Worst test drive. Ever.
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From: Metro Detroit
Worst test drive. Ever.
So I went to a certain local Mitsubishi dealership this past week for a test drive. They have a silver 03 Evolution with 15k miles for sale. It was adult-owned and looked to be in pristine shape. This test drive was more for my gf, as she is looking to get a 2nd fun car.
We waited all week to take it out so that it was 100% dry out. She wanted me to drive it first because she isnt a manual trans expert, and she wanted for me to give her any tips on how to drive it smoothly. Of course the salesman went with us, which was fine by me. She really wasnt planning to buy this particular car because she prefers the MR. But she wanted to see how she liked the driving dynamics, etc.
OK ok on to the good stuff. As I backed it out of the service bay it felt strange. The clutch was engaging all the way at the top and wasnt grabby at all. I had to check a couple times to make sure I had it in gear, because it felt like it was in neutral. So, I made 100% sure I was in first and let the clutch out all the way, this is while MAYBE being at 1500 rpm. Theres no way it should have kept running, but it did start to move, so I thought maybe there was just some moisture on the flywheel. Upon taking it out onto the road and trying to accelerate it would hit boost & fly up to 6k than drop back down and then start to go. It was even slipping horribly in 5th gear if I floored it at 2k rpm.
Anyways, I of course could smell the clutch after 30 seconds and decided to take it back. No way I wanted to get blamed for it. So I grabbed the 1st turnaround and tried to limp it home. No such luck. I was doing good until I had to slow down for a light (I was desperately timing them to continue momentum), and even rolling at 25mph in 5th gear it wouldnt go anymore. I luckily got it off the road and into the beginnings of a turning lane. We sat there, 1/4 mile from the dealership and waited to be picked up. The smell from the clutch smoke was rancid, to say the least. So the other salesguy shows up and of course tries to get it to move. Whatever was left of the clutch was then put into the atmosphere, as if revving it up to 5k in 2nd gear was gonna make it go when it wouldnt move in 5th at 2k rpm. He even had the nerve to joke about how we were gonna pay for the new clutch repair. He was a pretty typical used car pindick.
So basically I wasted 2 hours, drove it maybe 2 miles, and now my clothes smell like clutch smoke. Awesome Mitsu, just awesome.
I have the feeling some porter kid beat the **** out of it, or they didnt inspect it well enough when it was traded in. All the radio stations were def old person'ish, and the salesguy even gave us the number of the 40'ish Doctor whom owned it previously, so I doubt it was abused by him. Oh well, I guess someone will get an Evo with a brand new clutch for free. Lets hope this one lasts more than 15k miles.
We waited all week to take it out so that it was 100% dry out. She wanted me to drive it first because she isnt a manual trans expert, and she wanted for me to give her any tips on how to drive it smoothly. Of course the salesman went with us, which was fine by me. She really wasnt planning to buy this particular car because she prefers the MR. But she wanted to see how she liked the driving dynamics, etc.
OK ok on to the good stuff. As I backed it out of the service bay it felt strange. The clutch was engaging all the way at the top and wasnt grabby at all. I had to check a couple times to make sure I had it in gear, because it felt like it was in neutral. So, I made 100% sure I was in first and let the clutch out all the way, this is while MAYBE being at 1500 rpm. Theres no way it should have kept running, but it did start to move, so I thought maybe there was just some moisture on the flywheel. Upon taking it out onto the road and trying to accelerate it would hit boost & fly up to 6k than drop back down and then start to go. It was even slipping horribly in 5th gear if I floored it at 2k rpm.
Anyways, I of course could smell the clutch after 30 seconds and decided to take it back. No way I wanted to get blamed for it. So I grabbed the 1st turnaround and tried to limp it home. No such luck. I was doing good until I had to slow down for a light (I was desperately timing them to continue momentum), and even rolling at 25mph in 5th gear it wouldnt go anymore. I luckily got it off the road and into the beginnings of a turning lane. We sat there, 1/4 mile from the dealership and waited to be picked up. The smell from the clutch smoke was rancid, to say the least. So the other salesguy shows up and of course tries to get it to move. Whatever was left of the clutch was then put into the atmosphere, as if revving it up to 5k in 2nd gear was gonna make it go when it wouldnt move in 5th at 2k rpm. He even had the nerve to joke about how we were gonna pay for the new clutch repair. He was a pretty typical used car pindick.
