I had a fun and productive lunch hour today. I was driving back to the office when I passed the local Mitsu dealer. I saw a salesman (the same one who sold me my car) showing off an Evo to a potential buyer.

I stopped to chat with them. It was a good conversation, the potential buyer is an autocrosser and occasional road course racer and seemed to know his stuff -- I knew he must have raced a little when I saw the Falken Azenis on his car. Now, this dealer isn't allowing test drives of the Evo, but one thing led to another and I ended up giving the guy a ride to actually see what the car is like; we drove about half a mile to a parking lot with some empty space, I did a full throttle 90-degree turn, then a nice little tires-screaming hairpin, and then back to the dealer. My passenger probably never expected to actually get to ride in an Evo that was being pushed, so he got his money's worth.

And the salesman comped me a free license plate frame (which sells for $26 at mitsubishiparts.net) for my effort.

So in return for his generosity, let me throw a little free advertising his way. See Freddie at Stohlman Mitsubishi in Tysons Corner if you're looking for an Evo in the DC area.

 

That was awfully nice of you! huhu.

I went back to Sheehy Mitsubishi a few weeks ago, as I promised them...and gave some of the sales guys a few minutes behind the wheel of my car.

Since that dealership was selling under MSRP from the beginning, and the salesguys were forbidden from driving the on lot Evo's, I figured I'd give em a chance to drive one that was properly broken in.

SC~

 

Awfully nice of me? I guess. Fun too. I just liked having an appreciative audience! I can't drive like that with my wife riding shotgun!

I wonder how many test rides I need to give before Freddie hooks me up with a rear strut brace?

 

you got a pic of that plate frame...? i would like to know what they look like...

does it say EVO or what...?

 

I'll take a pic tomorrow when the sun is out.

The frame has a polished mirror-like metal finish. It says Evolution in black letters across the bottom.

 

wow i wish my was a fraction of a percent as nice as your experience! They literally wouldnt even let me touch the evo they had, so you best beleive i will not be buying anything from them ever again.

 

That's crazy -- wouldn't let you touch it at all... They should have just slapped you around a bit for even asking.

I understand why the dealers don't want to give test drives, for a number of reasons. But if a customer asks to sit in the car, what's the harm?

The RX-7 that I bought new in 1994 was a "showroom" display car -- they had another RX-7 which I test drove, but then I bought the one in the showroom, which wasn't available for test drives. I think that half the people that came into the dealership sat in my car... No harm done.