Out of town/state purchase... Please share your experiences!

[Uno Mas]

Just curious if any of you lucky BRZ owners travelled afar to purchase your car... I'm considering doing that but I'm wondering how your deals went through. Please share your experiences.

-How did you handle initial paperwork to start the process?
-Was the deal finalized before you picked it up? (meaning did you just go to the dealership and grab keys and drive off?)
-Did any of you get your car delivered? (this is the option i'm looking into)

Can't think of any other concerns right now... but I'd definitely like to hear everyone's thoughts.

[joshua]

Here is how mine went: after finding a dealer selling the car out of state at MSRP this was the process:

(I'm in Florida, dealer is in New Mexico)
I called and spoke with my car salesman and told him I wanted the car at MSRP. He said that his dealer was asking only MSRP plus a dealer doc fee. Their fee was low enough that I didn't really sweat it. I confirmed multiple times that the car was being sold at MSRP via phone and in email. To lock in my order they asked for a $1k refundable deposit. I gave him all my information needed just like a usual Subaru order. Once It was completed he emailed me the VON and I confirmed with Subaru that it was in fact en-route and scheduled to arrive the day he had said it would.

I told my contact that I didn't want anyone driving the car beyond the PDI. He agreed and promised to keep it safe. The car arrived early by 5 days but I wasn't planning to fly in till the next week to get it. I asked for the purchase order to again confirm MSRP. I went to my credit union and secured financing and got a cashiers check for my down payment. The dealerships financing office wanted to see my payment plan so that they could confirm it was real and see if there was anything special due to my out of state nature. I scanned and emailed my payment information to them using an encrypted PDF document. The payment was confirmed and all that was left was insurance and going to finalize the paperwork in person.

When I flew into New Mexico my salesman was at the airport ready to pick me up. We got to the dealer without incident and my car was sitting out in the front, it had only 7 miles on the odo. We confirmed the car was OK and I was handed over to their finance officer. We filled out the paperwork there and finalized the payment, ended up chopping a weird .40 off the final price but no other discounts were provided. I was given a temp tag for New Mexico and the dealer is going to forward the electronic title information to Florida so that I can get a permanent tag and pay taxes for the car. Overall it was a great experience and honestly the next time I am in the market for a car I seriously will consider using the same dealer again.

[NS]

I'm thinking about doing this as well (getting a car delivered to CA). I was wondering for those of you who are CA residents, did you have any issues with the smog check? I looked over the DMV site and it says that you can only register a car that has been certified to meet CA smog laws.

[n7011n]

My out-of-state purchase experience was very positive. In the matter of 2 days, I went from deciding to search for my car instead of waiting for my VON to morph into VIN to driving my new car home. I located a dealer in Orangeburg, NY with a car on the lot that matched my specs and color choice (they ordered the car for their showroom). They agreed to MSRP and had a low doc fee compared to Illinois. I had them fax over a signed sales agreement as proof of the pricing we discussed. I coordinated the timing of my one-way flight into Westchester airport with the salesman after he wisely advised me to avoid LaGuardia airport as the 15 mile drive would take over 2 hours and that they would pick me up and drive me the 13 miles back to Orangeburg. In anticipation of the purchase, he advised me that the usual snag for out-of-state purchases was confirming insurance coverage. I called my agent and was quoted a great low rate and thought I had the car added to my policy (more about that later). After a trip to Citibank to secure a cashier's check for my $10,000 down payment, I was set for the trip.

So the morning of the flight, I couldn't believe I was actually going to be driving a new BRZ by the end of the day. The flight with layover went without a hitch and before I knew it, I was getting a tour of the small towns around Orangeburg by my salesman on our way back to the dealership. As he pulled in, I caught sight of my GBS Limited. Given that I decided on this color without having first seen (or driven one yet), I was very pleased that it wasn't too purple and was perfect for my tastes.

