Hi, after reading all about the EVO and seeing many of them kicking *** at TWS, I am itching to sell my 330 for one. I've stopped by Maxwell a few times when they first got their EVOs, and at that time they were going for over stickers and also did not allow any test drive unless I sign the papers.

It's been almost a year since they were announced, and I'm wondering if things have changed. I read about Barrett in the other thread, and sounded like they reacted to the bad press here quite well and treated you guys right. What about Maxwell? Are they alright? Does any of these dealers allow test drives now? I live in North Austin so I think they are about the same distance from me.

I also read about warranty problems for people who drag their cars. I read that Mitshi spy them at the track (I think they meant drag strips) and void drivetrain warranty. If I get an EVO I plan to track it maybe once a month or at least every other month, at TWS, are there any warranty concerns for using EVOs at high speed driving schools? I have no interest in drag racing (I think it's fun, but it's not my thing).

Also, I'm also a little bit concerned about the turbo running at 19psi, has there been many problems with them blowing up? or are they pretty bullet-proof?

As you can tell I'm a newbie here, I love the EVO, seen them at the track, heard great reviews from instructors who had driven their students' EVO. I also love the looks (the little boy-racer in me loves it!).

Thanks for any info!!

--Andrew

FYI Maxwell is no longer a Mitsubishi dealer which means in Austin, it's either Barret or Gillman. People have said bad things about bother dealers, but I had a great experience with my sales person at Gillman. PM me if you want his contact info.

As far as warranty, tracking the car at a DE event at TWS or MSR is not going to put the kind of wear and tear on your car that drag racing will. Heck, TWS didn't even eat up my tires/brakes very much. As far longevity, you'll have to wait a few more years but previous model year Evo's (in other countries) have held up pretty well so that's probably a good sign. Anyway, go get a test drive, most dealers that aren't complete asses should have no problem letting you drive one (esp if you pull up in a BWM instead of a Civic with a body kit). But you know, you'll have a lot less rep when it's time to buy that Lotus from Autostrada ;-)

I got my Evo at Maxwell and they were awesome to work with. I basically told them everything that I wanted and they did it. I would highly recommend that you go there first. They got me a lower interest rate on the car loan that I was going to get through my bank. They also beat the other dealership's price by $600 dollars. I ended up taking my evo home for $30,399 with tax, title, and license included.

I have heard nothing but bad stuff about Barrett.

I bought mine in Dallas at Frank Parra becuae I couldn't get the deal I wanted in Austin. I also overheard the Service Manager at Gillman South tell someone (I assume an EVO owner) that the only way to go through a clutch in 15,000 miles is to abuse it and that it wouldn't be covered under warranty.

Well Barrett screwed me over big time, but then at least tried to make the situation right afterwards. It's still pretty shady stuff.

Maxwell has closed, and it looks like their GM, William Stahlik (always heard him on the radio last year) is up at Barrett now. So I don't know if they cleaned house up there or not. Dealerships go through people so fast, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a completely different crew up there now. So maybe their practices have changed some.

I'm still pretty hesitant to go up there, though. But if they've got cars on the lot, then they're probably willing to work a pretty smokin deal on them. Just make sure you don't get raped on the trade or sold any extras in the F&I office and stuff. But that holds true for any delaership, right?

I'm going to Gillman to test drive an EVO tomorrow, also gonna stop by the other dealerships down there to check out the RX8 and other cars... be a fun test drive day... I'm most interested in the EVO of course, but have to test out something else for comparison's sake...

thanks for all the info and PMs!

--Andrew