I've tryed twice now. That is to test drive an EVO. None of my local dealerships with let me test drive one. I currently drive an 03' SRT-4. I paid 22,000 for it. I love the damn thing. But I wanna possiably see about investing in the EVO. AWD seems fun. I'm only 18yrs old. I keep getting the same responce from the salesman..."I can't even test drive it" you have to be basicly ready to sign the papers before they let you drive it. When I test drove my SRT I had no problem. They let me drive it with out any problems or beating around the bush. I'm wondering if its because I'm 18 and I just don't give off that "I really just might by this car" vibe.... I don't konw. Its just a ****'n car. Or is it that they real can't let you drive the car unless your are "pre-approved".

 

It's not your age. I'm 34, and yes, I was only able to test drive the evo right before I signed to papers...but hey I've been driving one now for the past 4 months

 

Find another dealer. I test drove an EVO and they didn't even ask to see my license. I even told them I wasn't going to buy it ahead of time

 

yeah i think it depends more on the dealer, if i was you, i would try another.

 

The salesman asked me if I'd like to drive it. Same with the sti.

 

hey dont feel too bad, when the EVO first came out the sales person wouldn't even let me TOUCH IT?! And she wouldn't even pop the hood for me so i could check out the engine. So now that im graduating this may, you betta believe that i will not be buyin an EVO from them, *** clowns...

 

its a hot car so they are babying it unless you are serious about buying

 

I believe it depends on the dealer now, especially where I live. The dealer I got mine from received nine early in the spring of 03. I bought mine in October of 03. My EVO was only the second one they sold, right now my salesman said he cant give away a test drive in an EVO. Kinda strange huh? Anyway, I test drove a red one and bought a white one. Yes, that was planned!

 

It is VERY RARE that a car can even be considered an investment. I wouldn't expect the EVO to fall into that RARE category.

I would also guess that about .0001% of the 18 year old population gives off the "I really just might by this car" vibe. Get used to it. You will have to just work around it and find a dealer that is "cool".

Cabo

 

I remember when the Evo first came out, a dealer by my parents house wouldnt even let me sit in it. (Im 22, so I suffer from the "probably wont buy it" syndrome) So as Im about to leave the saleman asks me for contact info, so I get really crappy and say "not if I cant sit in the car." Well they let me sit in it. Honestly though some dealers are just morons. The place I bought my OZ from let me test drive an Evo no problem, but then again I did buy a car from them and I know the part owner. Its that kind of treatment that will make me go back to that dealership once I can afford an Evo.

 

personally I like the fact that they won't let you drive an Evo. I know I would be really hesitant about buy one if I knew that a bunch of people came in and beat the **** out of the car on test drives. Only 2 people drove my Evo. The guy that took it off the truck and then my salesperson who drove it into the garage. Then I signed all the papers and took it out of the garage. You have to remember that the Evo needs some special care and most 18yo don't care they just want to say I drove an Evo and got it up to 120.

 

Dealer I went to in Costa Mesa - even tho they have an ungodly markup - let me sit in it, pop the hood, and even took me out back to hear the stock exhaust at idle and some 4k revs, other than that nothing.

 

We don't test drive until all the paperwork is ready to be signed and the loan is approved. If the test drive isn't what they want then they walk away, otherwise they sign the bottom line and drive home.

To be bluntly honest, most people going in are not worthy of a test drive because they are there with no intention to buy at all and just want to abuse the car and then go home and brag to their friends about how they thrashed an Evo or as pointed out above test drive one color and thrash it then buy another color so they can break it in correctly and it doesn't have their test drive thrashing on it.

 

first when I had my celica they said I had to be 21 to test drive, probably cuz I looked like a stupid 18yr old looking to have fun. now that I have a rx-8 and am 19, I roll up and they always come out and ask "how can I help you?" I tell him straight up, I am selling my car I already paid for which is $30k + and I am serious buyer with the evo8 as my interest for another car.

what you do is, either you get a cool salesman that wants a buy and is really down to earth like at some dealerships. other people are just stupid, so I play hardball and tell them what I want. One salesman told asked me what I drove and I told him a Ferrari with my RX-8 right in front of him, he was like, oh nice ferrari and totally believed me, cuz he was a ignorant or just plain stupid... and till I showed him the back where i says MAZDA RX-8... I tell them I can get it for _____ over invoice or something like that and I say, can you beat that? I am ready to buy right now, if you can give me that. They go nuts. I tell them, if you can do a certain price NOW, OUT THE DOOR, I will go to you to buy the evo, if not, hey, see ya later, go to another dealership and they get the business, ok?

 

Its nothing against you personally, it is just that if every dealer let every 18 year old drive a Evo, there would be a bunch of demostrator Evos sitting on the lot, as the test drive lines full of teenagers would be out the door.

If I were a dealer I wouldn't let someone drive a Evo unless I did a credit check and/or he rolled up in something really expensive....

Thats just me.