2018 Subaru Forester — seller asks for a deposit before showing the car

Treat this like a math problem, not a vibe. Keep sale price, trade, and financing split on the 2018 Subaru Forester so a “good payment” cannot bury a worse deal. If they balk, that's your answer. I'd want that in writing, not as a promise. Might be overthinking it, but I'd rather overthink than overspend.

Hard-won lesson from my last deal: Keep sale price, trade, and financing split on the 2018 Subaru Forester so a “good payment” cannot bury a worse deal. Do that before you talk monthly again. On “seller asks for a deposit before showing,” that was the fork that mattered for me. This is from a 2018 Subaru Forester in Long Island with 82,000 miles. That's the whole play. This is the filter I use when the thread starts repeating itself. I'd rather look cautious in this thread than stuck later.

Quick update: a second 2018 Subaru Forester quote made the first offer look ordinary. If they get vague again I'm shopping the deal elsewhere.

OP here. Still looking, but I'm waiting on inspection notes before I send money on the 2018 Subaru Forester. Not letting add-ons ride along because everyone does.

I'd want competing paper, not competing stories. Ask for out-the-door on the 2018 Subaru Forester with fees, add-ons, and rate on separate lines. I'd rather lose the car than buy a foggy deal. Post the numbers (or the code) and people can get more specific. This is the version I'd tell a friend.