After test driving the new STi on Friday, I went into my local dealer today to do a deal and place an order for an STi in charcoal grey.

The dealer checked the IM Intranet - no stock.
No stock in the UK, on a ship or in Japan!
Apparently next charcoal grey ones will be in production in May, which means not available until August or September!
The dealer had a new WR Blue one in stock (I don't want blue!) and the charcoal demonstrator I tried on Friday - but apparently they can't sell the demonstrator because of some IM rule!

So, sales are poor and the press has been generally quite bad - but even if you want one (like me!) you can't buy one! Agghhh
Are Subaru UK trying to put themselves out of business?

 

Would you build something that may not sell??

Hmmmmm, thought not - what they are attempting to do is create a bit of panic and desire to get the new car.

There is nothing quite as strong a pull as being told that there are no cars available, and then, amazingly, one just happens to appear!!! You grab it at List Price and are so pleased to have it that you don't notice the airfields full at Southampton!

 

Allbrandsnew claim to have a stock of them at:-

Buy New IMPREZA HATCHBACK, SUBARU Cars, Cheap Car Deal

 

Bang on

 

I went to look a couple of weeks ago, demonstrator was away so had to go back another day. When I went back again was greeted by "we've sold all our allocation until May". He then "magiced" one up that he "found", but wrong colour. No thanks. Then his colleague suddenly "magiced" another one up. right colour this time. All typical tricks!! Then took a test drive. No thanks

£22999 on www.allbrandsnew.co.uk, too

 

I would have thought they are just ramping up production on what is a completely new platform and given this is sold around the world they have to balance rhd and lhd manufacture and supply. And possibly the supply control may just help residuals if it continues (doubt it but I can hope). The dealers don't seem to be having problems selling their allocation so Subaru must have done something right with the new design.

 

Thats a great price for the spec I take it they are Euro imports even though they are advertised as Type UKs.To spec a UK car with the BBS wheels and Recaros would cost nearly £5.5k - alloys/tyres £3.5k ish and £1800 for the Recaros.
Had a similar experience with the dealer saying the cars were sold out for months but he had four in the showroom and outside only one of which was sold.

 

I spoke to David Hendry about the euro models, they are a great deal for the extra kit you get especially on the premium model with the stuff you list above. He reckons the UK will get a special edition in the summer with all these features on but you'll have to pay a price for it. It might also be worth thinking quickly if the euro route is the way you decide to go, he reckoned because the great british pound is taking a bit of a hammering against a lot of currencies including the yen and euro the price of the next batch will probably be higher from him (not sure if UK will absorb it on official models).

 

Was seriously considering buying one of these but the low spec on the Uk cars and the problems with the paintwork have really put me off.In the flesh I thought the car looked great - a lot better than in the photos.

 

the two dealers I know well, one being the biggest seller of new subarus in the country for the past god knows how many years, are selling them at a crazy pace ... so obviousely most of the talk on here about dealers not being able to sell them is the usual scoobynet make believe cr@p!!

Just because tiff needel doesn't like it doesn't mean that subaru aren't selling them.

 

I too was talking to a local dealer that informed me he can't sell them fast enough, and has already sold all his allocation.

Not like a dealer to talk up poor sales, to make you want one more.

 

you drive one and you'll want one ... so the dealers don't really have to do much selling on this new car. problem is all the tyre kickers are out in force trying to get a drive. must be a nightmare separating the genuine buyers from the total waste of time bell ends ... who then go and slate the car when they can't get a drive.

what I find funny is that some people are using the excuse that the europeans are getting a better model to have a crack at the new car.. who gives a **** about having a stupid button to start the car ... I wouldn't spec that on any car I owned. All I care about is the engine and the drive. The rest is pretty irrelevant.

 

I came to the same conclusion, although the Recaro's were nice on the euro model I don't have an issue with the UK seats, sat nav is nice integrated but I have a tom tom which has never let me down and I can take out of the car with me on foot or into other vehicles. BBS gold wheels nice but I opted for gold Prodrives so no gain for me there - so I was paying slightly more for stuff I actually didn't want or need and my trade-in value was slightly less than a main dealer so ultimately I went UK model and saved the couple of grand in the bank for future mods etc. So although the extra's you get on a euro premium model are good value but only if you want them.

The three north west dealers I was talking to leading up to my order all said they had sold their current allocation of cars and would need to wait or call in favours to try and source me the car I wanted, as it turned out I guess the fact that fewer people are ordering the WR Blue played in my favour and the car's now at the dealer awaiting the wheels.

