Evos in Austin
 

Driving down 183 to Din Ho Chinese BBQ I saw a bright yellow Evo sitting in the showroom of Maxwell Mitsubishi. After dinner my GF and I went back to the dealer to ask the important question ($$$) and they were closed. :(

The showroom was dark, but enough light was sining in the window to show that they had 3 in there: Silver + sunroof, Yellow + sunroof, and Black. They had actually just closed and one of the salesmen came up and started giving me the hard sell. I asked him the price and he said 35-37. I dunno what they're smoking.

He also told me they're getting 3 more tomorrow, Red, White, and Blue (how patriotic!). They had just gotten the other 3 in the showroom today. I didn't ask, but it didn't sound like anyone had a preorder down. He claims they're the #1 dealership in the US or some crap like that, but so does Barrett Mitsubishi up the road. Barrett claims 13 Evos, though I don't know if that's in the first shipment or not. If Maxwell is getting 6 intial, maybe Barrett is getting a bunch too.

I'm gonna hit up Barrett tomorrow to see what their prices/allottment are, and maybe head back to Maxwell to see if I can reason with that guy. At the very least I want to sit in the damn thing. :)

Though I'm not looking to buy, new cars are so damn tempting... but it would take a magic deal to sell me: MSRP, 12k trade-in on the Subie, and a good rate. I doubt I'll get any of those from the dealership... but who knows. It's always fun to look though, right? :)

When I checked them out yesterday morning, they said they wanted $35k at Maxwell. I know they weren't taking deposits. They are hoping for a feeding frenzy. There are several MSRP dealers in Texas so it'll be interesting to see how they sell in this economy.

Din ho is great isn't it! Don't trade your car. I just sold my 98 Passat with 100k miles and it didn't take long. Got $4k more than trade-in too.

Let us know how your bargaining goes.

Well I'm not realy needing to buy, but it's so tempting. I've only had my Subaru for a little over 2 years, so it's not like it can't last longer. But I figure I'll see what kind of numbers the dealers can give me. It's just the though of 5 more years of $500 payments that doesnt sound cool. Esecially since I'm on track to pay off the current car in about 1 year.

If they're selling at $35k I have a feeling those cars will be sitting in the showroom for a while. Just my opinion, cuz I wouldn't buy the car for a dime over MSRP. And especially when there are dealers in TX that will sell at MSRP, like you said.

Din Ho is pretty good, yah. We used to go to Pho Cong Ly next door every Friday night... not so much since we moved way up to Leander, though.

Ahhh, there are fellow Austinites on the board....Din Ho rocks!! :D Went to Gillman Mitsurapemeintheass today, they wanted $38,800 for big wing and no sunroof. Even when I offered 31500, he said I wasn't serious so I told them to call me when they're coming down to MSRP and walked out. He was so cocky and confident that they'd sell all the Evos they have at that mark-up. He claimed they got 8 and have sold 3 already since I only saw 5 on the lot, 2 yellows, a red, a silver and a black.


BOYCOTT GILLMAN!!!!!

Hey, whats up guys....

Din Ho rocks... Love that little hole in the wall joint as well. N9, pan fried flat noodles.... Mmmmm..

Yeah, i couldn't agree with you guys more. I want an EVO, but I don't need one right this second. Maxwell guys have been calling me every freakn hour since I stopped in there. Started at 37, next call was 35, next call was 32. They only had Silver, black, and yellow. Sweet car also. But I want white without the sunroof, I need that helmet clearance. I will probably roll out to Garret, but I have my doubts. I can't believe Austin dealers some time, they still think there are Dellionaires running around. My family is in Baton Rouge, and rummor has it 800 over sticker. I had to go to Beaumont for MSRP on the S2k, I will go to BR for an EVO. They don't get it that more will come, and they haven't sold one yet. All three in first shippment are still on their lot. I think we should start a Austin/Central Texas EVO group as soon as people start getting them.

Rember Auto-X Sunday.... www.spokes.org

I will be there in a Yellow S2k, stop by and check it out. Walk up and introduce yourself.

/<

iodine23,

wow 777, nice to know you were here from the start.

also, 2.5RS, great car, my brother has a white one with STi calipers and fog light covers, fun little beast.

I would like to go with you when you try to chew the dealer down at Maxwell, I think I could help you out alot. I would guess 1500 over is what they would do right now. They really wanted to work with me. We could tag team them and drive them back to reality. It would be fun also!

/<

The only way I'd buy now is on impulse, so it's best just to stay away and wait for the dealers to start selling at below MSRP. Plus, like you said, my car is a great car, so I'm not dying to give it up just yet.

