I’m about to lease my 5th Subaru.
They never offer incentives and their VIP pricing must be directly in your name, unlike the domestic brands that all you need know is someone that works for the OEM to get employee pricing.
You are almost always going to be MSRP as they know if you don’t buy/lease, the next person in the door is going to, so they have very limited need to negotiate or come down on MSRP.
Here are some useful tips…
If you’ve leased or purchased a Subaru before, call them directly and ask if they can provide you with a Loyalty coupon. They gave me a $750 coupon back in 2019 when leasing my 4th Subaru. It’s supposed to only be a one time deal, however, I’m leasing another one this month and they still sent me a $500 coupon.
Access to VIP pricing - There are a lot of membership organizations/clubs that offer access to VIP pricing, but most of them have a 6 month waiting period. However, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society waives the 6 months waiting period if you join as a “Champion” contributor for $500. It sounds pricey but for the $500 contribution, it knocked $2,700 off the MSRP.
Just call your dealer to confirm that they will accept VIP pricing before making the contribution. My dealer originally told me it was only available on “orders”, however, just a little push and they accepted it for a vehicle on the lot.
Make sure you dealer will honor VIP. I had to call a few but found one near me that accepted it. Used ASPCA successfully. Also, most ( not all) Subaru dealers are pretty easy to work with.
No you do not have to maintain the membership. I signed up in 2019 for my last lease to get VIP, let it expire at the end of the year. And now that I’m leasing a new one this year, I just reapplied for membership which I’ll let expire at the end of this year.
That’s established, I’m not shopping for a Subaru but trying to understand if one needs to contact at beginning of search or after a specific vehicle has been picked out.
For a loyalty coupon, you can inquire with SOA at anytime. You just need it in your possession when you are signing paperwork. They will ask for the VIN to determine eligibility.
For VIP, you need a cert before you contact a dealer to order or tag a specific car. You want to find a dealer who takes VIP first so you can select them when you generate your certificate.
You need the VIN of a previously owned Subaru in your name. It can be applied to any vehicle in my experience as it is a straight reimbursement from SOA.
I just did this for a 2023 Outback Wilderness. Used ASPCA for $500 (which is a charitable contribution so it is actually less after taxes depending on your tax situation). I called dealers and found one who accepted VIP with a car I liked on the way. I paid invoice for the car and they also had a 2.9% rate (through end of October) for 48 months which I also took. All things considered in this market, I thought this was a great deal. Car was about $38k (invoice) plus tax put it just under $42k (California taxes!). And resale on Outbacks is supposedly very high. Somebody posted the Ally residual values for a bunch of cars a month or two ago, and the Outback was > 70% at 2.5 years (can’t recall the exact value but I want to say it was something near 75%). Anyway, it is one of the better purchase options available right now.
There’s no requirement for dealers to honor this and they get almost no money back from the manufacturer for agreeing to them. So while there’s likely a dealer that will eventually do one, none of them are required to do it, and its usually like pulling teeth to get them to do it.
From speaking with the GM of a store a few months back i think the kickback is only a couple hundred bucks.
hi! I was looking to get the membership of PHS but I don’t see anything about VIP pricing in the membership benefits. Where can I confirm that I can get VIP pricing if I sign up for the Champion tier?
Champion Level 1
Champion: $500
Champion members receive additional benefits including four (4) four complimentary special access adult tickets to the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, a 10% discount on up to four (4) Flower Show adult tickets, an an invitation to a “Behind the Scenes” Tour for two (2) at the Flower Show.
Complete Benefits
A generous contribution to PHS’s important work ($190 is not tax-deductible)
FOUR (4) Complimentary Special Access Adult tickets to PHS Flower Show (valid for a one-time use during Friday Members’ Preview, early-bird admission or public hours)
10% discount on up to FOUR (4) PHS Philadelphia Flower Show Adult tickets (valid for public hours only)
Complimentary admission for TWO (2) educational programs and events with a registration fee of $35 or less
Early registration for our Members’ Appreciation Days
Participation in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program
“Behind the Scenes” Tour for TWO (2) at the Philadelphia Flower Show
Invitation to ONE (1) exclusive 1827 Society event throughout the year