So basically I wasted 2 hours, drove it maybe 2 miles, and now my clothes smell like clutch smoke. Awesome Mitsu, just awesome.
I have the feeling some porter kid beat the **** out of it, or they didnt inspect it well enough when it was traded in. All the radio stations were def old person'ish, and the salesguy even gave us the number of the 40'ish Doctor whom owned it previously, so I doubt it was abused by him. Oh well, I guess someone will get an Evo with a brand new clutch for free. Lets hope this one lasts more than 15k miles.
yeah if you look around you'll see that is a problem for lots of guys. i've seen more than one post titled "my clutch is toast after 4k" mostly though if yyou pull your head out of your **** it should be fine for 25-30k. those guys give us all a bad name. he probably did it trying to keep up with an SRT-4. lol.
ps, if someone called me that asked me questions about my old car, and the dealer had given him my phone number, i would definately sue someone. that sort of crap bothers me.
ps, if someone called me that asked me questions about my old car, and the dealer had given him my phone number, i would definately sue someone. that sort of crap bothers me.
Originally Posted by evolved04
ps, if someone called me that asked me questions about my old car, and the dealer had given him my phone number, i would definately sue someone. that sort of crap bothers me.
^^ i just would rather be contacted first by the dealership. maybe they did, but i can picture the call ringing my cell at midnight and some kid wanting to know everything i had done to my car.
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From: Metro Detroit
The salesguy said the guy offered it up, and that it was part of the negotiations. I'd give my cell # if it saved me a couple hundred bucks, and it makes it easier for the dealership to sell a car like that.
On a side note we also drove a 350Z earlier that day. Fun car, but damn was that interior lame ***. I would say that the Evo ALMOST has a higher quality feeling interior. Hahaha
On a side note we also drove a 350Z earlier that day. Fun car, but damn was that interior lame ***. I would say that the Evo ALMOST has a higher quality feeling interior. Hahaha
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From: Metro Detroit
Originally Posted by negativeB
why were you trying to drive 35 in 5th?
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Man, if you wanna get a high performance car ....
1) you dont test drive one that has been used, much less with 15K miles since it most likely has been abused to death.
2) dont buy a used high performance car
1) you dont test drive one that has been used, much less with 15K miles since it most likely has been abused to death.
2) dont buy a used high performance car
My attitude has always been, why is there a car 1-2 years old being sold used.. generally here's my experience..
1) Car was abused by the previous owner and he started having problems
2) Guy couldn't afford car, car was neglected because he couldn't afford it
3) the guy got bored with it and traded it in for the next biggest thing, see #1
Evos are good reliable cars if their maintained well, even if their modified. The problem is the folks who really take good care of their stock or modified cars, aren't likely selling them after a year or two. Obviously there are exceptions so don't flame me if you are the exception.
I'd be real hesitant to buy a used evo from MOST of the folks on this site.. Not that you all aren't good people, but I do know the type of stuff that goes on.. a "Stock" evo is rarely stock before it was traded in. And it takes a pretty good eye to be able to tell if the person has done a good job returning it to stock.
Also, for as much as we like to think that a majority of us are older more responsible individuals, this car actually is a majorly younger person's car.. And most owners are male and likely 25 or under, the WORST demographic to buy a used car from.
Then you hear all the "Mitsu sucks, my clutch is toast after 3000 miles, or my transmission or transfer case broke" Well, a vast majority of these cars clutches and drivetrains will last WAY over 25k miles.. If it doesn't last that long, and its not an obvious defect, then its the driver.. Period.. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just kidding themselves. Again, there's always exceptions due to defective components, but most people I've ridden with who drive manual transmission cars really don't know how to drive them correctly anyway. (Oh the countless "Holding steady on a slight incline" drivers I've ridden with..)