I'm going to swing by Barrett tomorrow, even though I think they're closed. I'll see how many are in the showroom or on the lot. I'll be out that way anyways going to/from a soccer game in Pflugerville. I might swing by the AutoX.

Never really got into the AutoX scene though a lot of the guys I know on i-club were into it. I met up with Travis a few times, he used to be (still is?) pretty big in Spokes I think. He had a '99 rally blue 2.5RS.

I like 777, too bad they brought over the Evo 8 and not 7. ;) 402 is a pretty low number, too! I just lurk, that's all. So many lame people here, but I was looking for any Evo information I could find.

White is the Evo color to get. I saw a white 7 in the UK and it's niiiiice. :) No sunroof for me please! ;)

Just rolled by Barrett on my scouting mission. They have a red one outside, so I got to take a good look at it right up close. Then I peeked inside and saw a white one and a yellow one. Also noticed a silver one outside on the other side of the showroom.

When I walked over to it, that one had a hanger in the window saying a $8,495 markup! I literally burst out laughing right there.

In the back impound they had another red, another yellow, and a black. So that's at least 7 there. But at 8,495 markup, good luck selling those!

sup yall!! hmmm...if yall got em in austin then gillman must have one!!! i gotta go check it out!!! theres actually quite a lot of people from san antonio and austin on here! im suprised! wow, yalls gillman sounds like sum dicks! 40 grand?! asses!
:beer:

wow! yall are gettin screwed! i stopped by gillman san antonio on my way home from my soccer game juss to see if they had em and they did! whew! what a sight!!!! :yum: anyways...i dont recall the price on the red one with a sunroof, but they had a black one w/o a sunroof and it was $30,800. not bad...better then 38 grand! so if you seriously want one come down here to get it! :beer:

White one eh? I got to go see that. I like silver, but I think I would love white.

Travis and I are really good friends. He sold his blue 2.5RS and got a black WRX wagon. He and I started autoxing together at the same time some 4 years back. Boy knows how to drive.

I will probably cruise up to Barret Monday to check it out. I will go ahead and laugh at them for ya. See if they will come down to 1500 over. But like you I will pay MSRP or less only.

Auto-x was awesome. Our S2000 has the orginal S02 on them and they are totatly finished now with only 9K miles on them. We will be putting S02 back on the car, no better tire for the S.

/<

Yeah, they had your car, White with sunroof. The hood was popped open on the showroom floor so you could see the goodies inside.

I noticed that Travis was listed as Subaru WRX on the Spokes link you provided earlier. So I kind of assumed he jumped ship to the WRX. His RS was pretty nice, the old school one with the "real" blue and I think it had the gold rims too.

I might swing by Barrett or Maxwell tonight after work just to laugh at them in person. I've been getting closed dealerships all over the place. Well I knew Barrett was going to be closed yesterday, that made my scouting mission that much easier! ;)

Rather than submit to impusle and go to the dealerships on Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon and evening washing, clay barring, and waxing my car. Damn she looks sharp now. I should've done that a LONG time ago. It's like my Subie is all new again. Now I just need to take care of the interior. :)

I just stopped by Maxwell to have a look and i agree they do look better in person. The rear lights would be the first to go the spoiler doesn't really look all that bad. Inside the car felt cheap and this reminds you thats its just a lancer. They have a yellow, silver and black one inside the showroom. Price well all three were $38k which broke down with a MSRP of $30k and then 3k of upgrades like sports pedals, shift knob, sports gauges etc all were on the MSRP included list however they think cause you have nothing to compare it too they are upgraded. Oh and a $5k DPA charge, whatever that is?? I also heard the punk kid salesperson saying that they are making 4000 this year to keep them limited and then 6500 next year. what bulls&*t.

So they still only have those 3 at Maxwell eh? So much for the red, white, and blue ones they were supposed to get on Saturday. I guess they're doing the same thing as Gillman then.

And I think that "DPA" is what I saw on the tags hanging on the cars up at Barrett. I wondered what in the hell that meant. I can think of some good acronyms but would probably get baned for posting them. ;)

That's the guy that keeps calling me. He is funny. He sort of has no clue. His name is Mike Desperada(SP?). He tried to convice me that the EVO would be quicker than a Z06 at an auto-x. I said I hope so.... Hee Hee Hee..

/<

K, are you rolling up to Barrett tonight? I might hit them up too, maybe I'll see you there. I'll be in a blue subaru, oh wait, they're alllll blue. :rolleyes:

I stopped by Barrett tonight and did some dealing with one of the guys there. He didn't even seem like he knew what was going on. He didn't know what an Impreza was and had never heard of the STi. He didn't even seem like he knew anything about the Evo. He also said "we've got all the colors." I asked if they had blue and he said no. But he did claim they had 8 cars, so there's one I didn't see on the lot.

