I purchased a 2013 Subaru Outback from this dealership. During our phone conversations, they reassured me that "they rarely had to buy back vehicles" and that they would include a "90-day powertrain warranty." However, they never defined what that warranty actually covered. (Turns out, it supposedly only covers engine repairs within 90 days, but they never made that clear to me.)
Fast forward two weeks after I bought the car, and it started making a strange noise before eventually refusing to start. I took it to their mechanic, who told me it was a minor issue that would cost about $50 to fix. No big deal, I replaced the part. But then, 20 days later, the sound got worse, and I had to top off the engine oil twice, which was already worrying.
I took it back to their mechanic, and this time they discovered that my check engine light wasn't on, which was strange, considering the issues I was facing. After further inspection, I found out that my catalytic converter was close to burning out and that my engine had been recalled due to its tendency to burn through oil at an alarming rate. At this point, my car was essentially on the brink of failure, and I thought, "Thank goodness I have that 90-day powertrain warranty!"
Well, I was wrong. When I called the dealership to explain the situation and ask them to either replace the engine or refund my money, they told me that the "90-day powertrain warranty" didn’t cover preventative care—it only covered engine failure if the car broke down. Since my car was still "running," they refused to do anything. To make matters worse, they also informed me that I had to pay a $125 diagnosis fee for the mechanic’s visit, which they hadn’t authorized.
At this point, I was floored. I asked if they would just take the car back and refund my money. Their response? "It would be stupid for us to lose money on a car with issues, but we’d be happy to take it back as a trade-in." (They literally used those words.) This felt like a slap in the face. I had just paid them $13,000 three weeks prior for a car with a broken, recalled engine. They basically called me stupid for wanting to get my money back, then turned around and suggested I take a loss by trading it in.
After multiple frustrating phone calls, they eventually agreed to cover the $125 diagnosis fee but made it clear they wouldn't do anything else to resolve the issue. I was so angry that I decided to move on and just accept that my car would eventually break down. Despite my car being on the verge of failure, I’ve kept it going—out of sheer necessity—but it has only gotten worse.
Several months have passed, and the car is now officially unreliable. It’s no longer performing well, and I'm hesitant to sell it because I don't want to take advantage of someone else by passing this problem onto them. Unfortunately, I’m still stuck with a car that I owe $13K on, and it feels like I’m completely out of options.
I’m sharing this experience to warn others: Stay far away from this dealership. They may seem friendly at first, but they’ll leave you high and dry once you’ve made the purchase. I’ve had the car for just about six months, and it’s barely running. I paid $13,000 for it and feel completely taken advantage of. At this point, I’ve lost hope that they’ll do the right thing.
Update 1: Six months after buying the car, the transmission failed. it cost 7 thousand dollars to replace. Since the noise coming from the transmission was apparent from day one, I am convinced that they knew it was about to fail and still sold it to me anyway.
Update 2: it's been another 6 months. Today I learned that the recalled engine they sold me has officially failed. To replace/rebuild it would cost north of 7k. I still owe over $5,000 on the car, and it hasn’t even made it 40K miles after leaving their lot.
Avoid these scammers...
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