Newbie purchase advice question
 

Hi,

I need some guidance have a few questions. I'd love to have your honest feedback.

I found a 2013 BRZ Limited with 1790 miles (yes 1790) for $20,000 at a Chicago Subaru dealer - which is the budget I have available.

I feel like this is a good price and an opportunity to basically get a new car for 50% off. First question - is this price in line\fair for the car?


I've heard lots of horror stories about the 2013 cars. The car still has 18 months of power train warranty left. I asked the dealer to check that any recall fixes have been completed. I'm also scared enough I'm planning to pay for a 5 year 60K full warranty as well. Questions 2+ - is this a good plan? Am I nuts to buy a 2013? Any other suggestions?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide. I greatly appreciate it.
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Even at that low mileage that is a pretty steep price for a 13. It is still a 4 year old car after all.


Yes the early 13s had some problems but there are loads of guys that never had a single issue as well so beware of the horror stories.


The only recall was for an AT start switch. The Service Bulletins are not recalls and the dealer will only perform them if the car shows that issue. They will not preemptively do them.


Your call but if I were shopping I would be looking for a 15 or even a 16 in that price range.

I bought a 13 with almost 60k, approaching 100k now. Only had a couple issues, most of which were caused by the crappy borla exhaust the previous owner installed. Other than that I also have an oil leak at the the valve cover. Replaced a clutch too. Usual rattles.
Like tcoat said tho, it is 4 yrs old. I'd try and talk them down if I could.

Thanks TCoat

Thanks TelMinz. It's good to hear some positive on the reliability front. It's easy to forget we tend to only hear when people have issues.

Actually that low of mileage for a 4 year old car is not necessarily a good thing. If you have 20k to spend, there are many smarter buys available to you. Tcoat is right though, at that price point a well taken care of '15 or '16 with 20k miles is a smarter buy for sure.

Best of luck, take your time in looking.

Thanks brzaapi

My 13 has 70k on it now with no problems. That doesn't mean that I'd spend top dollar for a nearly 4 year old car though.

This is so true especially on a car forum!
The problem lies in that you KNOW there were problems with some 13s. Now every time the car made a weird noise or acted in any way out of what you think of as normal the first thought through your head will be "Oh god is that my flux capacitor? I read there were problems with the flux capacitors". You will always be on edge and every little thing will pop out at you and grab your brain in a choke hold. If the price is right then you can probably live with the nagging concern but at a premium dollar I am not so sure.

Got mine in April, 2013. Hasn't borked yet.

I think the extended term warranties are a waste of money unless you don't know how the hood opens.

Check the actual build date of the car, if it's built 04/13 or later it's past all the initial run problems, and there are thousands of '13s out there running like tops.

Agree with those above, I'd be looking for a higher mileage car at a lower price, but if that one is minty fresh on the inside it might be worth spending the extra two or three grand.

I would be a little cautious. A 2013 with that few miles means it has been sitting around not being used much. That could actually cause more harm because now you have components getting old on an engine that has not been fully broken in.

That said, the price is better then what I paid for my 2013 BRZ Premium which I got around 3-4 months ago. Mine also had low mileage on it, only 9k and change. After I got it I had my local Subaru give it a once over and replace most of the fluids so I can get it back on the recommended scheduled maintenance. It got a clean report from the dealer. Mine is a early build '13 and so far it runs great! Just ordered some new tires and rims for it.

Not to throw a wrench into this but, my '15 FR-s was $24k out the door. You could get a truly brand new, 0 mileage / 0 age car with full warranty for not much more than they are asking. Seems very steep. Plus, why does it have that kind of mileage? Has it been a dealer demo car, did someone lease it and beat on it for a few days then give it back?

Keep in mind, you're also going to have to pay for the extended warranty because the original factory one is just about expired. You need to factor that into the overall cost.

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback.

If the car's mileage is real, it was stored correctly and the engine oil was changed once per year, why the age is not a good thing? The only thing he might need to change is a battery and tires.

I have friends that are racing cars that were stored for a long time (+6 years) and the track times are still the same. Performance-wise there is not a single difference!

^^^^ This!

Unless it is a carmax warranty. Those things are amazing.

Because those are unicorns. You just don't find that on dealer lots. There is a good chance it has been sitting on that dealers lot since they first received it in 2013 and has been acting as a demo the entire time. It might not have ever been registered. That is just a really really bad deal, because stuff just starts going wrong. And I highly doubt a dealer gave a crap about treating it right.

Not condition that I was concerned about since I am not of the cars are made of sugar camp. I have seen 40 year old cars that sat for years and years start right up and run like tops. It is the price of it. Yes the mileage is low and it could very well be pristine but for that price it is still a 4 year old car and is going down in value every day. I checked the local listings and there were several low mileage 15s and even a 16 for about the same price. Now of course the car is worth whatever somebody is willing to pay for it but it just seems to be a poor deal.

also, if you're not going to mod it, ok to buy extended warranty through dealer but i wouldnt buy any

THIS^^

I understand that the low mileage is not a bad indicator by itself, but that it really isnt a necessarily a benefit either. The OP seemed to think it was most certainly a benefit, i was just wanting to play devils advocate. I wanted to make sure that the OP understood that mileage is not a black and white indicator, that it is just a bit of information that can have quite a grey zone to it. But Tcoats point is the most important one, i was really just piggy backing on what he said.

Interesting point. @Grogory did not say if it was being sold as a used or new car. Any car on a dealer's lot (regardless of age) can be sold as a new car if it has never been registered/titled. If so, it would come with the normal new car warranty.

Still, even if it's a "new" 2013, that's a pretty high premium for that low mileage. I did a quick Kelly Blue Book on it, and Private Party Sale in Excellent condition and $2,000 miles tops out at $16,969. I would definitely not pay more than that even if registered new with warranty because that about as much as you would be able to get even if you didn't drive it off the lot.

I wouldnt pay that for a 2013 personally. I would get a 14 or 15 despite it having such low mileage. I would say that he either drops the price 4 or 5k or search for another newer model.