I told him 8495 was way too high and he asked what I was willing to pay. I told him MSRP and he said that he'd see if he could get me that plus the "options" on the car. I asked what options and he said pinstriping. I pointed to the car and told him there were no stripes on it... heh. So he said those could probably be deleted. Duh!

I agreed to do the numbers with him, hell if he could cut me MSRP I'd buy the thing, sure. He pulled the credit, talked to the manager, and came back with MSRP + 3000. I told him not good enough and he said what about 2000. Still not good enough... I guess he had that extra 1000 in his back pocket. I told him to give me a call when the cars are at MSRP and I'd come back and buy one.

I wonder if I'll hear back anytime soon. Until then, I guess I'll just keep cleaning up the Subie so she looks even better when it comes time to trade/sell.

Sorry,
 

Didn't get a chance to run out there. I don't like to drive 35 north in rush hour. I live close to UT.

Dude, I thought you weren't going to sell your RS. Least not since you waxed it. Let's plan a time to go out there and try and pin them for MSRP and a test drive. Tell them we will both buy one if the price is right. That way I can make sure we are going to like it. I think we could really knock them down if we tagged team them. Heh Heh.

/<

Oh I love the RS and it looks real nice again now that it's waxed up... but I'm impulsive and there's that new car allure of the Evo. :) Plus I always wanted to turbo my RS and stuff and I'm realizing it's a big waste of money to put any more cash into the RS when there's cars like the WRX, STi, and Evo now that offer it all from the factory. No sense in dropping 4 grand on a turbo and ECU setup for the RS now.

The guy told me the way it would work is we'd negotiate, settle on a price, and sign the contract. Then, before F&I, I could test drive it. I told him I wasn't there just to test drive it, I wanted to buy if the price was right.

I'd be down for going back sometime soon after we've given them some time to think about it. The thing is, they're moving lots of cars there, and he didn't seem to care less if he sold these things or not. I had a hard time even getting a salesperson to talk to me! I think the guy that talked to me was named Kirk. I forgot to get his card, I feel stupid for that one. He was pretty clueless, but he was easy to work with.

You name a time and I can probably be there. I leave out in Leander, so I actually just come east on 1431/Chandler Rd. and I'm there, no I-35 nastiness. Takes about 10-15 minutes. :)

Know anyone that wants to by a mildly modified 2.5RS? ;)

The homeboyz at Maxwell told me I could drive it, if I was serious. I really think you should drive it first before anyone makes up their mind to own one. I am not really serious at all, but would still like to drive one, not to rag on it or anything, just check shifting and sound levels, turn in and other minute details. I am sure I would love it though. And, if you do get one, you have got to start autoxing. I want to see one work some magix around some pilons. Mmmm, pilons......

/<

Can't do it tonight, maybe wed or thrusday. What ever works for you. BTW, When I went up to Barrett, they said initailly, they wouldn't be marking them up at all. I will play that card on them, see how that works out. That was also straight from the GM. Word, yo!

Well I think Barrett is in the same position, they won't let you test drive unless you're serious. And you show you're serious by doing all the numbers and I guess agreeing to buy. I don't quite understand why you'd want to test drive the car after you've agreed to buy it though.

Autox didn't ever really fit into my schedule. I used to only see my GF on the weekends because she lived in Houston. I don't think she would've appreciated not seeing me because of some "silly car stuff." I guess I'm whipped. :o But now she lives here and I just never really got the urge since I stopped surfing i-club. I also play soccer on Sundays, which coincides with AutoX's.

Oh yah, and Barrett is calling their 8495 a "RPA" which the salesman told me stands for Regional Price Adjustment.

My brain must be all messed up, it feels like it's Wednesday to me. It feels like I went to Barrett on 2 days ago andit was last night! In any case, I sent a little email "note" this morning to the GM of Barrett. I don't know if it got to him or not, but I got a call just a few minutes ago from salesman Kirk.

The new number is 2500 over MSRP including the pit pass and "maybe I can throw in tint too." He also said nothing I didn't want would be put on the car, which makes me think he talked to the GM because I said in the email note that I didn't want any "unremovables" like pinstriping or "protection packages" put on the car.

The pit pass includes the first 9 oil changes, the 15k service, and the 30k service. I think the oil changes might include the tire rotation, too, I'd have to look.

He wants me to come back tonight so we can talk and he can check out my trade (which I may or may not trade in). And I should bring my "wife or significant other." I don't know why, she could care less if I get the car... in fact she'd probably rather see me not buy a new car so I can spend more money on her.