After sitting down to discuss the paperwork, my salesman had me meet with the finance manager. Since I didn't have a trade in, the foursquare form was a bit simpler. There was a question about whether I wanted the extended warranty but that was it. No hard sell when I declined. Unbelievable! They set up financing at the Subaru rate of 2.9% after letting me know my credit score was excellent. I asked if they could do better but knew that the fact that I had no other transportation home would limit my chances for better rates. The finance manager ran through the process for titling the car in Illinois and had to research what the sales tax was for my county in Illinois. They handled everything though. Illinois plates, sticker and taxes were paid for then by credit card and they issued a out-of-state transport tag for NY to Illinois. The only snafu happened when they hadn't let me know that because I was financing the car that the insurance policy had to have a rider added for the financing bank. This was 4:30 on a weekday and we couldn't reach my insurance broker in Illinois! They had me sit for about an hour while we all tried calling my agent. Finally, everything came together when I tried the national number for the insurance company and explained my issue and that I was stranded until they could modify my policy. The insurance customer service rep stepped up and worked with my salesman to effect the changes and fax them over so that I could complete the paperwork and get back on the road. While waiting for this to happen I was pleased when the finance manager let me know that he was able to get me a slightly lower rate of 2.7% on my financing through another bank. I could have pushed for better I imagine but didn't feel it was unfair. So, after signing all the paperwork, 2 1/2 hours from landing until driving off the lot and I was on my way. 13 1/2 hours later, with the early morning sun rising, I pulled into my driveway. Tired but very happy I hadn't waited for my pre-order placed March 13. I think my best advice for others would be to keep looking for a reputable dealer that isn't trying to mark up the car. There was a huge potential for the NY dealer to take advantage of my trip there but I was lucky and trusted my gut instinct that they were straight shooters.

Final thoughts... try asking the dealer to not wash the car before delivery. I have minor scratching and swirling in the paint from when they prepped my car. I didn't notice it then but now plan on having the paint corrected locally. With only 7 miles on the car, I should have asked them to not wash it but was too busy putting the trip together to think of it.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by NS

I'm thinking about doing this as well (getting a car delivered to CA). I was wondering for those of you who are CA residents, did you have any issues with the smog check? I looked over the DMV site and it says that you can only register a car that has been certified to meet CA smog laws.

Don't take a random guy on the Internet's word for this (check it yourself) but I'm pretty sure the 86 is 50 state certified.

[CLTBRZ]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Don't take a random guy on the Internet's word for this (check it yourself) but I'm pretty sure the 86 is 50 state certified.

You are correct. A couple years back you could buy vehicles that didn't fit CA's emissions standard, but 15 states now require CA emissions so all manufacturers from the 2012 model year and beyond only manufacture vehicles that qualify.

As for my out of state purchase, it went without a hitch.

The guys at Twin City Subaru in Berlin, VT were extremely helpful (thanks Dan!), sold the vehicle at MSRP, had low doc fees, were very accommodating of my obnoxious questioning and constant blast of emails, and the paperwork took maybe 15-20 minutes. They provided me with an In Transit tag, with a temp VT registration, so registering the vehicle in NC was an absolute breeze aside from the 2.5hr wait at the DMV.

The only disadvantage with buying a vehicle that is not your order is that you can't choose the options or prevent certain options from being added. Luckily, I wanted the Homelink auto-dim mirror and rear bumper applique which were both included in my purchase. I ordered the rear diffuser on my order here in NC but it was not on the vehicle available in VT, which I've decided I'm glad I didn't spend that much money on it anyway. On the other hand, both vehicles at the dealer had their front plate brackets installed which was something I was very specific about my order here in NC that I did not want done.

Basically, be prepared to make some sacrifices but if you're lucky and find exactly what you want, jump on it! I removed the plate from the front and I'm just driving with the exposed bracket which is actually not as hideous as I was expecting since it looks like it's just part of the bumper. Getting into the car nearly a full year before I would have seen my order fulfilled here in NC was absolutely worth it.

