Buying your FRS/BRZ in Mid A area.

[Zaku]

I don't know why you sound so upset they didn't limit the FRS like they did with the BRZ, they confirmed having at least 10000 units, compared to the BRZ at 5000 it's great that they did it this way. They don't want to repeat the mistakes of Mitsubishi, and some other car companies, even themselves with the last 3 gen of STI.

Where it was just an you can order and there wasn't a line so who ever pays more get the cars that was made in limited numbers. Or you have to wait till the car gets to the lot. It was a disaster when the EVO X came out, people were fighting for one and some ended up paying a lot more for the car and not getting the color and trim they wanted.

The system they have now with the Pre order guarantees people's spot in line.

and honestly I wouldn't trust a dealer like Fitz we have them on a black list, everyone that has dealt with Fitz have had a bad experience. They're is no creditability, especially when we have SOA and Dealer workers on the forum confirming order in writing by the Subaru's system that the orders went in, you're really being taken in, I wouldn't trust em if I was you.

Like err... yeah.. no orders has been put in , then what the hell are people doing with VON#(VON are unique like VIN) and letters from Subaru confirming their orders. People have been posting them up all over, what is up with Fitz...

[gt86mods]

I think you misunderstand me...I have no problem with the BRZ's pre order system I think it's great. All I'm saying is I think the guy at Fitz misunderstood my questions about the BRZ ordering and assumed they were actual orders. He made it clear no orders have been sent to Japan, he obviously had no clue about the pre-ordering and Subaru's ability to take deposits. It's only been three days so I'm sure he will figure it out this week.

I am however disappointed Scion hasn't opened for pre-orders just like Subaru has, I feel like they are dragging their feet. I want to get my name on a list ASAP so I can ensure I get my car as soon as possible. I'm not upset or anything. Please don't misunderstand my intentions.

[Zaku]

Ah ok I see what you mean, but I think you'll have a good shot at the FRS and it's big announcements and all of that stuff shouldn't be to far away. Canada has already opened it's Preorders,US can't be too far behind and something might happen at our NYIAS. So stay tuned.

[gt86mods]

I also noticed the advisory against buying from Fitzgerald Gaithersburg. I took this into account and went in today to get a better idea of who I'm dealing with. I felt like they were being very honest with me and I'm comfortable with my sales rep as well as the guy I spoke with, he was an enthusiast and he is just as excited about the car as I am.

Nothing they have done has raised a red flag with me. Again, he was just VERY clear that there have been no orders sent to Japan from Subaru or Scion from the USA...he said anyone who says they have an order on the way to production is bullshitting, which is completely true considering the Subaru list is just a pre-order list.

I went in basically waving a check saying I wanna be first in line, and he said there's nothing they can do at this time but they will let me know as soon as they find out they are able to take pre-orders.

My other alternative is 355 Toyota, they are total crooks and I would never go there in a million years. Fitzgerald has great ratings all over the web and they take care of their customers from what friends who have purchased from them have told me.

[Zaku]

You'll have to talk to TBX and Orbital for their Fitz experiences, I've sat out of the pre order because I'm going overseas I wont be around to receive the car if I order now. Who ever you're comfortable with is up to you, you're the first person that have had some good exp with them. Who knows. It might not be as bad as it seems.

[OrbitalEllipses]

I've dealt with Fitz a few times; they've never been crooked with me per se, I just haven't enjoyed any experience I've had there. As far as why they were put on the blacklist, that has to do with slapping a $2K markup on the BRZ during pre-order day. Talk to Tbxgz about that one. I simply affirmed that I was getting a bad feeling about it while talking to them about it (after repeated assurance that they would NOT sell over MSRP) whilst relaying my previous poor experiences.

Don't get me wrong, they generally have some of the best prices in town. It just doesn't seem like they're immune to common $tealership practices.

[Tbxgz]

Originally Posted by gt86mods

I also noticed the advisory against buying from Fitzgerald Gaithersburg. I took this into account and went in today to get a better idea of who I'm dealing with. I felt like they were being very honest with me and I'm comfortable with my sales rep as well as the guy I spoke with, he was an enthusiast and he is just as excited about the car as I am.