This is kind of fun, I feel like I'm George Bush trying to convince the world to let me invade Iraq! ;)

Just got back from Barrett. I dealt with one of the managers there for a good hour and walked out with a deposit down on the white car with sunroof... that would be over MSRP though. So now I have to agonize over the decision tonight to see what wins, impulse or common sense. It's also subject to the managers approving the pricing, too.

The manager, Randy Cash, told me that they have deposits on 4 others already too and he wouldn't be surprised if they sell out by this weekend due to some new radio ad airing. I guess we'll find out huh?

I want to go see it tonight. You up for it?

/<

I actually just called them back and told them I didn't want the car. Randy then told me that he just found out those are the only Evos they're getting for the year. While that's hard forme to believe, considering the volume of cars they move, I don't think he would lie because I can easily call him on that one if they do get more in. They were scheduled to get 13 and 6500 Evos across 600-700 dealers is about 10 per dealer if they distribute evenly. So he may be right.

But in any case, I just can't bring myself to do it... it was such an agonizing decision, and could have gone either way. So now you can by it K. ;) I will be going back up there tonight to get my refund on my deposit so if you want to meet up I might be able to swing that.

Hmm...
 

I will probably swing by around 7:30pm,

I guess 13 per year sounds right. Hmm... I wonder how this hp issue will affect sales though.

/<

Well I just posted about it in Evo General... I came to the realization that if they're not getting any more Evos then what about the ones with the small spoiler? Considering they're the #1 volume dealer in the US you'd think they'd get a few of those too...

We'll see what they try to say when I go up to get the deposit back tonight. This isn't over until I get that back. I could probably be there at 7:30, though I might just hit it on my way home. I'm tired of spending my evenings there and not at home.

i've just been following ya'lls conversation... but i just wanted to know what their final price was. i want to trade mine in for an evo too. i got my oz from barrett in nov so i'm wondering how bad, being a girl and all, i'm going to get raped on price again.

Mitsubushi are claiming they will make as many as they can sell, so where did all this 6500 come about. I'd be pretty sure you'll see more on the forecourts, they are just trying to scarmonger those showing interest at buying them at above MSRP. The same happened with Subaru and look what happened there, 22,000 sold instead of the original 10,000 during the '02 run.

I was surprised to hear the zero down, zero interest and zero to pay for a year commercial on the radio saying this offer includes the new EVO supercar. That shows that they aren't moving them as expected.

Don't worry too much about the dealer getting to you, just let someone like myself or iodine go with you when you are ready to deal. I love messing with dealer's heads. It is a hobby of mine.

/<

BTW Maxwell just called again, ready to deal on a white one. We will see, muahahahah!

Where did you see this at? Is this for real? TV or Web?

/<

Barrett told me about their new radio ad talking about the "Evo Supercar" last night. They think it'll drum up enough interest to get people in anbuying the cars. That's actually part of the reason I put the deposit down, because I think the radio can have that affect and bring in new people who didn't realize the car was in yet.

But we also asked the manager if the 0/0/0 was for the Evo and they said no. Unless they've changed their minds already, who knows.

I'm still at work now, so at this rate I might just be up at Barrett around 7:30. :rolleyes:

K, if you're heading up there, I'm leaving work now. I'm on south 360 near MoPac. So I'll probably be there about 7:30, heh.

Sorry couldn't make I couldn't make it, too many things go in the way at work. Sucked. I will probably try to make it out there this weekend, but we will see. I kind of wanted to put a face to the name. Maybe you could swing by the next spoke-x and meet. Should be up north by u. Hope you eventually change your mind about the evo.

/<

I did... it's in my driveway right now. Need to clear out the garage so I can put her where she belongs. Gotta move a bunch of crap out of the way now, but there's no way I want to leave this thing in the driveway. At least not yet.

It took the store owner to sell me tonight, and it wasn't really because of the scare tactics of "people have been looking at your car" or "there aren't going to be any more in stock." It was simply a numbers game...

K you can negotiate for lulu if you want, I'm tired of negotiating. ;)

The dew caught the flash and made for some wild pics.

Electrified! ;)

SWEET!!!
 

Congrats!!! WOW! that looks awesome!! I wanna see it! Bring it over to my place tonight, cause you know you want to put some breakin miles on it! I am so proud of you.... (misty eye). So, what was the damage or would you rather not say? I can't get over how cool it looks. If you eventually start auto-x ing it, we could maybe xclass, and you could use the race tires from the GSX for yourself, just to see the difference and you wouldn't have to tear up those sweet ADVAN tires.

Once again, great job!!! I am really stoked for ya.

