Deserter

I talked to them 3 times in person, but could not even get them to look at the papers proving my car is SE. They just keep saying that my car is Limited according to their VIN database. I then mailed all these papers to them. They mailed me back with a printout of VIN schematics showing only 2.5i and 2.5i Limited models and stating that the car I own is Limited. It's like talking to a wall... Thanks for the advice on contacting consumer affairs office etc., I may try that. You are right though - time spent may not be worth the money...

It's listed as 2.5i Special Edition on the sticker, all purchase documents I got at the dealership and even in the Application for Title which I surrendered to DMV to register my car. I did try to argue my case at DMV and presented all the paperwork as a proof that I own SE, but was told that they exclusively use VIN numbers to determine make and model of the car and do not care how it's listed on the sticker or anywhere else. With insurance company everything happens on the phone, they key in your VIN and in comes up on the screen with model name, features and calculated premiums. I told them that my car is SE, they said that I'm mistaken and my car is a Limited.

I wonder if anyone got into the same trouble ... I Bought 2006 Legacy Sedan 2.5i Special Edition (SE) 4EAT. Both my insurance company and DMV resolved my VIN to Limited Edition model which is the fully loaded version and costs $3300 more in MSRP. So, I ended up paying higher insurance premiums, taxes, etc. Ran my VIN in Carfax and a couple of other online VIN lookups and everywhere it comes out as Limited. Upon further investigation it became clear (both local subaru dealership and SOA confirmed this) that the problem is caused by the fact that the first 7 VIN characters which are used to resolve model are the same between Special Edition and Limited. I tried to prove that I own SE at local DMV and they provided me SOA schematics for 2006 Legacy model: 4S3BL61 - 2.5i 4S3BL62 - 2.5i Limited 4S3BL67 - 2.5GT Limited 4S3BL68 - 2.5GT As you can see, no mentioning of SE here. My VIN starts with 4S3BL62 so they have all the reasons to think my car is a Limited. I was actually shopping for 2.5i base model, but there was not a single one for sale in New England. As sales managers explained to me in a few dealerships, Subaru is making SE vs base model in 90% to 10% proportion this year. The thinking is that moon roof and power driver's seat for extra $300 is such a bargain that nobody will be buying base model. So, I guess there will be a lot of people in the same situation... Subaru makes great cars, this is actually my second subaru. This mess with VIN numbers makes me sad. They spend millions of $$ to get an edge over competitors, and then loose customers due to a stupid inconsistency in VIN schematics which increases the cost of ownership comparing to similar priced competitors' vehicles. New Hampshire is cheap as far as taxes and insurance goes, I'll end up paying extra couple hundred bucks a year for as long as I own this car. Not a big deal, I will get over it. I can imagine people paying much more in states with high taxes and fees...