Carter Subaru, Seattle, WA (Joe Spitz) - Subaru Outback

klaus · 12-16-2005, 01:47 PM

Hi, guys,

I just got a car from Joe Spitz at Carter Subaru in Seattle. Great experience & price. Joe is a straight shooter, no over-promisses and no games. The transaction was done over email and some phone/fax. His website is www.cars101.com

I haven't serviced it there yet, but I will report if and when it happens.

klaus.

Boxxerace · 12-16-2005, 02:34 PM

Same guy I bought my car from. Cool salesman huh? (as in, not so "sales-e")

I use to live a few houses down from him and I always wondered who the guy was with all the different new Subaru's. Later I found out who he was and then even later we bought our XT from him.

Anyhow, was there anything tricky about puchasing a car here in the US and then transfering title and whatnot to B.C.?

Here is who to look for:

klaus · 12-16-2005, 04:29 PM

Good guy. The crossborder thing is worth another post

It was not bad, but you have to follow steps in the correct order and do the due dilligence in advance. There were a couple of tricky ones, but now I have my license plates on the car

klaus.

**Subhuman** · 03-28-2006, 04:03 AM

Weird...

Before buying my used suby, back in NY, I did some research during which I found and read his website Cars101.com but I didn't pickup on that he worked at Carter.

Since, I've moved to WA and forgotten about the site. I think it was last December when I stopped at Carter for the first time to ask about a few repair quotes. Tonight I revisited his website, remembered how informational it was, and thought I'd recommend it to anyone here doing research that's when I spotted his link to Carter but also noted that he looked familiar. Finally after coming to this post I put 1+1+1 together and realized he was the nice guy I talked to when I stopped in.

What a long journey being a suby freak has taken me.

BlackEddy · 08-19-2007, 02:38 PM

+1 for Joe @ Carter - he rocks!!!
No BS, no cheesy sales pitches, strictly business... me likey!
After seeing how much some people paid on here for comparable cars to mine, I feel like we did very, very well with absolutely no haggling at all.
Can't say enough good things about him and my experience with Carter.

**Subhuman** · 08-19-2007, 03:14 PM

How was your importing it to BC experience? I'm assuming Joe helped you with that to.

BlackEddy · 08-19-2007, 04:08 PM

Yeah, Joe was able to make the importing very easy. He supplied me with all the info / paperwork I needed before picking up the car so everything was in order when I hit customs, no surprises. The only "snag" I had was trusting Canada Customs to fax my paperwork into RIV (the Canadian agency in charge of registering imported vehicles) , they didn't do it and it cost me about a week (which is agonizing when you have a brand new car in your driveway that you can't drive!!!). Other than that very minor problem the whole experience was a snap - especially to save the amount of money we did ($10K+).
I would not hesitate to buy another vehicle from the states and import it.

Bitumen Bullet · 11-12-2007, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlackEddy
I would not hesitate to buy another vehicle from the states and import it.

Same here and I'd go with Joe agian although I might not buy until after inspecting the car. Mine had some small damage and it looks like a couple of the wheels/rims were swapped for some reason (cosmetic reasons I suspect).

I've seen that before where the car sits in a lot before being picked up. Nothing like my P71 (auction) which had tires replaced with bald mismatched set and everything not glued down taken including the trunk liner! Some folks resent others getting a deal.

Namrrats · 05-29-2008, 07:08 PM

Hi,

I bought my 2008 Outback 2.5i from Joe Spitz a few weeks ago. It was the easiest car buying experience I've ever had.

My first car buying experience in 1995 was terrible. 13 years later I still have a bad taste in my mouth from it, so I didn't want to repeat that. So once I decided on the Outback, I read a bunch of info on how to buy a car, all the games and different things some bad car dealers try to pull on you, etc. So I felt like I was ready to take on the biggest baddest car dealers out there. Arrrggggh, bring it on!

I took as many parts of the car buying process out of the dealers hands that I could think of. I decided not to do a trade-in and sell my car myself and I got my own financing all set up before trying to buy the car. Then I went through Costco Auto to see if they could show me the price of a Outback 2.5i. There's a funny story about that process but I'll save that for another time. Anyway, I got the price quote of $22,192 after the $1000 rebate. I thought that sounded pretty good.