/<

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Re: SWEET!!!
 

Let's just say I'm content with the price I paid for the car. ;) I did pay over MSRP for the car though.

Unfortunately I have this huge deadline at work that's going to rule my life for the next day. I got it dumped on me yesterday at about 4pm and I need to have a big document written by tomorrow, ouch! And I'm supposed to finance this thing and do all the paperwork now too... agggh!

BTW, I was Barrett's first Evo sale and I think they're going to put a really bad picture of me on their website. ;)

Congrats on the purchase iodine23. Sorry to hear that you paid over MSRP but happy to hear that you felt like you got a good deal. Hope they comp'ed you a few things. White is difinitely the sweetest. I am holding out for a white one so that means I may not get one this year or I will have to bite the bullet and pay $30k or a car whose color I don't particulary like. Once again congrats, take care of her.

wow.... Barret just out and told me how much you paid, they didn't even attempt to keep it from me. I was surprised they just up and blurted it out. Really none of my business. I won't say online, just so I don't upset you, but whoa. I guess you are happy and that is what really matters.

On a side note, Barret, sales team sucked major booty. First they totally ignored me and then proceeded to treat me like dirt. I have had better sales experience at Best Buy. They are misleading and misrepresenting in everyway. For example, I heard the 0/0/0 till 2004 ad with the EVO in it, and asked them about it. Well, as expected, they said not true, and then I pointed to the card board add sitting on top the EVO. So it turns out, just because the add is on the car's roof, doesn't mean it applies to the car below. And that was just the start. They tried the old "only 4500" car sale scare tactic on me, but when I mentioned next year they said when they are gone, thats it. Also the sales manager didn't even want to negotiate with me. Told him I would do 1k over right then and he laughed at me and called me crazy. Told me they were selling for 12k over in some places. Please, try taking a look at ebay. Does any of them even have a bid? He has 5 there right now and didn't even want to hear about possibly working out a deal. I really guess since they are the biggest dealer in the nation that they can throw the bird to a couple of sales. You know, a M3 is 50k, but it is probably worth it not to deal with the yahoos at this Mitsu dealer. And after a slight confrontation about him calling me crazy vs him being crazy for asking 8k over and only having sold one at this point, he demended me out of his store, claiming he didn't need anyone suggesting what the EVO really was worth and how "limited" it really was. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not rude or ugly person. By the time I left, GM had his face a bright red and veins were visable on forehead. I have never seen a sales rep turn so ugly so quick. Real cute guy.

Please do not shop a Barret, the guys a Maxwell were very willing to work with me, enthusiastic about having a customer excited about the car and didn't get all bent out of shape about my offer. The Maxwell sales team are light years ahead of Barret in politeness and concern.

So to sum up

Barret {thumbdwn} {thumbdwn} {thumbdwn}

Maxwell :thumbup:

/<

PS. At the age of 26, I don't consider myself a punk kid, and make more than enough money myself to afford a EVO, insurance and a set of race tires. And I love capitalism, that why I offered what I offered.

Yes, overall my experience with Barrett was not a good one. I got screwed on the trade which helped make up for the negotiating I did. I blame myself for some of that, but they also had an easy out cuz my car threw the C.E. light on the way up there. I didn't worry about resetting because I didn't think I was going to buy that night.

I paid over MSRP but don't feel it was "too bad" maybe I'm just rationalizing the situation. ;) The Pit Pass has to be worth a little bit at least. They put it down as $2,500 on the order.

What pissed me off the most was that they wanted to get the deal done ASAP so I went with their lender and not my lender (who was being dumb and confused, I'll admit). Their lender was .25% over mine so they said they'd pay me the $270 difference for the life of the loan. When I got in the F&I guy wheeled and dealed and weasled so bad to keep me from getting that $270 that I just said forget it, I'm just going to refi anyways with my lender.

Whatever, I'll chalk the trade bull**** (another common tactic) to inexperience and just keep on loving my Evo (which is probably exactly how they want me to behave). But yes, the whole experience with the dealership themselves left me very tired, bitter, and cranky these last few days.

As far as Maxwell is concerned, maybe I just got a bad salesman the night that I went. That pretty much turned me off from going back. That and I thought I was doing well with Barrett until the end.

Guys, do not buy at Barrett. After my last post I got a little paranoid and started looking at the numbers again. I turns out the F&I guy just flat out lied to me last night.

He was pitching me an extended warranty and I declined it because it was too much. He punched some numbers up and said "how about if I bring your payment to XXX, that's less than a $10 increase." Well he was right, it was a $10 increase over the number he was previously telling me. So I thought that wasn't a bad deal and I took it, that's only about $600, not bad for a warranty...