I don't mean to sound judgemental and critical, but its something to be aware of.
With the person who the dealer gave out the previous owners phone number, the guy made the deal to get rid of the car.. I'm sure he'd be irked to get called after unloading it. Odds are he withheld information about the car when he traded it in, which would likely have affected his ability to trade the car into the dealer.
With that said, Its LIKELY the car was abused at the dealership by everyone who knew anything about what kind of car it is..
My best recommendation is if you want an Evo, either get it new.. If not, buy it privately if possible, get the VIN # of the car and call the dealer to see if its on a "Restricted" warranty list and also all the warranty repairs that it has been in for. Also, bring someone who is an enthusiast and KNOWS cars, and specifically KNOWS evos.. Anyone who owns one of these and works on them knows what they look like stock and can easily see whats been modified or altered and returned to stock.
1) Car was abused by the previous owner and he started having problems
2) Guy couldn't afford car, car was neglected because he couldn't afford it
3) the guy got bored with it and traded it in for the next biggest thing, see #1
Evos are good reliable cars if their maintained well, even if their modified. The problem is the folks who really take good care of their stock or modified cars, aren't likely selling them after a year or two. Obviously there are exceptions so don't flame me if you are the exception.
I'd be real hesitant to buy a used evo from MOST of the folks on this site.. Not that you all aren't good people, but I do know the type of stuff that goes on.. a "Stock" evo is rarely stock before it was traded in. And it takes a pretty good eye to be able to tell if the person has done a good job returning it to stock.
Also, for as much as we like to think that a majority of us are older more responsible individuals, this car actually is a majorly younger person's car.. And most owners are male and likely 25 or under, the WORST demographic to buy a used car from.
Then you hear all the "Mitsu sucks, my clutch is toast after 3000 miles, or my transmission or transfer case broke" Well, a vast majority of these cars clutches and drivetrains will last WAY over 25k miles.. If it doesn't last that long, and its not an obvious defect, then its the driver.. Period.. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just kidding themselves. Again, there's always exceptions due to defective components, but most people I've ridden with who drive manual transmission cars really don't know how to drive them correctly anyway. (Oh the countless "Holding steady on a slight incline" drivers I've ridden with..)
I don't mean to sound judgemental and critical, but its something to be aware of.
With the person who the dealer gave out the previous owners phone number, the guy made the deal to get rid of the car.. I'm sure he'd be irked to get called after unloading it. Odds are he withheld information about the car when he traded it in, which would likely have affected his ability to trade the car into the dealer.
With that said, Its LIKELY the car was abused at the dealership by everyone who knew anything about what kind of car it is..
My best recommendation is if you want an Evo, either get it new.. If not, buy it privately if possible, get the VIN # of the car and call the dealer to see if its on a "Restricted" warranty list and also all the warranty repairs that it has been in for. Also, bring someone who is an enthusiast and KNOWS cars, and specifically KNOWS evos.. Anyone who owns one of these and works on them knows what they look like stock and can easily see whats been modified or altered and returned to stock.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: RPV, CA
Originally Posted by MalibuJack
Then you hear all the "Mitsu sucks, my clutch is toast after 3000 miles, or my transmission or transfer case broke" Well, a vast majority of these cars clutches and drivetrains will last WAY over 25k miles.. If it doesn't last that long, and its not an obvious defect, then its the driver.. Period.. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just kidding themselves. Again, there's always exceptions due to defective components, but most people I've ridden with who drive manual transmission cars really don't know how to drive them correctly anyway. (Oh the countless "Holding steady on a slight incline" drivers I've ridden with..)
Low miles + Slipping Clutch = Abusive or Sh**ty Driver Plus or Minus the Exception.
I've got 15K now, with mods since 7K and I think I drive my car pretty hard. My clutch is still holding strong...
Brent