I've heard great things about Joe Spitz so I decided to see if he could find me the car. So I filled out the internet form and offered $22,192 for a Quartz Silver Outback 2.5i, manual transmission with no options. I heard back from Joe very quickly saying to give him a call. I called him and he did a search and he said "I found a Quartz Silver Outback 2.5i, manual transmission with auto dimming mirror and all-weather floor mats and I can get that for you for $21,500 (after rebate)." I was very confused by this. I just did all this research about big bad car salesmen and this guy just quoted me a price that was lower than I offered. Huh? I don't think Joe has time for confusion cuz he said, "Think about it and call me back if you want it." :-) I called him back about 30 minutes later and said, "I'll take it".

Once the car was at the dealer, my fiance and I went down to pick it up. We met Joe. He was really cool. He told us a ton about the car in his super fast, no BS style and then we went to the finance guy. I forget his name (it may have been Travis) but he was very cool too. He told us about the warranties, bluetooth, etc. We signed the papers and then Joe took us out to the car. He went over pretty much every feature of the car. It was very cool. My fiance wished she had someone go over all the features like that when she bought her new car a while ago.

Anyway, that was my experience. It was so simple I couldn't believe it. I would not buy a car any other way from here on. My fiance said the same thing. I think I've experience more hassle buying something at Best Buy than buying a car through Joe Spitz. :-)

subaahrooo · 10-06-2008, 08:27 PM

I have to say....I have bought 9 Subarus from Carter Subaru in Shoreline, WA over the years. Never had bad experience! The last 2 cars I purchased ( Spec B and Outback Ltd wagon) was an even better buying experience. My salesperson was a "mate" named Scotty ...A nice South African fella that made my buying experience one to remember...very thoughtful...very knowledgeable and most importantly...he told me the truth every step of the way. He also told me he would make the buying process as easy as it could possibly be (all things given). I felt comfortable with him...my wife loved him...so did our somewhat cranky mutt of a dog (triscuit). He is very calm and made you feel that you made a very good decision. You walk away feeling you just made a good friend. He also gave us a very good deal and fair value on our trades.

I recommend Scotty and Carter Subaru to everyone I know. Very reliable and trustworthy service.

* Side note: I forgot to tell Scotty I was longtime Buyer from Carter as he indicated he was new to the Carter family. He passed with flying colors!

12-16-2005, 01:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
klaus Legionairre Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Car: 2006 OB 3.0R VDC Posts: 47 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Carter Subaru, Seattle, WA (Joe Spitz) Hi, guys, I just got a car from Joe Spitz at Carter Subaru in Seattle. Great experience & price. Joe is a straight shooter, no over-promisses and no games. The transaction was done over email and some phone/fax. His website is www.cars101.com I haven't serviced it there yet, but I will report if and when it happens. klaus. __________________ ----------------------- 2006 OB 3.0R VDC

12-16-2005, 02:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Boxxerace Gallery Ninja Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Above Seattle Car: 2005 XT Outback Limited, Gold Opal baby! Posts: 5,008 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Same guy I bought my car from. Cool salesman huh? (as in, not so "sales-e") I use to live a few houses down from him and I always wondered who the guy was with all the different new Subaru's. Later I found out who he was and then even later we bought our XT from him. Anyhow, was there anything tricky about puchasing a car here in the US and then transfering title and whatnot to B.C.? Here is who to look for: __________________ Into photography? Stop on by www.digitalfotographer.com and say hello. Boxxerace Outback Gallery: Click Here

12-16-2005, 04:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
klaus Legionairre Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Car: 2006 OB 3.0R VDC Posts: 47 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Good guy. The crossborder thing is worth another post It was not bad, but you have to follow steps in the correct order and do the due dilligence in advance. There were a couple of tricky ones, but now I have my license plates on the car klaus. __________________ ----------------------- 2006 OB 3.0R VDC

03-28-2006, 04:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
Subhuman Submod Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The Big Little Island Car: 2004 OBw (5mt) Mystic Blue Posts: 2,471 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Weird... Before buying my used suby, back in NY, I did some research during which I found and read his website Cars101.com but I didn't pickup on that he worked at Carter. Since, I've moved to WA and forgotten about the site. I think it was last December when I stopped at Carter for the first time to ask about a few repair quotes. Tonight I revisited his website, remembered how informational it was, and thought I'd recommend it to anyone here doing research that's when I spotted his link to Carter but also noted that he looked familiar. Finally after coming to this post I put 1+1+1 together and realized he was the nice guy I talked to when I stopped in. What a long journey being a suby freak has taken me. __________________ Blue Steel Roads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail us now! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

08-19-2007, 03:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Subhuman Submod Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The Big Little Island Car: 2004 OBw (5mt) Mystic Blue Posts: 2,471 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	How was your importing it to BC experience? I'm assuming Joe helped you with that to. __________________ Blue Steel Roads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail us now! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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08-19-2007, 02:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
BlackEddy Recruit Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Squamish BC Car: 2008 2.5i LTD Posts: 10 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	+1 for Joe @ Carter - he rocks!!! No BS, no cheesy sales pitches, strictly business... me likey! After seeing how much some people paid on here for comparable cars to mine, I feel like we did very, very well with absolutely no haggling at all. Can't say enough good things about him and my experience with Carter.