Now in reviewing the numbers the warranty did indeed bring me up to payment XXX just like he said, but the cost was over $1800, not about $600 (60 mo. x $10) like he said. I had noticed this, but didn't think much of it because the payment was the XXX amount like he said.

With all the documentation in hand here at home I can run all the numbers, and I have no idea where he came up with the first number that made the warranty look like it was only $10 a month more. He lied to me to make his warranty look like it was costing less than it does.

You can bet I'll be down there at 9am Monday morning ready to complain, and I've already got a letter drafted up explaining the situation and requesting refund on the warranty. At the very least I'm allowed to cancel the warranty according to it's contract. I can get the balance of the value back minus a cancellation fee, though I'm going to try and get it all back.

I'm not a stupid person, but I'm beginning to feel that way after what the F&I guy put me through last night. I feel like a sucker, used, abused, whatever. Save yourselves the trouble and don't take I-35 North to Chandler Road.

Sorry to hear that they screwed you. That is something you really have to be careful about when buying a car. Of course I know I don't need to tell you that, I think you have figured it out by now. When I was buying my O-Z in Houston and we were negotiating I would make an offer the salesman would leave for about 10min and then come back with a counter. Then I made an offer of $15,750 the guy leaves for about 20min (hoping I would get desperate) and then he came back and said congratulations and shook my hand. When I looke at the purchsae agreement it had $15,850 on it. I said whoa there partner that's not the price I agreed on and he said "Well the GM said you weren't going to let the deal slip through over a hundred bucks" I said no the offer is $15,750 now go back and tell the GM that it is his $100. Finally he came back and I got the car for the $15,750. OF course the purchasse agreement had a bunch of extra crap on it even after that he tried to sneak in on me. I just looked at him and told him to take all of that off because did not want it and wasn't going to pay for it. All in all I felt good about staying strong but it just reinforces all of the bad things that you read and hear about salesmen doing. So, next time you buy a car just remember the lessons that you learned and next time should be better (all be it not at the same dealership.)

Irregardless of the dealer I hope that you are enjoying your Evo.

Oh yah, the Evo rocks. And I will get my money back on the warranty because it has a cancellation clause in it. I just made a misinformed decision based on a lie that was told to me by the F&I guy.

Holy Crap! I just saw a white Evo in Pflugerville by HEB on that road that goes to the NEMP soccer fields. It was at 2pm. It had to be you iodine23, right?

The car looks so nice. I'll admit it. I even like the altezzas. I can't wait to pick mine up this week.

I'm avoiding the Austin dealers entirely. Barret may be bad, but I don't think Maxwell is much better. The lesson here is use your own financing so that you can bargain as if you were paying cash -- and have it ready when you bargain. Don't be afraid to have dealers compete for your business. Remember, they work for you and the more time that car sits on their lot, the more it helps you out. The other good point is you have to deal with more than just the salesman.

Good that you got that cancellation clause.

Yes, that was probably me because I was going to play soccer up there. Had a 1:45 game, lost 3-1, that sucks. :crap:

Well, I also agree that Maxwell is not much better than Barrett but I didn't get kicked out of that dealership. To each his own.

So, when am i going to see that sweet new ride of yours, can we maybe get together this week. Still looking forward to meeting up with ya.

/<

Just a follow up from my experience with Gillman. After I told the sales guy I wasn't paying more than $31,500 (which to me is generous enough over MSRP) last week, I walked out and told him to call me when they were selling at MSRP. Anyway, he called back a few days ago and said that they were 'lowering' the price of the Evo and that I should come in and even take a test drive....hahaha. After my first experience with them, I doubt I'll ever go back, let alone buy anything from them.

Hey Dan, any news of when your Evo comes in?

Supposedly my car arrives on Thursday. They came in a couple days early with the first shipment, so who knows, I may be driving home tomorrow night in a Black A00. I've got the VIN number, financing, pricing, insurance all down; everything but the final contract is signed. Having trouble sleeping at night :) I'll post a picture when I get it.

I saw a yellow Evo at Mopac and Duval early this afternoon. I wonder if it was the one at Maxwell.

On Mopac and Duval this afternoon? Weren't you supposed to be at work?? Spring break is over you know! :lol:

That's cool that it's coming in soon. Good luck on that and I hope to see pics! Lots of 'em :headbang:

:mitsu: Want to negotiate price on an Evo8? Deal directly with one of the owners. Seven to chose from, with or without service agreement. You will be able to test drive. PLEASE, appointment only. Call Ken Rose @(512)531-5090. {thumbup}

Hey guys I thought I should give you an update on my situation. I went in to Barrett this morning and talked to the F&I guy to cancel the extended warranty. That went alright, but I still felt kind of bad about all of this.

