From: "Scott E. Fahlman" <sef+@cs.cmu.edu>
To: bovik@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Excellent Subaru Dealer
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 95 19:00:16 -0400
Sender: Scott_Fahlman@SEF-PMAX.SLISP.CS.CMU.EDU


We just bought a new Subaru 4-wheel-drive station wagon from Bianchi
Subaru.  Michael Breinig was our salesman.  I give them very high marks --
the whole experience was actually quite pleasant, which is not something I
have experienced before in car buying.  And Subarus have a great reputation
in terms of reliability, safety, and handling (especially in bad weather).
See the reviews in Consumer Reports, for example.

I think we got quite a good deal on exactly the car we wanted.  We went in
with a more expensive model in mind, but Mike showed us how we could get
all the features we actually cared about in a less expensive model with an
add-on package.  So we ended up spending about $2K less than we had
expected to.  Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the car (ex-mechanic)
and is a generally nice guy -- not into the sort of head games that so many
other car salesmen like to play.

The dealership owner, Keith Langston also was quite helpful and seemed to
be a good guy.  Rather than demanding a cashier's check, a full set of
fingerprints, and a hostage or two, they just took a personal check and a
promise that I'd move money into that account to cover the purchase on
Monday, and then we drove away in the new car.  I haven't been treated like
that since I left the small town of my birth in Ohio.  (Of course, Penny
was with me, and she always strikes people as very honest and trustworthy.
I don't know if they do this for everyone.)

The only downside was that Bianchi is located on route 286, way out past
Monroeville, so going to the dealer for service could be a hassle for
one-car families.  However, the dealer provides a free loaner car while
your car is being serviced.  That's even better than being on a bus line in
my book.

If you buy a car there, tell them I sent you and I get $50 for the
referral.  But I would definitely be making this post without that
incentive.

-- Scott