sales Director" emailed me with no better response than to try to justify himself and his actions.
Further convincing me I was dealing with a shady group of folks was the evidence in my spreadsheet. They were the only dealership continually manipulating their prices up and down throughout the two months of my research.
I was done with Van Subaru. I had plenty of options still. I did not need them. They were not the only game in town. I decided that never would I buy a car from this place, much less take my car for service there. I should have believed all that I had heard. I should have read more of the reviews and have now.
After talking with a few others, I finally struck a deal with Baxter Subaru in La Vista, Nebraska. The salesman I worked with online and over the phone was conscientious, courteous, helpful and already had the car priced at exactly what I wanted to pay for it. At no point was he pushy, and I did not feel like I was getting hustled. These guys will never known how much I appreciate that.
I drove three hours to pick up my new car. The sales staff were friendly and accommodating, helping me get back on the road quickly for a 530 appointment at birthday party that evening. This is definitely how car buying should be; collaborative and cooperative.
The only problem I have now is ongoing maintenance. That seems mostly resolved though, learning that Olathe Subaru is owned by the same folks. With a little luck, I will be able to depend on them for my needs.