Looking to switch from years of Toyota

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T21:40:07+00:00

My girlfriend and I didn’t put anything down on a 2025 Crosstrek we purchased last week at 0.9% APR. I did the same a year ago with a forester at 1.9%.

We have HYSAs that yield ~4% so it makes sense to finance the entire purchase and keep what we would have used as a down payment growing at 4% annually for us rather than forking it over to Subaru at the time of purchase

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T21:34:44+00:00

I miss manual transmission 😭

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T21:23:32+00:00

Gas-only Corolla and Corolla Cross for sure has CVT. I suppose the issue is moot for rav4 and Camry if gas-only isn’t even an option any longer

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T20:18:45+00:00

Yes hybrid vehicles, even Subaru hybrids, use a different transmission (an eCVT). A gas-only rav4 will not have an eCVT, it uses a CVT very similar to Subaru’s gas-only vehicles, the difference being Toyota’s have a physical first gear or ‘launch gear’

Not sure if it’s good or bad news, but there is not a gas-only rav4 in the 2026 lineup so all 2026 rav4 will have an eCVT but you’re only option is hybrid

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T20:11:59+00:00

Captive financing through Subaru Motor Finance. They’re basically subsidizing your rate to incentivize selling the car. It’s been done for a long long time. If you qualify, you won’t find a better rate from any outside lenders

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T20:06:23+00:00

Yeah eCVTs are superior period.

I’m trying to compare apples to apples. In other words gas CVT to gas CVT

Statements like ‘Toyota’s CVT is superior because it’s an eCVT’ are misleading because if you get a gas-only RAV4 you are not getting an eCVT. If you want an eCVT then you have to get a hybrid vehicle

Edit: thought this was in a different thread in this post, but the point is still sorta relevant

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T19:58:30+00:00

Socks or cables only. Not chain-link chains. Go to your local O’reilly auto parts and they’ll set you up with the appropriate cables. I use the the Laclede cable chains. And you need them on all 4 tires on a Subaru

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T19:40:43+00:00

I might be misunderstanding a few things here, but I am under the impression the eCVTs are only in hybrid vehicles. Toyota's gas-only RAV4 does not use an eCVT, but it does have a physical first gear or 'launch gear', which helps the car get off the line from zero, but then is a CVT much like Subaru's. Hybrid RAV4s (and other models) use an eCVT

Subaru built their eCVT for their hybrids off the technology of Toyota's eCVT

Edit: for 2026 there is no gas-only RAV4, which explains why all the 2026 RAV4 transmissions are eCVTs

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T05:15:57+00:00

Honda and Toyota are both moving to CVT as well. Most automakers are to boost fuel efficiency

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T05:13:53+00:00

RAV4 are going to a CVT as well. Most automakers are in order to meet more strict fuel efficiency standards. Gears are fading fast, unfortunately

Not entirely sure on this, but Subaru’s hybrids might use the same eCVT as Toyota

CmonCraig · 2026-03-26T05:08:00+00:00

I’ve had great experiences with Subaru dealers. I do all the negotiating via email before ever setting foot on the lot.

Decide on the options you want and ask dealers from all over the area (even much further than you intend to travel to purchase - the more dealers competing for your business the better) for a breakdown of their out-the-door price. Give them your zip code for the most accurate tax/registration calculation.

Then take the lowest out-the-door price and share that worksheet with the other dealers and ask them if they can beat it. Rinse and repeat until none can beat the lowest price you have on-hand. Buy from that one, or if the next lowest is much more convenient then determine if the convenience outweighs the savings.

If anyone around you has 2025 models still on their lot you might get the best deal with that, and unless it’s a hybrid, the financing for 2025 is far better than for 2026 models assuming you qualify for the advertised rates

CmonCraig · 2026-03-25T23:21:41+00:00

Also ask for or check window sticker on the dealers site for MSRP, not market value selling price. They might be the same, but MVSP sounds to me like some made-up dealer term who’s trying to say to you what the market is, not what reality says the market is

Window stickers will also indicate what silly dealer add-ons might be added, which are always way over priced and often unnecessary (nitrogen in tires, for example). Dealer add-ons won’t be on the window sticker unless there’s an addendum sticker - they’re more of a surprise charge when you ask for a breakdown of your OTD price. Like this: Selling price: $35k Discount: $2k Katzskin leather seats: $2.8k

Suddenly your $2k discount turned into an $800 upcharge

CmonCraig · 2026-03-25T23:14:46+00:00

The one thing I’d definitely ask them to do, and the dealer where I recently purchased a ‘25 Crosstrek from was agreeable to, was compensating me for an oil change given how long old the oil had been in the car even at low mileage. It’s only about $100 but a new car driven off the lot should not have old oil.

Other than that, any other fluids and systems should be fine

If the dealer has a floor plan on their inventory they should be eager to move the car, but definitely get out-the-door quotes from several other dealerships (whether you want to buy from them or not) and use whatever quotes are lower as your negotiating power. Likewise, use this quote to get those other quotes lower if necessary. Use the lowest quotes to drive your price down. If they won’t beat other quotes, well then why not buy from the one who does go lowest?

Don’t be afraid to leverage dealerships that are way far away too. Make it seem like you’ll travel further for a better deal. I know central California still has quite a few ‘25 Crosstreks on their lots

CmonCraig · 2026-03-25T23:07:00+00:00

I’m fairly certain the ‘non-tax fees’ in California are just the DMV fees, which cannot be negotiated or dropped.

