Sabaru Legacy Diesel - trade price

cadaliac

I was in a Sabaru dealership this morning and I test drove the new shape Legacy diesel.
I was very impressed but I wasn't really interested in trading - as I told the salesperson, I was more interested in driving the diesel because I was thinking of changing next year, not this year. I spoke to him this morning on the phone and explained the situation and he told me to come in and test one of the cars, so I did.
As I handed him back the keys he told me that he had the old shape legacy due in during the week and he could give me a good price (old shape).
My own is a 04 Passat TDI with 96k on the clock.
He basically offered me the new car (10 plate) for 19k along with my own.
As far as I can make out he is offering me 6k for the passat. \
I was wondering what you guys think about this offer?
The old shape car 2.0 boxer diesel can be got straight for 26k. I know that I haven't haggled with the salesman yet so I would expect a little movement on the price to change - but do you think the old shape will be hard to shift in 4 years time?
Should I hold out 'till next year?
Any views appreciated.

sk8board

CAn't imagine it'd be harder to shift in 4 years time. the older shape is more core subaru, very few people would say its a bad drive, low emissions, low tax, high mpg; the new one is a lot softer and more european.

19k for that car on a '10 plate is a good deal IMHO, esp as you're passat will be very hard to shift, even at 6k. If theres haggle room all the better

cadaliac

I was thinking the same myself. My car is 6 years old now - 7 next year and will have over 110k on the clock and I would doubt I would get 4k for it next year.

TomMc

The old shape Legacy was underpriced from new, the all new model is somewhat overpriced. And many would argue the old shape is the prettier of the two and while the engine is relatively new, everything else on the car is tried and tested. Normally an obsolete model would depreciate quite a lot when a new one hits the market but that is when the new RRP is along similar lines. The old shape one was something of a bargain new (bang for your buck wise) compared with the current one. And since owners tend to keep them longer than most, a supply of used ones on the second hand market in the near future will be limited enough. Unless you go across the water. Then you have to sell your own, possibly difficult as things stand.

If it was the estate, I would give it serious consideration as they are a better option than the saloon, more practical and harder to find on the used market. Mid 20's for a brand new car of this quality is excellent value, despite the fact that buying a car new is financial madness most of the time. If it was one of the saloons (they aren't as sought after) it wouldn't be as good a deal. Although getting a trade in or 6-7k for a 04 Passat which will be over the 100k mark soon in the current economic climate is something. I thought nothing was selling and dealers were unwilling to take in older cars with leggy mileage (excuse the pun).

PaulKK

Believe it or not your I think your passat will still hold good value next year.

I sold my old 98 one in January with 120k on it for €1600, I'd say I could have got a bit more for it too if I had of been pushed because I got about 20 calls about it and about 10 texts in one day, the first viewer bought it.

It was sold within 15 hours of putting it on donedeal.

The passat isn't favoured on here but they are a popular car and even moreso in TDI form.


In fairness I don't think what you were offered is a bad deal but just don't be too concerned about the passat loosing too much value if you hold on for another bit.

cadaliac

It was the saloon alright, but in fairness i would actually prefer the saloon. I don't have a need for the estate.
Yes it is madness to buy new - I always said so myself but the new car offers two very tempting virtues to me:
1- new car with a 3 year warranty. I've had it p to the back teeth with repairs to the passat (gearbox included).
2- in four years time (when the car will be paid for) I will have a sale able car, but only four years of age.

Realistically, I can hold on to the passat as PaulKK says and not really drop too much in value from now 'till next year, but it is a tempting offer for a car which ticks the boxes that I want in a car.

Anan1

cadaliac wrote: »

It was the saloon alright, but in fairness i would actually prefer the saloon. I don't have a need for the estate.

You still need to factor it into the price of the car though, a lot of Subaru buyers won't touch a saloon come resale.

TomMc

I wouldn't really think of an estate as a loading vehicle you don't need, but more as a practical and versatile option for the real world. It's great when you want to put a bicycle in the back and countless other stuff. And when you come to sell the same will apply and effect its desirability resale value to would be buyers.

If you think how more desirable an A4 or A6 Avant is over a saloon version, the same applies to the Legacy. Quality estates have a better image than their saloon counterparts, and command a premium, despite all the same mechanicals and trimmings.

I wouldn't mind the old model either, I have one myself and would prefer to replace it with a used Spec B 3.0L over the new 2.5 one at twice the price. If only the road tax wasn't so prohibitively expensive.