Fitzgerald has great ratings all over the web and they take care of their customers from what friends who have purchased from them have told me.

First off, what reviews are you reading...Everything Ive found is negative (google reviews and yelp average rating 2 out of 5 stars).

I'll try to keep this short and just explain my experience.

In the beginning everything seemed great. I put down a deposit and everyone was very friendly and helpful. However, they refused to do any pricing agreements which lead to multiple conversations where I voiced my concern over possible dealer mark ups. They assured me there would be no mark ups but MSRP pricing.


Also, leading up to the March 1st order date, other dealers were receiving marketing materials, order information, accessories options, etc.. while Fitzgerald had gotten nothing. When I asked about it, he said they had no info but would call me for my order on the morning of March 1st.

So Morning of march 1st comes. No call. I reach out to them only to find out that it was the sales managers day off. (Keep in mind 2 days earlier, I was promised by him that he would take my order that morning) Eventually I get a call back from a different sales manager who had no idea the orders even started. In an oddly definite manner he tells me there will be a 2k mark up. He says take it or leave it, he didnt care, the next guy will if I dont.

For the sake of shortening the story, he lies about things Ive already confirmed with other dealers (tries to say most dealers in MD are marking up their prices). Eventually I tell him Im working with another dealer which gets him angry to the point where he refuses to take my order. He says if I'm talking to another dealer he will not work with me. The next day I get in touch with the original sales person to ask about the MSRP pricing she promised. She flat out lies to me, tells me she never said that. I demanded my refund back and walked. ..still haven't gotten that back either.

Let me just say my overall experience wasn't THAT bad.. but comparing them to other local dealers is like night and day. Herb Gordon was great, Matt from Breyer Subaru was awesome, and other posters have said good things about Annapolis. With that said, Ive reached out to probably ever Subie dealer in Maryland and as of Saturday morning NONE of them are doing mark ups. My main complaint was that Fitzgerald lied multiple times and was not up front with me. If you want to work with them go for it, but Im just warning you, dont be surprised if you get shafted in the end.

[Tbxgz]

Originally Posted by gt86mods

Nothing they have done has raised a red flag with me. Again, he was just VERY clear that there have been no orders sent to Japan from Subaru or Scion from the USA...he said anyone who says they have an order on the way to production is bullshitting, which is completely true considering the Subaru list is just a pre-order list.

I'm not sure I understand, its my understanding that orders are on the way, theres just no idea of when they will arrive. I myself have a personal Verification Order Number and multiple ppl have received an official letterhead from SoA confirming. Correct me if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but it sounds like Fitz is lying to try and avoid custom orders so they can choose their allocation trims.

[gt86mods]

I understand all of that you're saying, but this is Subaru vs Scion...two different companies with different systems in place for the release. Subaru has clearly gotten the jump on the pre-order thing. I see your email and the fact you have your pre-order in, but having gone through custom ordering in the past for a car that hasn't been released yet, there is a very big difference between having your pre-order in the system and an actual order placed to the factory for production.

Yes you are in line, but your order is still in the first stage and until it has been sent to Japan it's still just a pre-order which is basically a comprehensive waiting list. This allows Subaru to immediately as soon as the factory starts US production to have all the information they need to get the ball rolling on building your car. Scion hasn't done this yet, they have yet to take customer's deposits, colors, trims, options etc.

On to the Fitzgerald thing, having bought a new exciting car & done the deposit thing before, I plan on getting the no deposit agreement in writing. My rep has already told me that Scion's pure pricing makes it impossible for them to sell the cars for more than MSRP. I realize there has already been a pure pricing argument here on the forums (which I've read through), but just like BMW NA doesn't allow cars to be marked up, I believe this is the same with Scion NA. If I have an issue with the dealer I will contact Scion NA and complain, if that doesn't work I'll go somewhere else. That along with having an agreement with my sales associate in writing I feel as though I have my bases covered. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but I'm pretty sure I can handle this.