 

I agree with you about the ppl slating the car etc, i havent had a go yet but i prob could not afford a new one ATM,however if i was getting one it would be the Euro model, Recaros, BBS alloys Sat Nav as standard and all for approx 800-1000 more. same car and 3 years warranty as well, seems a bit silly that us British buyers are yet again getting a poorer specced model compared to the JDM and Euro cars,IMO of course.

Mac

 

Yes, they must be selling thousands because they obviously didn't need to let me know about the local dealer launch for the STi despite me having bought 4 new ones in 2000/2001/2003/2005.
Strange then that I'm yet to see a new shape in ANY guise on the road.

 

No doubt IM are throttling supplies to maintain desirability. The last thing they want is dealers discounting and selling via brokers ('distress selling'). The UK car market is likely to weaken later this year as the economic downturn takes its toll (harder to get personal loans), house prices dropping, petrol not getting any cheaper. They will be begging you to take a testdrive after the summer.
A lot of the big car companies will have set their 2008 UK allocations and production schedules back in the Autumn of 2007, prior to impact of the credit crunch being generally known. There are going to be an awful lot of new cars (of all brands) chasing customers and anything in a high tax bracket with high fuel consumption will be shunned.
Personally I would still go for an EU-import though, if I wanted a new Impreza.
What the dealers are probably really waiting for is the Diesel Impreza range - I reckon that could really take off.

 

Popped into my local dealer for some new wiper blades, and got chatting, as you do. He is not impressed with the lack of availability, same story, August for the next batch. And he's got the same story with the diesel Outback, which he's getting loads of punters for. He's been a Subaru dealer for 20 odd years, and he's thoroughly hacked off. He's a decent chap as well. One of the reasons I stuck with Subaru was because of the great relationship I've got with the dealer.

He's got a grey STi demonstrator, and I have to say it does look better in the flesh than on TV or in pictures, but I'm glad I got my Hawkeye last year. (PPP getting fitted in less than 2 weeks )

 

Mac tend to agree with you on that one

Tony

 

let us know how you get on with the ppp mate will you

 

I'm still awaiting my STi Test Drive.

Maybe they really are selling all they can get hold of? In that case Subaru UK are quite probably holding back on imports to generate a feeling of panic.

The facts are that this is an expensive car to run, much more than it has ever been and it isn't rated that well in the Motoring Press.

 

Can I ask why this model is much more expensive than it ever has been to run? I thought Subaru have put effort into the SI Drive so you can get some balance of economy over performance in I mode if you want and they have lowered the emissions compared to the 07 STI so it falls into a band lower than the top one (under 250) on the new ratings to be introduced next year I think (once you get over that initial first year tax hurdle)? Plus the base car is now only £25k, a saving on the outgoing model?

Must agree with you that the motoring press reviews have not been favourable but so what, I rate a car on my opinion of it. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter other than for interest or passing a few minutes reading a review.

 

The higher Car Tax Band, but you seem to indicate that it will be cheaper than the outgoing model - is that correct?

The petrol price - ever rising.

The heavy expected residual values.

 

Yeah but the out going car uses the same petrol so no different with the 08, yes they guzzle. The new model is 246 co's compared to 254 for the 07 I think which means one down from the top band in 09 onwards (only about a 40 quid a year saving I think so not exactly a deal breaker but it all helps) and the new age's are not exactly depreciation friendly are they? Any high emission car running on petrol is gonna struggle in todays greenie led society.

 

Working out who's a bell end with no money, then separating them from a bell end who wants to buy a car must be hard when their rubbing hands together when seeing a bell end with more money than everyone else in the world wanting the newest car just to show off.....

I'd give 'em a free set of mats and tell them their my best customer.

 

I’m now up to 26.1mpg and still rising. I drive the car in Sport# all the time, my wife drives in I mode. The STi is working out about 15% cheaper on fuel than my Ford Focus ST, and this will only get better as the engine slackens off.

I’m now completely ignoring the MY08 STi haters. Noticed 90% of them don’t even have a View My Scooby or a profile. Do they even drive?

 

loads wouldn't by a new car even "if" it was a classic shaped

Tony

 

That's interesting, I'm definitely considering changing the ST for one eventually although I have to say I LOVE my ST to bits. I've found the best thing to do for fuel ecomomy is to not look at the trip computer at all

My dad gets his 08 STi next week and I can't wait to have a test drive although it'll be a few weeks before I get to see the car

 

from what i know subaru are only putting 350 units into the uk this year and most dealers have sold out i know this as i was lucky to pick mine up on the 1st of march

 

Will do