Lex Luthor

Anan1 wrote: »

You still need to factor it into the price of the car though, a lot of Subaru buyers won't touch a saloon come resale.

I agree. The outgoing saloon wasn't that sought after but the outgoing estate in diesel was only sold in few numbers and in that is a bit of a rare thing. Plus it looks a lot better, drives a lot better and is priced a lot better than the new model. Also lower to tax.

Your sums dont add up.

26k for the saloon cash is not the same as the salesman offering you 6k for yours with 19k. The retail of that saloon is probably about 27k from what I remember and the estate was 30k. So you are being offered 8k for your Passat.

If you can sell your Passat for 8k, then you should be able to get the saloon for cash for 24.5k to 25k.
Do you think you'll sell it for 8k on the open market?

cadaliac

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I agree. The outgoing saloon wasn't that sought after but the outgoing estate in diesel was only sold in few numbers and in that is a bit of a rare thing. Plus it looks a lot better, drives a lot better and is priced a lot better than the new model. Also lower to tax.

Your sums dont add up.

26k for the saloon cash is not the same as the salesman offering you 6k for yours with 19k. The retail of that saloon is probably about 27k from what I remember and the estate was 30k. So you are being offered 8k for your Passat.

If you can sell your Passat for 8k, then you should be able to get the saloon for cash for 24.5k to 25k.
Do you think you'll sell it for 8k on the open market?

Not a snowballs chance in hell I'd say. I was looking at carzone and you can get a saloon for 25k (demo) which I was basing my sums on. The salesman of course told me that the car was 26k.
Anyway, while the estate is good looking, it is also more expensive and the deal is for the saloon.
I take on board the argument for the estate and I can't bring myself to justify the additional money for same when it's not the car I really want. Yes it will fetch more money when the time comes to sell and will probably sell quicker but there is a market for the saloon too (i hope).
As you say the estate is more versatile but I haven't driven it yet.
How do you think the estate drives "a lot better" than the saloon? This would be a deciding factor for me alright.

TomMc

LL is referring to how the old model drives v the all new model, not estate v saloon. It must be the Toyota effect, Subaru are making their cars a little more conservative than before, slightly less driver focused to cater for the mainstream repmobile and executive markets.

pburns

I called into a Subaru dealer recently to look at the new Legacy and had a hard time getting out of him. He was very keen to have my old model as a trade-in and said he had a customer looking for one. There are a few un-reg old models about but very few s/hs. I think they'll be plenty sought after - saloon or estate.

Traditionally the Legacy may have been predominantely estate in this part of the world but I think the diesel engine has brought Subaru to a new market (even if being lauched in the middle of a recession, with almost zero advertising and at the end of it's life-cycle effected sales).

Note however that the seats don't fold in the saloon which can be a pain.

cadaliac

Thanks for the reply's, I'm very keen to drive the old model now.
I still haven't made my mind up if I'm going to change or not. It will all depend on the beer voucher situation which will be revised on Monday. I'll let you know what happens.
Thanks again.

pburns

I think Subaru badly mis-calculated on their recent price increases. Everyone else is reducing prices and they slapped (4-6 grand?) onto the price of Impreza and Legacies. If they re-adjust prices and/or improve the spec I might be tempted by the new model but at the moment it makes no sense.

cadaliac

pburns wrote: »

I think Subaru badly mis-calculated on their recent price increases. Everyone else is reducing prices and they slapped (4-6 grand?) onto the price of Impreza and Legacies. If they re-adjust prices and/or improve the spec I might be tempted by the new model but at the moment it makes no sense.

Financially it makes no sense for me to look at the new model when the old model is so attractively priced. The new model is also apparently less driver focused which would definitely swing my decision. It does ring true about the comment that they are going more main stream like Toyota. That is a pity.
Either way, the head will rule this one on Monday, not the heart unfortunately.
I still can't wait to drive the car during the week.
Only other thing playing on my mind is the 5 speed box. The new model has the 6 speed and I am used to a 6 speeder my self. I wonder if this will be hard to get used to. Will it sound boomy at 120kph? I suppose if it's geared right there shouldn't be a problem.

copacetic

pburns wrote: »

I think Subaru badly mis-calculated on their recent price increases. Everyone else is reducing prices and they slapped (4-6 grand?) onto the price of Impreza and Legacies. If they re-adjust prices and/or improve the spec I might be tempted by the new model but at the moment it makes no sense.

+1 to this. It's really unbelievable. Their prices now put the legacy up toward the brand new 5 series when similarly specd! Which is just crazy. They are a great car, but the interior is substandard and poor designed and although the boxer diesel was a long time coming, they really should have got the auto there from the start also. How they think they can compete with the A4, 3 series etc with such glaring missing parts of the package I'll never now.