08-19-2007, 04:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
BlackEddy Recruit Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Squamish BC Car: 2008 2.5i LTD Posts: 10 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Yeah, Joe was able to make the importing very easy. He supplied me with all the info / paperwork I needed before picking up the car so everything was in order when I hit customs, no surprises. The only "snag" I had was trusting Canada Customs to fax my paperwork into RIV (the Canadian agency in charge of registering imported vehicles) , they didn't do it and it cost me about a week (which is agonizing when you have a brand new car in your driveway that you can't drive!!!). Other than that very minor problem the whole experience was a snap - especially to save the amount of money we did ($10K+). I would not hesitate to buy another vehicle from the states and import it.

05-29-2008, 07:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
Namrrats Recruit Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pacific NW Car: 2008 Quartz Silver Outback 2.5i, 5MT Posts: 0 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Hi, I bought my 2008 Outback 2.5i from Joe Spitz a few weeks ago. It was the easiest car buying experience I've ever had. My first car buying experience in 1995 was terrible. 13 years later I still have a bad taste in my mouth from it, so I didn't want to repeat that. So once I decided on the Outback, I read a bunch of info on how to buy a car, all the games and different things some bad car dealers try to pull on you, etc. So I felt like I was ready to take on the biggest baddest car dealers out there. Arrrggggh, bring it on! I took as many parts of the car buying process out of the dealers hands that I could think of. I decided not to do a trade-in and sell my car myself and I got my own financing all set up before trying to buy the car. Then I went through Costco Auto to see if they could show me the price of a Outback 2.5i. There's a funny story about that process but I'll save that for another time. Anyway, I got the price quote of $22,192 after the $1000 rebate. I thought that sounded pretty good. I've heard great things about Joe Spitz so I decided to see if he could find me the car. So I filled out the internet form and offered $22,192 for a Quartz Silver Outback 2.5i, manual transmission with no options. I heard back from Joe very quickly saying to give him a call. I called him and he did a search and he said "I found a Quartz Silver Outback 2.5i, manual transmission with auto dimming mirror and all-weather floor mats and I can get that for you for $21,500 (after rebate)." I was very confused by this. I just did all this research about big bad car salesmen and this guy just quoted me a price that was lower than I offered. Huh? I don't think Joe has time for confusion cuz he said, "Think about it and call me back if you want it." :-) I called him back about 30 minutes later and said, "I'll take it". Once the car was at the dealer, my fiance and I went down to pick it up. We met Joe. He was really cool. He told us a ton about the car in his super fast, no BS style and then we went to the finance guy. I forget his name (it may have been Travis) but he was very cool too. He told us about the warranties, bluetooth, etc. We signed the papers and then Joe took us out to the car. He went over pretty much every feature of the car. It was very cool. My fiance wished she had someone go over all the features like that when she bought her new car a while ago. Anyway, that was my experience. It was so simple I couldn't believe it. I would not buy a car any other way from here on. My fiance said the same thing. I think I've experience more hassle buying something at Best Buy than buying a car through Joe Spitz. :-)

10-06-2008, 08:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
subaahrooo Recruit Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: seattle WA Car: 2007 SpecB/2008 Outback LTD Posts: 1 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Another GREAT no pressure salesperson I have to say....I have bought 9 Subarus from Carter Subaru in Shoreline, WA over the years. Never had bad experience! The last 2 cars I purchased ( Spec B and Outback Ltd wagon) was an even better buying experience. My salesperson was a "mate" named Scotty ...A nice South African fella that made my buying experience one to remember...very thoughtful...very knowledgeable and most importantly...he told me the truth every step of the way. He also told me he would make the buying process as easy as it could possibly be (all things given). I felt comfortable with him...my wife loved him...so did our somewhat cranky mutt of a dog (triscuit). He is very calm and made you feel that you made a very good decision. You walk away feeling you just made a good friend. He also gave us a very good deal and fair value on our trades. I recommend Scotty and Carter Subaru to everyone I know. Very reliable and trustworthy service. * Side note: I forgot to tell Scotty I was longtime Buyer from Carter as he indicated he was new to the Carter family. He passed with flying colors!

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