no, he should have bargained down the price because it was a "used" car with 500 miles, or at least have been up front about not wanting the car before he drove it.

Seriously, I beat the ever living crap out of my cars and they do just fine. How much real damage could have been done in 500 miles at less-than-freeway speeds? Plus, the car has a warranty.... so yeah. I would have showed him Norco Mitsu prices(or whatever that dealer out in Cali that sells tons of Evos is called), and then offered him $1500 below what he was asking because it is a used car.

 

I never had this problem, and I test-drove an Evo VIII back in 2004 and then an IX on 2007 before buying my IX from another dealership. I guess it depends on the local policy of the dealer, but I agree that they should have a demo car - nobody should ever have to put a deposit down or sign anything just for a test-drive.

 

I depends on the dealer. If they can smell the money in your pockets and they know that you're serious...they would be smart to at least let you put a few miles on the car.

I think people are really **** about the mileage on the cars when new because they know people will abuse them. Sad fact...but think of it this way if you could test drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini wouldn't you beat it up a little? Now I'm not trying to compare the Evo to super cars (even though Top Gear did) but as a flagship car it is understandable why they would protect the keys a little more.

Bottom line is that the Evo is a "specialty" car and it's going to be under lock and key until the paperwork is 99.99% completed.

 

My dealership let me test drive my X before I bought it. They had the same "No Test Drives" policy. After sitting there for couple hours of sales BS, and getting my car payment where I wanted it, I told them I'm not buying the car without a test drive.


Next thing you know, I'm driving the X. That pretty much sold me on the car after going thru some curvy roads.

 

Yeah, I didn't get my "test drive" till the day after I signed the papers cause the car wasn't ready that night. I was in the same boat where I wanted to test drive but they wouldn't let me. I understood though cause it meant nobody else test drove my car. There is absolutelly no-way you are going to be dissapointed after the test drive. I understand the hesitation, but just do it. Worry more about the best deal.

 

One thing I haven't seen in this thread is about customer profiling. I'm sure that all salesmen profile a potential customer the moment they drive on the lot. They probably take into account what car a potential customer arrives in, their age, how they carry themselves, etc. It may not be "right" but as a previous poster proved, not many people want to buy a "new" car with 500 miles on the odo.

I'm pretty sure that a well groomed 40+ year old would not have any issues test driving an Evo compared to an 18 year old kid. The kid may have rich parents and be able to pay cash on the spot, but chances are, unless they've purchased an Evo at that dealership before, the 40 year old would get the test drive.

Human nature, no?

 

I'm the last one who would ever stick up for a dealership. they are, for the most part, full of scumbags and ripoff artists. however, they are right that people who buy evos are the most picky people on the planet. if i went to buy an evo and it had been test driven, i would assume the worst and walk. not worth the risk to me when there are plenty of virgin X's out there. chances are whoever drove it AT LEAST exceeded the max break-in rpm, and at worst beat the **** out of it. and knowing the rate of warranty denials they have, i wouldn't chance it. anyway most gripes against stealerships are legit, but in this particular case they know their customers. i would just go back and sit in one, make sure everyone including your kid are comfortabale with it, then test drive a normal lancer. at the performance level typical of a safe test drive in an unfamiliar vehicle, you won't be able to feel the difference for the most part anyway. the only time you will even be able to even begin to explore the limits of such a a vehicle is at least 600 miles of seat time away anyway. the only SAFE place to go 10/10 is on a closed course. now...if they won't even let you drive a normal lancer, tell them to pound sand again lol. good luck!

 

this happened to me at puente hills mitsubishi 3 years ago when i was thinking about buying an evo viii. i was so turned off by the dealership that i didn't end up buying an evo that year. sucks how they expect you to be in love w/ the car even before driving it. i only fell in love w/ the car AFTER driving it because i wasn't so jazzed about its looks.

anyway, after a good experience at south coast mitsu, i've purchased 2 evos (one after the other) since then. this dealership asks if you want to drive the car as soon as you look interested. love them.

 

see i thought that too...im a 26 yr old black man...so i know all about the stereotypes but i went right after work in a tailored 3 piece suit. my wife was in a nice dress and my 6 month old son was in a polo shirt and some khaki shorts...and the day before i washed our 07 explorer...oh and by the way the salesperson was a mid aged black man...i could have went there with jeans sneakers and goooooooooold...maybe if i looked like a drug dealer then i would have got the test drive.

 

The clutch could be fried in one bad launch. It actually happened to the VIII I had traded in with a brand new Fidanza 3.2. Brand new. Guy test drove it and literally burnt it so bad the tech had to replace it. You speak of warranty? Sorry, not for the clutch.

The brakes and rotors may not seat perfectly if stomped on during the first few hundred miles. No warranty on this either.

And the engine fact/myth (still up for debate) - If mitsubishi engineers say the motor shouldn't be revved past 5K for the first 600 miles, then I'm going to beleive them. 600 miles isn't very long. Why take any chances?

The gearbox could be ruined in one test drive also.

There's a whole lot that can go wrong when some random guy or girl test drives an evo for the first time. People want to test drive a performance car to see how it performs, not to see how the ride quality is, or how the seats feel. Rest assured, the 500 miles on that car was an extremely aggressive 500 miles all from test pilots seeing what it can do. Even the guys at the dealership probably took turns beating on it. Personally, I wanted to the break the car in like the manual suggests. I did it on my VIII and had no issues, did it on my X and we're doing well now. I would never buy a demo of a performance car.

 

I agree with you fully. I was a joke when I rolled up to the dealer in 05 in my Camry. After I showed them a certified check for 14 large they changed their tune.

When I rolled up this past May in my VIII, I had salesmen all around me. They figured I came to do business. Or was at least seriously interested in getting one.

 

same **** happend when the previous STI came out. It's because once a car has mileage on it people tend to strey away from it thinking that someone has allready beaten on it. Witch is more or less true.

 

I've purchased 3 evos brand new without test driving any of them. While I do see both sides of the situation, flat out denying someone is not right. putting down a 1000$ security fee that the car is not damaged is fair to me.

 

If a salesman told me to put anything down for a test drive, I'd tell them to go pound sand.

 

I walked into the dealership and got my test drive no problem. A little bit after that I was inside filling out the paperwork. I was sold.