Seems I am in the minority in finding the new shape much nicer though.

Lex Luthor

cadaliac wrote: »

Only other thing playing on my mind is the 5 speed box. The new model has the 6 speed and I am used to a 6 speeder my self. I wonder if this will be hard to get used to. Will it sound boomy at 120kph? I suppose if it's geared right there shouldn't be a problem.

dont worry about it. I came from a 6sp diesel to the 5sp and its fine at 120. It sits at 2300rpm at 120km/h. It just takes a few days to get used to the fact you dont have that extra slot to put the stick into at top speed

TomMc

copacetic wrote: »

+1 to this. It's really unbelievable. Their prices now put the legacy up toward the brand new 5 series when similarly specd! Which is just crazy. They are a great car, but the interior is substandard and poor designed and although the boxer diesel was a long time coming, they really should have got the auto there from the start also. How they think they can compete with the A4, 3 series etc with such glaring missing parts of the package I'll never now.

Seems I am in the minority in finding the new shape much nicer though.

A similarly specced BMW or Audi would cost quite a bit more. Only basic spec entry level ones would be along similar lines, look at the options list and your eyes would water. It's like buying two cars at once. That's not Subaru's target or core market, as brand snobs will never change. Instead, they have priced the Legacy at similar levels to the Honda Accord. People knock this decision and say it prices them out of the market or puts them off, which is fair enough, but I see alot of new Accords around, so people are prepared to pay it. Just the Accord's interior and build quality (despite dynamic shortcomings) seems to resonate with more senior executives/professionals who would prefer something less pretentious than its German rivals. The Accord has a higher image in Ireland than across the water. The Legacy the other way around.

cadaliac

Unfortunately, I have to wait another year.
As I had originally budgeted for, next year will be my year all going well.
Anyway:

The car that the dealer had promised me ended up in another dealership, but, as he said himself "one door closes and another opens". He has a 09 car with 20k on the clock ex demo. Exact same as the 10 plate car.
€15,995 along with my own. Even better I thought.
The car came to the garage yesterday and I drove it.
It was even better than the new model, lower, slightly stiffer and i just thought it was "more Subaru" if you know what i mean. I really liked the half door (with no window surround) and the seats were better too. Only thing that I missed was the auto wipers. No biggie.
It also looks a lot nicer than the new shape IMO. Twin pipes and jsut a better lower sleeker shape.
Anyway, unfortunately, i could change but I really don't need to until next year.
Hopefully, that 10 plate might be around......heres hoping.

Lex Luthor

the auto wipers I don't miss either...there are something like 10 settings for the intermittent so there is a setting there for very light rain all the way up to almost fully operational

was the car you were offered an estate? what dealer are you talking to?

cadaliac

Lex Luthor wrote: »

the auto wipers I don't miss either...there are something like 10 settings for the intermittent so there is a setting there for very light rain all the way up to almost fully operational

was the car you were offered an estate? what dealer are you talking to?

The car was a saloon, kind of a bronze colour, it looked very well. - The dealership is Cork - Denis and Mary Ryan. I must say, I would have to recomend them. They made me a very good offer in the first place and offered to "adjust some figures" but I had to tell them that I couldn't deal this year.
Regardless, there is some bargains to be had - if you are looking for a Legacy that is.....
Yeah I wouldn't worry about the about wipers either, just some getting used to.

Anan1

There is a dealer-fit option of rain-sensing wipers for my Forester, it might well be available on the Legacy too.

galwaytt

cadaliac wrote: »

The car was a saloon, kind of a bronze colour, it looked very well. - The dealership is Cork - Denis and Mary Ryan. I must say, I would have to recomend them. They made me a very good offer in the first place and offered to "adjust some figures" but I had to tell them that I couldn't deal this year.
Regardless, there is some bargains to be had - if you are looking for a Legacy that is.....
Yeah I wouldn't worry about the about wipers either, just some getting used to.

...is this keen-ness to trade, based solely on trading in a particular model, against the Subaru, I wonder ??

Lex Luthor

galwaytt wrote: »

...is this keen-ness to trade, based solely on trading in a particular model, against the Subaru, I wonder ??

I imagine a Passat 1.9TDi is a good seller on car

sataction

I have the old model legacy diesel 09 model. Fantastic car, was getting it serviced the other day and had a look at the new model. What do you get for the price hike of €5k? A Toyota Avensis lookalike.