Another Subaru dealer calls it a day ...
 

Just had a letter from my local dealer RN Golden near Huddersfield saying they are stopping selling new Subaru's and concentrating on Hyundai and Isuzu in the very near future

County motor works Chelmsford where i bought my car have given up subaru and ive just found out my local dealer Sparshatts of Botley have also stopped selling Subaru.
Not looking good.

I wouldn't have a clue were to go now tbh. Colchester and Chelmsford both gone

The one in March packed up after less than 2 years.

Thought it wouldn't be long till Goldens called it a day.
Bought my latest scoob from them 3 weeks ago, you wouldn't have thought it was a Subaru dealership if you didn't know otherwise. Completely devoid of anything Subaru related in the showroom.

Sad news, are there any left in the South East now? :wonder:


:( That's where I bought my scoob from back in 2003.

Shame, good set of lads at Goldens. Used them on many occasions when I first got in to Subarus. Lee the service manager was an exceptionally nice bloke who always went the extra mile.

Approached Golden's a couple of weeks ago about a BRZ. They were very honest and told me of there intentions.

Desperately need some new dealers in the North West, we have lost Robinsons, Golden's, Greenwood's and looking like Monks Heath as well soon.

peterborough 1 still there for now ,:thumb:

Few of the the new dealers seem to continue with Subaru for long.

Ive only had a Subaru for 20 months and the three nearest dealers to me have thrown in the towel, from a customer point of view not great for building up a relationship with a dealer.

I can almost see a time when if IM want to continue selling new Subaru's they will have to setup their own dedicated showrooms around the UK where potential buyers can test drive and buy new vehicles.

Sadly I don't think the BRZ can save Subaru in the UK, it is just too different from a traditional AWD Subaru, and of course up again Toyota "86" which has a well established and settled dealer network to support owners.

Maybe IM needs to be pleading with Subaru to put together diesel powered pucka STi Forester, Legacy & Impreza models, not many will buy a car new or used with annual road tax of £450+ then faced with 20mpg, at £1.50 per Litre.

I know diesel is a dirty word where performance is concerned, but if it is the only way to get a car which can be a daily driver and thrown around a track at the weekend and handle reasonably well, without breaking the bank, so be it.

i'll get mi coat

It was Conders when I bought my hatch back in 2010, weird as they also sold black cabs!

Now part of Unity Group (Crossroads Garage)

If you fancy a ride out mate, were still here In carlisle :luxhello:

I think you have a point there. STI versions of these cars have been around for a while, but nothing special in the diesel department, which would possibly be something they could use to maybe even break into the fleet leasing side a little if the tax figures were right. They would certainly be of interest to the rest of us motorists as well.

What about a 3.0 flat six turbo diesel? Something to rival the 3.0 TDI Audi are using to great effect these days. Now, if there was a STI Legacy with that engine, I'd be very interested...

I did consider the Legacy diesel when I was looking to replace the Audi, but at the time it was too expensive as they were too young. I would consider one in the future, but for now I'm happy with my WRX.

Back on topic though, my local dealer, S&S Services, have been there for ages and hopefully will be there for a long time to come. They also deal in Isuzu as well, which may be helping them a bit if the Subaru sales figures are down.

I've bought a couple of cars from them, and my Dad also bought one from them as well, and they are a top bunch - hope they are still there when I'm looking for my next Scooby :thumb:

It's a shame as they are are friendly bunch there. They have told me they are still going to do after sale like parts service repairs ect , but for how long? Their doing skoda and Nissan sales now.

We are a newish dealer to the north west , and I would say we were busy , loads of enquiries about people wanting to buy new cars but mainly foresters and the new xv , I saw the brz yesterday looks a cracking car don't know about yet price but if its around 25k I recons the might sell a few , so we might have sales soon .

There's a couple in Surrey still going strong :)

Lost three of my local ones though

Well i wish you all the best but i cant help but wonder why so many are giving up subaru sales.

2 near me had the land sold from under them and are now flats.... Not there choice to close

I drove through London the other day and reckon I might have been the only Subaru inside the M25.....

Hmm. Mind you, the clutch is mighty heavy in traffic like that.
Poor beast felt like a caged animal and was not happy..

I have 2 sitting outside my house inside the M25 ;)

Are they still doing parts and servicing, as still need to book in for my wishbone recall
Also theres a subaru dealer near ilkley

Might take you up on that yet Rob ;)

I was told the only reason my (ex) local were still doing subaru servicing was because of the amount of money they had invested in training there tech to Subaru master technician.

I think its the current climate , Everyone going for cheaper fuel cost , cost of servicing , cost of cars etc , the list goes on and on ..... We all know that they are not cheap to run and you carn't look after them on a half arsed effort , they need a little love ..

Since the subaru recall has come out we have seen a lot of new customers , people you would not normally see due to costs of main dealers . But times have changed a little for subaru they know they need to try and win back people in the uk ..

I know What you are thinking , cost of parts and cars , but are they that expensive over other cars as good ?????? I know one car carnt save a brand or a company but the brz is a good car and you might see a few poping up here or there when they come

P1 was 30k in 2000 , new sti is 32k in 2012 .... um

Rich

This is a quote from R N Golden website:

"A family run business, founded by Neville Golden over 40 years ago, and now run by his son Matthew. R N Golden is the countrys longest established dealer and has sold nearly 4000 Subarus since the marques launch in 1977."

Sad when a long established dealer calls it a day.

I hear what your saying mate. Subaru are not cheap to own but what 300bhp + car is?? I think it's inevitable that in the current climate that anything high performance will become anything but the norm and even elitist.
When sat in the traffic que looking at all the small town cars and hatch backs i always think of the time the Berlin wall came down and all the Trabants qued to get to the west. I see a time when Subaru dealerships are as rare a sight as Ferrari dealers.

Just checked , 13 of them in the uk !!! sales anyway

Omg didn't know it had dropped to that I know of four in the north
Of England that have dissapeared in the last couple of years
Thank god my excellent Stan Palmer dealership is still there
Hundreds for sale on eBay - pistonheads
It's the fuel costs and car tax that's killed them lately
£460 is a lot of money and 250 per £80 of fuel
So they are now a second car only for enthusiasts
To keep modify and polish
The chavs have also ruined subaus reputation in recent years
As you can now by one for 2 weeks wages for an classic
Although the rust will cost more to repair
As dealerships close people loose interest if they can't see a dealership
On their doorstep which is worrying for casual buyers
The BRZ is a fantastc car so hopefully will do well for Subaru
As long as the die heart enthusiasts buy into the new concept
Otherwise dealers will become rarer then Ferrari which means
Sadly Subaru could end up like lancia
Still lots of work left for the next 20 years for specialists as
Long as they look towards bodywork restoration which will be
The next big thing

I mean 13 ferrari dealer ..

rich

This place is still going because its a Daihatsu dealer aswell. I've bought parts from them before and seemed a decent bunch. I don't know what they're service and repairs are like as I only use my specialist.

http://subaru.womoco.co.uk/