[Neziah]

I bought my FRS out of state. It was only next door so I ended up driving over and picking it up with a nice 270 mile trip home. I worked out the deal ahead of time over the phone and through emails. Process went though without a snag.

[Dadhawk]

I've bought 4 or 5 cars out of state (my father-in-law sells cars, he lives in FL, we're in GA) and it's never been an issue. Dealers know how to do this, folks do it all the time.

[yajin]

Originally Posted by Uno Mas

Just curious if any of you lucky BRZ owners travelled afar to purchase your car... I'm considering doing that but I'm wondering how your deals went through. Please share your experiences.

-How did you handle initial paperwork to start the process?
-Was the deal finalized before you picked it up? (meaning did you just go to the dealership and grab keys and drive off?)
-Did any of you get your car delivered? (this is the option i'm looking into)

Can't think of any other concerns right now... but I'd definitely like to hear everyone's thoughts.

I live in NJ and bought the CBS 6MT Limited BRZ from a Subaru dealer in Syracuse/NY two weeks ago.

Day 1(Mon): Found the info about the BRZ availability in this forum and the dealer contact info. And talked with her to keep it for me to make sure the cancellation of the original pre-order at a local Subaru dealer.
Day 2(Tue): Decided to keep the original order until I really get the car, and also to move ahead on the purchase w/ the Syracuse Subaru. Started paperworks, but just insurance. The IDs, etc, were all through email communications with the rep. Put $2,000 deposit using my credit card.
Day 3(Wed): Confirmed all the paperwork preparation; again basically the insurance binder info just forward to the dealer.
Day 4(Thu): Arranged a one-way rental car. Went to a back to prepare a bank check.
Day 5(Fri): At evening, got a rental car; Mustang 2012 and waiting for Saturday.
Day 6(Sat): Head to Syracuse early morning; 4am. Arrived before the noon, just gave the rep the check and got my BRZ! (after signing in several papers). Drove back to NJ, over 300 miles drive (During the trip, I called the NJ local dealer and cancel the original order.)
Day 7-17: Enjoying my BRZ everyday including some local meets with the members here.
Day 18: Over 700 miles odo. Went to a local DMV, paid the local sale tax, title/registration fee and got the plates.

I posted a short report of my purchase experience here.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9075

[ITaxGuru]

Originally Posted by Uno Mas

Just curious if any of you lucky BRZ owners travelled afar to purchase your car... I'm considering doing that but I'm wondering how your deals went through. Please share your experiences.

-How did you handle initial paperwork to start the process?
-Was the deal finalized before you picked it up? (meaning did you just go to the dealership and grab keys and drive off?)
-Did any of you get your car delivered? (this is the option i'm looking into)

Can't think of any other concerns right now... but I'd definitely like to hear everyone's thoughts.

In late July I was able to find a buyer for my car. At that time I pushed SOA for an ETA since previously I had been told end of Aug, which was 5 weeks away (my orig 4/18 order was a DGM 6MT Limited). I got a vague "trending to Sept...or later" from SOA.

I then started checking dealer websites within a reasonable radius, and added Fargo/Moorhead to my search since I have a son there in college. The Moorhead MN dealer (Muscatell Subaru) had an unclaimed GBS 6MT Limited coming off the truck that day. I had my son go over to look at it since I had not seen the color other than pics. On his recommendation of the color I called and put down a $500 credit card deposit. Matt Thompson at Muscatell couldn't have been nicer to me or my son. And the sale was at sticker price; I did find several other dealers who were marking up the car $3-5,000 above sticker.

I drove a rental up to the Fargo airport 3 days later, and got to the dealer Sat am. They had the car waiting for my "final approval drive". After the usual 20 min of paperwork, I was out the door. The whole process couldn't have gone smoother. By the way, here it is back home in Omaha.