Also, notice on your email that it says the BRZ will have all wheel drive. Kind of silly, these emails weren't even tailored to the BRZ launch. This whole pre-order on March 1st is someone at Subaru who knows what they are doing, making customers happy by letting them place their deposits & get their line in production, but as you know there is no date on production yet, no date on delivery, not even a price. No US customers' cars are being produced right now, there are orders in the system designating who will get their cars in what order at what dealer and what they would like in terms of colors and options.

I feel like people on the forum are getting way too excited over this pre-order waiting list and assuming it's an actual order sent to Japan for production, that's not the case yet. As soon as that happens you will be notified, but until then it's still just a waiting list.

[Tbxgz]

The deposit thing isn't really an issue. They are required by law to refund you. IMO you should just not risk it and go to a dealer with a better reputation.. but regardless, I wish you the best of luck.

[gt86mods]

Originally Posted by Tbxgz

Correct me if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but it sounds like Fitz is lying to try and avoid custom orders so they can choose their allocation trims.

Why would a dealer avoid custom orders? Nobody on the forum has an order in for the FR-S...if they do it's a dealer specific list that has nothing to do with Scion NA...they are taking deposits when they technically aren't supposed to be. To me that's shady and against policy. The March 1st Subaru pre-order opening was put in place by SOA to organize the waiting list and get customers a place in line for real production (which has not begun yet)

My sales rep and other guy I spoke to at Scion told me they will not take my money or order because Scion hasn't given them the okay to do so. By them taking my money and order before the company they work for allowing them to do so is completely irresponsible and pretty sure Scion would frown upon such conduct. I see this as a good reason to trust Fitz Scion. I offered them money and they won't take it because they have been told not to. Not sure how that's a bad thing?

My sales rep has my color preference and transmission preference in a folder with my contact information so as soon as she gets the go-ahead she will contact me to take my deposit and put my PRE-ORDER in. Then when Japan starts producing the cars for the US market, my order will be sent over in the order it was received. I feel as people are getting seriously confused as to what is going on.

[gt86mods]

Originally Posted by Tbxgz

The deposit thing isn't really an issue. They are required by law to refund you. IMO you should just not risk it and go to a dealer with a better reputation.. but regardless, I wish you the best of luck.

On the premiere dealer rating site Fitz has a clean record, and 158 good reviews from people who have bought cars/have them serviced there. I think it's a bit harsh to blacklist a dealer who has a clean record just because of a bad experience YOU had with them, which you said yourself wasn't that bad.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by gt86mods

I feel as people are getting seriously confused as to what is going on.

Yes, people are. There isn't a lot of information out there and dealers are pretty much saying whatever they want, save for a few solid things.

Subaru internal memos state the sold-order system opens on March 1st. It did, and we placed sold-orders. Whether or not that's a pre-order or what it is, I can't say. We should try to get away from semantics...the Fitz person may have said no orders but instead there's only preorders, but the reality is the sold order system opened.

As far as the Scion thing goes, they haven't been accepting deposits at all since ever.

[gt86mods]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

Yes, people are. There isn't a lot of information out there and dealers are pretty much saying whatever they want, save for a few solid things.

Subaru internal memos state the sold-order system opens on March 1st. It did, and we placed sold-orders. Whether or not that's a pre-order or what it is, I can't say. We should try to get away from semantics...the Fitz person may have said no orders but instead there's only preorders, but the reality is the sold order system opened.

As far as the Scion thing goes, they haven't been accepting deposits at all since ever.

The fact is, US production of the BRZ has not begun yet. That is what my rep told me, he stated anyone who said their BRZ has been ordered and is in production is bullshitting. Those were his words. Now take that as you will, but I take it as those who think their car is in production are misunderstanding what a sold-order or pre-order is. This whole discussion stemmed from a couple people misunderstanding what my rep was telling me and assuming he was lying to me. That is not the case.

What he told me is 100% true and I have absolutely no reason to not trust these people. Their online ratings are superb, I had a great discussion with an employee there about the technical aspects of the car and the future of sports cars from Toyota, and my rep has done everything she is allowed to to up to this point. I appreciate your guys' concern and I'm not upset or anything, I'm just trying to get on the same page and defend what I see is a trustworthy dealer.