Turns out I had to go back in, *again*, for the 2nd time today and like the 6th time in 7 days, to give them my proof of income (paycheck stub). I wound up telling my story about my experience Friday night to some of the big guys there... Randy Cash, Ken Rose, and David Smith. While obviously they can't change what happened Friday night, they did work to rectify the situation for me.

We voided the order from Friday night and ripped up the service agreement contract. They gave me the $270 as originally promised and wrote me up a new purchase order and contract to reflect the new price and lack of service order. In other words, I got tonight what I was expecting to get last Friday night in the F&I office. They went out of their way tonight to make sure I was satisifed with the deal, and I think I'm starting to feel that way.

I think now I should be able to sleep a little easier and enjoy the Evo, which kicks ass! :) If you can, see if they'll let you test drive the car or maybe I can arrange a show and tell for mine sometime in the near future... have to show off the new toy yaknow! ;)

RGARCIA (Inventory Manager for Barrett),

"Negotiate a price on a EVO8?" How come Randy went off the handle and kicked me out of your dealership when I tried to "negotiate"? What's your view on this thread?

/<

K, I talked with them about this thread a little bit last night and obviously they were very concerned with the bad stories that they were seeing. They did everything they could to help rectify my situation, partially probably beacause of the bad press on here, but also just given the overall disappointment I had with my F&I experience.

Im guessing if any of you guys called up Barrett, asked for Ken, and told him you've seen this board and this thread, you'll probably get some good service. While you probably won't get MSRP (at least not yet), I'm sure they'll work with you to try to get you in the car. After all that's their business, and they have 7 of them they still need to move. They're not making any money sitting on the lot or in the showroom, right?

I am very happy to hear that you are feeling bettter about the whole deal, and it is worth noting that they are attempting to rectify the issues. I am also glad to see that some bad publicity might have changed their minds on how to treat new sales. I am interested on reading what their coments are on the subject. Your above quote is exactly how I pitched my discussion with Randy and I think thats what made him get all "non-friendly".

/<

So, hows the car? I am curious to hear how it compares to the old RS?

K, you are right. We do not want bad publicity on this site, or anywhere else for that matter. You are also right by saying that we do not make money by having cars sit on the lot. We are in the car selling business, NOT the car storage business. The owner would like to speak with you personally. His name is David Smith. Ken Rose is the General Sales Manager. Call David @ 531-5090. :mitsu:

K: But just because they haven't sold any yet doesn't mean they're ready to come down to MSRP either (unfrotunately). There is some reason to have maybe 1 or 2 sitting around to keep bringing people onto the lot... the "halo" car idea or whatever.

The car is pretty mean. I haven't really wrung it out yet since I'm still in break-in. But it feels like there's lots of power on tap, and even running it up to 5k to pass someone or change lanes it gets up and goes quickly and relatively quietly. It's very easy to go fast in the car.

The sspension is stiff, but not back-breaking. In fact the normal ride quality is just fine for me. The RS had a Prodrive WR Sport suspension (Bilstein inverted struts, Eibach springs) that I put in and I had upgrade the rear bar, mounts, and links. I think that gave me a pretty stiff ride there too. In the Evo I do notice a little compliance when I cut left or right, I think it's body roll.. but I'm not that technical so I can't say for sure. ;)

The shifter is silky smooth, it's so unbelievable easy to shift and the throws have a very positive thunk at the end of the travel. The steering is tight and responsive. It's something just over 2 turns lock-to-lock, which takes a little getting used to in cutting the wheel to sneak out of a tight spot.

The brakes seem strong, but I haven't really tested them yet. I know when I first got the car the pedal traveled so little before the brakes started aplying that my brake lights weren't even coming on if I was just lightly riding the brakes. Now it feels like there might be a little more travel in the pedal and that helps give better feel when stopping. The RS brakes are a joke compared to the Evo.

And just the overall build quality seems far superior to the RS. It seems more robust or substantial and it looks that way too. Little things, like when you slam the door it just thumps shut instead of kind of ratling around... stuff like that.

And of course it's getting a lot of attention. I had a pack of 4 guys practically humping the car in a parking lot the other night (Friday night, ugh). One of the guys had a carerra (with GT spoiles and a GT3 badge, hah! posers at every level) and he was pretty much drooling too. Another had a WRX and said he had a deposit down on an STi. Good to see another "non hater" like myself. :) The cars should be appreciated for their own merits, not just because of the badge, right?