[reeves]

I'm considering an out-of-state purchase too. Any advice anyone can give me? I've never done this before.. since there's never been a car WORTH doing this before IMO.

ITaxGuru, was the $500 credit deposit refundable? And what steps can you take to try & avoid the dealer jacking up the price once you get there? Since they KNOW you're from out of state, it's harder for you to simply walk out?

Also, is $27,400 a little too much for a MT BRZ Premium?

TIA!

[Flat Black VW]

I live in Northern Virginia and had one on order at a dealership near me in March. When I started seeing a few around and still had no expected delivery date, I hit the internet. Searched around and found a SWP Premium Manual BRZ with no options installed (exactly as I ordered and wanted), right outside of Boston. I contacted the dealer on a Tuesday and the saleswoman told me it had just arrived that morning and was unclaimed, and if I put down a $500 deposit I could put my name on it, but I would have to come up as soon as possible to get the vehicle.
I started talking with their long distance sales guy and we decided he would send me all the paperwork overnight, I could fill it out, get my checks together, mail it all back to him and then come up to get the vehicle the next weekend. He also sent me a bunch of pictures of the car so I could see it before going up there. That Thursday night I had all my money, paperwork, temp tags and insurance together so I called and asked if it would be possible to just come up that weekend and get it, my sales guy said that would work. I tried to have a friend drive me up but he was busy that weekend, no cheap enough flights and I found a train ticket to Boston which would arrive Saturday morning at 8am.
I bought the train ticket Thursday night, hopped on the train Friday at 10PM, arrived in Boston Saturday at 8AM. The dealership was about 45 minutes west of Boston and by around 8:45 AM the sales guy was at the train station to pick me up. We drove back to the dealership discussing Subarus and the BRZ the entire time. Got to the dealership and saw my car sitting in front of the dealer, had just been finished being detailed, he asked if I wanted a test drive real quick, I said nope, I wanna finish up the paperwork and drive it home. After about an hour at the dealership settling everything I got my keys and started the 8 hour drive home.

It was an exhausting trip, but it was an awesome experience, the dealership was really helpful with everything and super friendly, I was actually surprised not only that they didn't charge me any extra fees or force options on me like some other people have been experiencing, but also they didn't charge me any gas or tolls for the hour and half drive my sales guy had to go on, which I was kind of expecting to pay.

One thing that made this a bit easier for me was that he mailed me all the paperwork beforehand, which included final price, destination and all that stuff, so i knew exactly what I would be paying and was happy with the price, I wasn't too worried about them trying to add extra fees when I got there because I was bringing them the exact amount I planned to pay in cashiers checks and they knew that, so if they had tried to bring up the price, I simply would not have had the money for it on me.

Overall it was a good experience, Patrick Subaru in Shrewsbury MA was very good to me and seemed like then genuinely cared about me as a customer.
As long as you find the right car and a good dealership, going out of state is not that bad, plus I had an awesome time driving my new BRZ home!

[res]

Well my story began in the middle of March when I was looking for an Atlanta Subaru dealer that had an open spot for a BRZ. All the dealers in Atlanta had already filled their order lists and I had to expand my search. I eventually found an open spot at a dealership about 150 miles away in Columbus and added my name to a waiting list, waiting list at an Atlanta dealer as well.

In June I was still waiting and from conversations with the Columbus dealership it was beginning to look like it would be closer to the end of the year before I might get my BRZ. On June 14, (Thursday) my wife and I flew up to Boston for her niece’s college graduation party. On Friday morning, we were walking with one of her sisters along the Cape Cod canal near the Bourne bridge when her sister asked about my BRZ (by this time everyone in the family knew I was waiting for this car). I told her about my sad predicament and that I had yet to see one in person. She mentioned that Atlantic Subaru was only about a half mile from where we were and we should go see if they had one. She has probably purchased 6 or 7 Subaru’s from Atlantic Subaru over the years and had always been treated great by the staff.

