Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:19
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - MokkaMan

Hi

I am looking to buy a used (three year old approx) Subaru Forester XE Petrol Automatic in the next two months for my wife and I am already looking around. I have found one in the Subaru Helensburgh (I live in Scotland) dealership advertised at £17,995. When I key the details into various car valuation websites using the registration number, the value even at a dealership should be nearer £16,000- £16,250. Does anyone know why this model would be so overvalued

Many thanks

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:34
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - madf

Petrol automatics Foresters are like hens' teeth.

Subarus dealers are like hens'teeth.

Subaru dealers in Scotland are like hens'teeth.

Look in England where there is more choice.. Distance buying can be very successful.

(The colure blue looks nice on Autotrader)

Subaru dealers often take months to sell cars - and discount accordingly..

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:42
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - RobJP

Petrol automatics Foresters are like hens' teeth.

Subarus dealers are like hens'teeth.

Subaru dealers in Scotland are like hens'teeth.

Look in England where there is more choice.. Distance buying can be very successful.

(The colure blue looks nice on Autotrader)

Subaru dealers often take months to sell cars - and discount accordingly..

In addition, it's winter. And the car is in Scotland, on the edge of the mountains. And it's got 4 wheel drive. So those are all going to push up the price.

If we get a good long cold spell, plenty of frost, occasional snow, then that will sell in short order. On the other hand a really mild winter will see the dealer dropping the price come March.

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:51
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - RT

4wd SUVs, even the soft-roaders, go up in value over winter and drop like a stone in summer - the opposite of convertibles.

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 14:03
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - corax

Petrol automatics Foresters are like hens' teeth.

Subarus dealers are like hens'teeth.

Subaru dealers in Scotland are like hens'teeth.

Look in England where there is more choice.. Distance buying can be very successful.

(The colure blue looks nice on Autotrader)

Subaru dealers often take months to sell cars - and discount accordingly..

Someone who used to be on here, it might have been Lygonos, bided his time and kept an eye on a particular dealer who's Foresters were on the forecourt for months. He ended up saving around 10k on the list price because they were desperate to sell by this time.

I've noticed a lot more current shape Foresters on the road compared to the previous version recently but still rare compared to other makes. Whether the strategy above still works I don't know. It depends on how much you want a Forester!

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:39
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - SLO76
Does seem pricey but it's typical of Subaru dealers to be heavily over book plus the lack of supply is holding up prices at this age. My local dealer (Ayr) has one with more than 60,000 miles at £16,995 which is ridiculous.

Remember also that a petrol automatic Subaru will be hammered in value as it ages. Take a look at 6-7yr old examples outside the dealer network and remember that dealers typically undervalue them at trade in due to costly parts prices and expectant prep costs. The only place you'll get decent money is against another overpriced Subaru.

Don't get me wrong I like Subaru, they build a high quality good driving product but they make little sense nearly new economically. A Honda CRV 2.0 auto would be a better buy in my opinion. You'll find one for less money and it'll be worth more at say ten years old. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161011866...8

Edited by SLO76 on 13/12/2016 at 13:40

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 13:57
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - madf

The OP lives in Scotland. A CRV is 2WD. My memories of Scottish winters is that 4wd plus snow tyres can be essential..

Edited by madf on 13/12/2016 at 13:57

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 14:18
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - MokkaMan

Hi thanks for the replies - yes I live about 20 miles south west of Inverness on a hill that is 250 metres up. My keenness on the Forester (and it will be with winter tyres at this time of the year) is that it has a real pedigree for grip.

I have looked at the CRV and it is an excellent car (and tbh is my second choice) but SWMBO liked the Forester.

I have targeted the last two weeks in February as the time ideally that I would buy. I am hoping the dealers would want to clear old stock before the new reg numbers come out. Also by then the winter will largely be over.

I am happy to travel down to England to buy though.

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 14:25
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - RobJP

20 miles SW of Inverness, 800+ feet up on a hill, and expecting winter to largely be over by late February ...

Good luck with that one !

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 16:57
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - madf

20 miles SW of Inverness, 800+ feet up on a hill, and expecting winter to largely be over by late February ...

Good luck with that one !

I was brought up near Nacduff on the Moray Firth Coast. In 1963 we had 4 meter high snowdrifts outside our backdoor and the local (one track) road was blocked with drifts until end April..

My parents lived near Banchory 20 years later - I saw -20C...

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 15:21
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - SLO76

The OP lives in Scotland. A CRV is 2WD. My memories of Scottish winters is that 4wd plus snow tyres can be essential..

The 2.0 petrol is available with 2wd or 4wd and the car I linked to has the latter. Agree regards winter tyres in OP's location but our 2wd 1.6 DTEC CRV copes fine with Ayrshire winters. Hardly any snow here on the coast.
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Tue 13 Dec 2016 16:49
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - RobJP

I'd agree with you on that - being coastal means always getting the moderating effect of the ocean on temperatures.

However, the OP is 20/25 miles inland, by the sound of it up in the hills between the Great Glen and Newtonmore - and conditions that far inland and that far north and high can be decidedly arctic.

I've been in a snowstorm up by Melgarve bothy on the south side of those hills once a few years ago, and the date was June 18th.

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 17:16
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - Falkirk Bairn

Subaru cars tend to be tough & seldom go wrong, in the eyes of many. However it is a very thin market in the UK - they were selling under 3,000 cars per year of late.

15 years ago they sold 10,000 PLUS per year - problems in the UK are small range, 1 small diesel engine & thirsty petrols & being Pricey!.

In the USA they sell somewhere around 700K cars per year - competitively priced when new (Impreza about £12K for a 2 litre, we are £18K for a weedy 1.6), bigger range of models, petrol is cheaper.......

Look at the BRZ - sold less than 10% of the near identical GT86 - Toyota has their new model out - BRZ not due till spring. New Foresters out in USA - spring before IM Group release them here.

High 2nd hand fiures are a feature of the Subaru forecourt. Locally cars can sit for many months - moving them around to make it look like cars are selling.

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 18:43
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - daveyjp
On regular trips to Scotland I see more Subarus than anywhere else I visit.

They are popular, especially where there is a local dealer, as a result prices are high.

Mine was bought in Yorkshire, but was originally from a dealer in North east Scotland. My dealer bought it when it was traded in as they had no second hand Forester stock. He'd had it a couple of weeks before I bought it. Looking at prices they do vary around the Country, but that is no different to other marques.

Keep looking and be prepared to travel.



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Tue 13 Dec 2016 20:35
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - Falkirk Bairn

New Impreza is COY 2017 in Japan.

tinyurl.com/guo6bks

Fuji must be doing something right there - maybe they could spread some of their powers to Subaru in the UK

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 20:46
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - gordonbennet

^^^ congratulations to Kia for their COY win in Japan.

:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 13/12/2016 at 20:47

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Tue 13 Dec 2016 21:08
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - RT

New Impreza is COY 2017 in Japan.

tinyurl.com/guo6bks

Fuji must be doing something right there - maybe they could spread some of their powers to Subaru in the UK

Not until they dump IM as the UK importer

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Wed 14 Dec 2016 06:36
Subaru Forester - Subaru Used Car Values - Falkirk Bairn

New Impreza is COY 2017 in Japan.

tinyurl.com/guo6bks

Fuji must be doing something right there - maybe they could spread some of their powers to Subaru in the UK

Not until they dump IM as the UK importer

maybe they could spread some of their powers to Subaru in the UK

Same idea as you!

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