Savvy Shopper: Regional and Seasonal Car Price Boosters
I've just spent a week in Montana and I have one word to say about their car buying choice: Subaru. Actually, Subaru, with its affordable all wheel drive, takes a backseat to any kind of pickup truck (preferable with several cracks in the windshield). But in the car market, Subaru is the only game in town.
It got to the point where my wife asked, "Do you think Subaru dealers are really rich up here?" I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that my eyeball survey revealed that every other car on the road is a Subaru. And on my visit to Big Sky Country, I wish I'd had one.
Instead, I was driving a rented 2009 Nissan Sentra 2.0 with a CVT transmission. It's an ugly little cuss but it gets the job done -- in warm weather.
Last Sunday we tried to drive from West Glacier, Montana, to East Glacier, so we could drive on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Rain turned to snow and as we climbed to higher elevations the snow stuck to the road. With four inches on the road we turned around. While pulling a U-turn three Subarus passed me heading right into the blizzard.
While the 2009 Subaru Impreza 2.5i is about $2,000 more expensive than the Nissan, it is all wheel drive and will have a much better resale and trade-in value, particularly in Montana. Right now, the Nissan Sentra has a $2,000 rebate on it. The Subaru has a discount but no incentives.
So this is just another example of how important it is to know the market before you make your car choice. And take the long view, not just buying the cheapest car. If you make the right decision, it could mean the difference between getting over the pass or not.
- Posted by
- Philip Reed October 12, 2009, 12:35 AM
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- Categories:
- Car Buying, The Savvy Shopper
Yeah those subaru's have an extremely loyal following in the snow states. It's pretty much the official vehicle of lake tahoe. Whenever I go snowboarding I always laugh as I'm walking through the lot and pretty much every other car is some kind of subaru. But when you need AWD and still want decent gas mileage and a car you just can't beat them. And their AWD truly is mechanical genius and works great!
I just went up to Boston in my Subaru Tribeca and at least 30% of cars were Subarus. Might have seen more if I went in the winter. However my Tribeca has easily gotten me through a foot of snow or more. I love my Subaru.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dy0kQquV5s
New England definitely has a huge Subaru fan base. we got an '04 Forester because there's nothing that has the reliability, price, and AWD prowess. i hate how it's like a refrigerator though. that's when i discovered snow tires
technically, besides the impreza and outback, there's also a malibu and tahoe-like truck, plus what looks like a white buick ...
Subarus, Saabs and Volvos are all EXTREMELY popular up here around Boston. When I went to LA about a month ago the only Scoobys I saw were STIs while Saabs and Volvos were nearly extinct.
(There were a few old 900s and I drove around in my aunts V50 2.4i ... just to let everyone know.)
Hey Dlu that white car is a fusion... and you left out the Caravan... wouldn't be suprised if all of them are rentals! ha!
"Yeah those subaru's have an extremely loyal following in the snow states"
My observations are different. I live in a snow state (it's snowing right now). Subarus are a rare sight. Lots of FWD family sedans. Lots of SUVs. Lots of pickup trucks. Lots of econoboxes. Not much for Subaru, Saab, or Volvo.
It might make sense then to go to a different region to buy the car of your choice. If Subarus are hot in the cold states, dealers in say Florida are probably pretty lonely. Save a couple grand and drive it home for a couple hundred.
Colorado ski country is the land of Subies.
I've also noticed that, for some reason, Subies seem to be more popular in the more left-leaning snowy areas (NW and NE). Not sure why that is.