When we arrived at Atlantic Subaru we immediately saw they had a Galaxy Blue Silica BRZ in the showroom (next to the dealership owner’s silver 458 Ferrari he was selling). As we parked we saw that there were two other BRZs parked on the side, World Rally Blue and Crystal Black Silica. All 3 BRZs were Limited models with manual transmissions (no options had been added).

We walked into the showroom to see the GBS BRZ and my wife and sister-in-law instantly fell in love with the appearance and color of the car. They started saying “Buy this one! Buy this one!”. One of the salesmen came over and we started talking about the BRZ. It turned out that the 3 BRZ’s had arrived the previous day and none of them were pre-ordered or had been spoken for. I was in a slight state of shock to think that here were 3 beautiful BRZ’s that no-one appeared to know about.

I was a little hesitant about purchasing the BRZ. My trade-in was sitting at the airport in Atlanta; I had a non-refundable plane ticket back to Atlanta; I did not want to drive the BRZ back to Atlanta (about 20+ hours of driving, gas, hotel); and I did not know how expensive it would be to have the car delivered (on a truck, not driven) to Atlanta. So, after about 15 minutes of admiring and discussing the BRZs we left to meet the rest of the family for lunch at a nearby marina restaurant.

Needless to say, during lunch my mind was racing a million miles an hour thinking of how I could make this work and not have to wait many more months for my BRZ. Also, my wife’s cousin was quite vocal in expressing his opinion that I really should purchase the car. So… after lunch I told everyone to go on the day’s outing to Woods Hole without me and that I was going to see if I could work something out to get the Galaxy Blue Silica BRZ .

Atlantic Subaru was asking MSRP for the BRZ and it turned out that it was not as expensive as I thought to have the BRZ delivered (about $800). I was able to use my credit card for the down payment. My mind was quickly made up and the deal was struck. The Atlantic Subaru crew were straight forward and very friendly and helpful.

Just as I finished up the paperwork for the GBS BRZ another couple came into the showroom and started walking around “my” new GBS BRZ and attempted to get inside (the salesman had locked the car and placed a small “sold” card on the review mirror per my request). The guy was surprised to see it was locked and then noticed the sold sign.

It was about then that I told him that I had just purchased that BRZ but that there were 2 other BRZs on the lot. Turns out he had been in earlier that morning and had brought his wife back to look at his first choice, the (my) GBS BRZ before buying it. Luckily for me, I beat him to it by about 45 minutes. We talked for a while and they were really a nice couple. I hung around for a little while longer and before I left they were already doing the paperwork to purchase the Crystal Black Silica BRZ.

We flew back to Atlanta on Sunday and the wait for my BRZ to arrive on June 21 (Thursday) was really stressful. My BRZ arrived around 5:30 PM in mint condition looking the same as it did in Atlantic Subaru’s showroom. It was incredible to see the car carrier coming around the corner in my sub-division and stopping to deliver my BRZ at my driveway. The car carrier was about half empty with 3 cars including my BRZ. Needless to say we were all very excited and several neighbors came over to join the party.

The good fortune continued and my 2006 Civic Si Coupe sold the next day at lunch-time (It looked like new with only about 60k miles). I paid off my credit card and put some extra into my savings before the weekend.

I now have about 1400 miles on my BRZ and it has been everything I hoped it would be. It really reminds me of an updated version of the 1978 280Z that I purchased new in 1978. I really loved that car, wish I still had it.

I wish everyone who is still waiting all the luck in the world.

[Metallic BRZ]

I bought mine out of state too. I'm from WI and picked it up from PA. The dealer was great, just make sure to double check everything and discuss expectations. I had them send me a copy of the bill of sale (signed) with the purchase price before I would commit. I did pay cash so perhaps that made it go by smoother. But even so I was out of the dealership 45 mins after I walked in.

So glad I didn't wait for my preorder that was scheduled to come in October.