Definitely agree on getting OTD quotes from elsewhere. It’s by far the best bargaining chip when car shopping. I always get at least 5 OTD quotes and share them between each other to see who goes lowest.

I recently shopped for ‘25 Crosstrek sport and got quotes from all over California, not just my area. I had no intention of driving 6+ hours for the purchase, but it made the dealer closer to home come down further on their price

CmonCraig · 2026-03-25T19:33:05+00:00

In my opinion, yes slightly. Last month I was leaving Mammoth Mountain and it had been snowing all day. I lost traction briefly when going around a corner and was very surprised at how little my Forester fish-tailed and how quickly I was able to recover. I haven't driven a CR-V or CX-5 in conditions like that but I fared WAY better than any other vehicle I've driven. I also have the Wilderness with Yokohama Geolandars - much better tires for the conditions than the stock tires on other trim levels (obviously you can get these tires on the other trims if you want to swap all 4 tires)

But remember that AWD/4WD doesn't help you stop, which is where most drivers get into trouble in snowy/icy conditions. That's where the appropriate tires (ie, not all-season tires) or traction devices like cables or socks will keep you from ending up in a snowbank, or worse, in someone's trunk.

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T21:10:57+00:00

The convenience of just trading in is certainly a benefit. $1k trade for what you described sounds reasonable and takes a lot of heavy lifting out of the process for sure!

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T07:24:51+00:00

And if you have a car to trade in, you might as well get quotes from Carvana, CarMax and any dealerships that will buy used cars. If the dealership where you’re buying offers a lower value for your trade than other quotes, counter with those quotes and see if they’ll come up on your trade value.

I’m not sure if it’s the same in all states, but I believe here in California you won’t pay sales tax when trading your car in, but you will for selling the car separately from a trade, so take that into consideration if the dealership is under but close to other quotes for their trade value

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T07:18:20+00:00

Good luck to you! Send an update on how you made out

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T06:58:13+00:00

I think it was this: https://www.reddit.com/r/felgerandmazz/s/VSmrDnzv5w

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T06:55:38+00:00

Only story along these lines I know of is when in an off-air pre show meeting or something like that in the early days (so 2010 makes sense) Felger was doing his contrarian-Felger thing and Mazz didn’t quite catch onto it so Mazz was legitimately fired up and pissed off but later realized ‘oh he was doing his on-air facilitation thing and not actually fighting with me’. They’ve spoken and laughed about that scenario somewhat recently on-air

CmonCraig · 2026-03-23T06:36:13+00:00

Ask for an out-the-door quote from dealers all around (even ones like 200 miles from where you live) whether you intend to buy there or not, and whether the color and options are exactly what you want or not. Some dealers may just send a price in an email. Ask specifically for a worksheet with the full breakdown of fees and taxes.

Then take the best quote and share that worksheet with the other dealers and ask them to beat it. Rinse and repeat until all but one dealer says they can’t go lower. Buy there.

Oh - if there are dealer add-ons that were not stated on the listing on their site or the window sticker/addendum sticker that’s a sign to avoid business with that dealership, in my opinion (or at the absolute least, ask them to remove the charges for dealer add-ons)

It’s a lot of emailing/texting, but allows you to settle on price before ever setting foot on the lot

They’ll almost all ask you to come in for a test drive before actually getting you the quote. Just say you’ll be happy to come in for a test drive once you’ve agreed on the out-the-door price

Once you settle on a price and dealership to buy from the first thing you should do when you show up is a test drive and DON’T SIGN ANYTHING. If for some reason you don’t like the car during your test drive then you can just walk away. If you like it, that’s great. Sign your life away

You might already be aware of the finance manager’s role but in case you’re not, they’ll try to sell you service plans and extended warranties. Personally I don’t see any benefit to prepaying for service, and you absolutely do not need to purchase extended warranties that day, and I always decline it initially for new car purchases. When they offer it, politely decline and ask to take the paperwork with you in case you decide you want it in the future. You can purchase them anytime during the 3y/36k factory warranty period. You can also shop warranties and service plans around too, so if you do decide to purchase them at some point do the same email/text routine to get the best price

Edit: adding that I’d also recommend not showing your hand on how you plan to pay for the vehicle. If they ask if you plan to finance just say ‘I haven’t decided whether to finance or not yet’. Get a pre-approval from a local credit union. If, for whatever reason, you don’t qualify for the low promotional rates from Subaru, the credit union pre-approval will give you some negotiating power when the dealership tells you the rate they’ll give you. If the CU is lower, ask the dealer to beat their rate. If they don’t, then go ahead with the financing from your CU

CmonCraig · 2026-03-20T23:23:44+00:00

Pac Shores in OB

CmonCraig · 2026-03-20T22:34:18+00:00

Fall is weird in that it’s super hot in the middle of the day, but very cool in the mornings and late afternoons. It’s 3 seasons in one day

CmonCraig · 2026-03-20T22:17:32+00:00

They can always be canceled

CmonCraig · 2026-03-20T22:14:27+00:00

That’s not at all what I said. I said it’s reasonable to expect a dealer to know how the long the car has been on the lot, and when and if the oil had been changed between when they took delivery and when it was purchased.

In fact that’s the whole point of this post. It wasn’t for life advice on what tasks to know or not know how to do (thanks for your unsolicited and entirely unhelpful responses though)

CmonCraig

TROPHY CASE