You know, this reminds me of when I was at the LA autoshow talking to the lady representing the EVO. She was a salesperson at a local mitsu dealer. I told her I was definately getting one. She pretty much started laughing. She told me "good luck, i've already had a few offers for over $80,000 and one for $50,000 and it's not even out yet. This is going to be the hottest car in the market." I then started laughing and told her i'll beleive it when i see it. This was comming from the lady that thought the EVO had a twin turbo 2.5 liter v6?????? I was correcting her left and right. She also help telling people it had the option to switch from 2WD to 4WD like a truck and was going to be MSRP'd at 37K.

To regurgitate what skibum said earlier....there are some people that hear this new car is going to be hot and they go crazy about it. That's how car dealers are. They cash in on hype. A lot of times they "over-hype" things and get a rude awakening too....hopefully this is one of them. They think people are going to go flocking in with $40K in hand to get these and they can twist and manipulate the deal how they please.

Rob

 

Bottom line, most car salesmen will charge as much as people are willing to pay. The few that don't subscribe to that theory are the ones who make their money from volume and/or the ones that realise that the bad feeling generated from gouging people doesn't make sense. Especially on an enthusiast car like this where a lot of the customers and potential customers hang out on devoted websites...

Of course, Joe Average Salesguy only stays with each dealership for about six months (okay maybe a bit longer) so he doesn't really care too much about the reputation of the dealer so much as his own bank account. So he'll tell you whatever price he thinks you can afford, and if you're just inquiring casually, he'll highball you to drive the perceived market up. I mean, if you really want one of these things and every dealer in your area tells you the same price (like there's a pact or something) then what are you gonna do? If there's no room for negotiation, and you can afford it, you'll pay. And if you won't, someone else will. It's hardly a new story.

Incidentally, if a dealer is willing to sell to you under MSRP, there's some special deal going on, because the profit margins on new cars are pretty slim as it is. Dealer incentive (probably), special guaranteed referral deal (maybe), the dealer is owned by your Dad (hey you never know), etc

 

has not had a car this hot out in a looong time. Even the old Spyders of the Eclipse and 3000GT variety started sitting around.

Reality is, business has been so bad for Mitsu in the last 5 years, that the first hot car that they have had, is making them act like greedy bastards!!

I will laugh in the dealers face if he charges me over MSRP. Now that I am hearing about the dealers getting greedy now, I feel the need to post a poll in regards to taking a stand against this...

Look for it in Pre Arrival forums right now and vote!!

 

M3, you mentioned that the EVO has an appeal that is special, like an M3. I suspect that the people who actually BUY the car will be buying for that reason. I had an E36 M3 for 4 years and loved eveything about it. Then I went and got conservative and bought a G35. I absolutely HATE the G. I am so sorry I bought it I am unable to sleep. The thing is so DULL and poorly designed. I'm getting an EVO because I know what it is and it will be a blast to drive, and I actually WANT the giant wing because it belongs there and makes the car look as insane as it is. I can't wait to rip pass someone and look at their face in the rear view mirror, they'll be like, WTF?

 

Totally....
This is gonna be a cool aspect of owning the car..

But we will have to be selective of the other cars we SPANK!!
( after all, why waste our time on modded civics and ****)

 

Proof positive that crack don't smoke itself.

Mitsubishi has been setting sales records every year for the last 4 years. They have shown double digit volume growth during that same period where other brands are very low in the single digit growth or are actually negative. Mitsubishi is also VERY profitable right now, something that was not true 5 years ago when they were drowning in red ink.

As for MSRP it means exactly that - Manufacturers SUGGESTED Retail Price. This does not mean it is an upper limit to what the car might go for, and it certainly does not mean this is a lower limit on what can be charged for the car. Selling price, whether it be above or below MSRP is set by the market, which is why it is called an MSRP.

Not that anybody cares but the difference between dealer cost and MSRP has been shrinking steadily every year. I expect the Evo will have about $1,900 of profit built into it, based on other similarly priced Mitsubishi's. Going back 5 years again, a $21,000 Galant had almost $2,500 of profit built into it. A $21k Galant today has about $1,300 of profit built into it. This all of course assumes a car being sold at MSRP of course. In other words, if this was 5 years ago you guys buying the Evo would be paying well in excess of $3,000 over invoice if purchasing at MSRP instead of less than $2,000 which is the reality today. So, whether or not one thinks the car is a good deal at whatever price all depends on ones perspective.

 

Exactly, that's why I will refuse to pay a dime over MSRP or the sticker... Because they are making a profit no matter...

 

So what?

A business has to make a profit to stay in business, yes? And what determines if they are profitable enough to stay in business?

The market, right?

 

Excellent Perspective, mark. I do agree, even though you are the belly of the beast. ^_^.... Its ok, i am getting a good deal on my car.... But I do understandn how the flucuation (spellinng)... has decreased over the years.