The nice thing about an all-new vehicle making its way to our market is that the current model it’s about to retire will likely be offered by the distributor with fantastic promos just to run out the inventory. I personally don’t mind getting an aging model at a significantly discounted price. I actually believe that the best version of any given car model is always the most recently face-lifted one at the tail end of the model cycle, complete with various add-ons to entice buyers. Why? Because the car is at the point where all the good bits have been thrown in, and the initial niggles from early adopters have mostly been addressed.

I make the above argument to justify the latest announcement of Motor Image Pilipinas that the outgoing fourth-generation Subaru Forester is being made available with highly tempting deals through the month of March. The new-generation model is expected to appear soon, and the local distributor simply needs to clear the way for its grand entrance.

To be specific, these three deals are available for the current Forester:

* The Forester 2.0i-L can be yours for a low down payment of just P128,000. This deal is obviously for customers who will avail of a financing plan.

* All Forester variants—the 2.0i-L, the 2.0i-P and the 2.0XT—are priced P100,000 less if you’re buying in cash.

* If you don’t fancy either one of the above-mentioned deals, you can just take vouchers that entitle you to P130,000 worth of service or accessories.

Now, whether these deals make it worth getting a soon-to-be-replaced vehicle model is entirely up to you. As for me, it’s like purchasing a “perfected” car and even receiving perks on top of it. Again, these deals are good only for this month. Unless, of course, a lot of units are left after the promo period.