Is that good enough for now? :)

you guys think ya'lls experiences are bad? try being a girl. i feel like i get raped on every deal. i got my oz from barrett and the whole situation was bad. the guy didn't even lower the price since it was a test car and had 300 miles on it, but it was the only one they had and i was pressured into buying it. :( i was so walked all over. then i went up there last week just to check it out and it seemed like they were trying to run me out even the manager, ray barlow, seemed like he was saying everything he could to get me to not want one and to just leave. my dad said he would trade mine in for an evo if i wanted but i'm not getting one from people as rude as they were. i'm sorry i even did business with them in the first place.

In some wierd way it is comforting to know that I am not the only one who has had a bad experience with Barrett. However, I am going to call David Smith on Wed and we will see what he says about his sales team. I am willing to give him a chance, but I will also mention your experience (lulu). I kind of want to talk to him in person, as I hate over the phone conversations. I wonder if he will kick me out. Heh Heh.

/<

K: Just don't start yelling and cussing at them and I'm sure they'll be more than happy not to kick you out. ;)

David seems like a good guy, he called again today to make sure stuff was okay because he had just read one of my older emails where I was still concerned about stuff. He also watched on as I re-signed all my contracts last night to make sure everything went smoothly.

I just checked the Barrett website and noticed a $500 coupon towards any new or used car on there and a new Evo pic in place of the picture of me. Guess my 15 minutes of fame are up, but it's probably better to show a car they actually have in stock, too.

lulu: I can only imagine what you must've gone through then. I'm sure it's never too late to call and complain, because they should want you to keep coming back. Hell if you really want an Evo and are willing to buy, it's their loss for forcing you out of the store, right?

Geez, I don't believe I'm writing this, never in my life did I think I would ever have a good experience at a dealership but I went to Barrett today and I have to admit, they've been monitoring this board and I think they're doing their best to avoid further negative press. My girlfriend picked up her new car today (a Mazda 6 from Premier Mazda) and since we were right next door, I suggested we stopped at Barrett to see if the horror stories were true. Anyway, met one of the sales guys, Henry, who seemed nice enough and when I asked about the Evo, he took me straight in to see Kenny Rose, one of the partners, as apparently all potential Evo buyers are going straight to him now.

Kenny (and I know you're reading this, buddy!) is car salesperson personified....seeemed genuinely eager to make me happy by stroking my ego/emotions so hard I had to keep pinching myself and saying 'it's just a car, it's just a car'.....anyway, he was well aware of what's being said here and was keen to make my experience as painless as possible. He also asked me if I wanted to take a test drive in David's car which I obviously did not decline.

Holy S@#t! The car is awesome, pulls nice and hard at about 3200rpm (had to keep it under 5k) and is super responsive....a lot more than I had imagined. Anyway, get back to Barrett, knees still weak and shaking from the test drive and they're trying to sell one to me on the spot. Luckily I had my girlfriend there to tell me to run my numbers again, which was good because I was pretty tempted.

Anyway, point of the story is, and you may flame me if you want, my experience with Barrett was way better than at Gillman, but I think that's due to the fact that they read this thread and they want to offload the 6 or 7 Evos they have left. Unfortunately, still not at MSRP, I don't know what you paid iodine, but I was quoted MSRP + approx. 3000, including the pit pass.....after I run my numbers, I'm going to think long and hard about it....I'm doubtful it'll happen for another 3 months or so, since I'm just starting a new job on Monday but we'll see....I already have my lotto tickets for this Wednesday! :D

Now why would I flame you? :) This is exactly what I wanted to hear! In fact, the treatment you recieved would have been beyond all of my expectations from the very begining. I wish I could have been there. I am very glad to hear Barrett is attempting to change. Thats awesome. I am going to give David a call after lunch and maybe try and go see him in person. And 3k over is starting to get more reasonable.

/<

After talking to you on the phone last night, this makes a little more sense. You were under the impression that actually I did those things. I thought you were just poking fun the first time I read it. It is funny sometimes to hear multiple sides of the story. I got a kick out of it. Now it seems really funny to me.

/<

K: I was told you lost your cool, you told me they lost their cool, I don't know who to believe. I just won't take any sides and make it easy! ;)

redza: They let me drive that car after I had agreed to buy, good to hear they're letting you run it around a little now. Ken was the one that I did my final dealing with. It's good to hear all negotiations go through him now.

3k over, that's better than 8k over, right? The pit pass adds some value if you factor the retail price of 9 oil changes, 15k service, and 30k service. I'll let you see what final numbers you can get out of them, and then once they sell all their cars or their price finally comes down below what I paid then I'll say what I paid.

As long as you're happy with what you paid, it doesn't really matter anyways right? I wouldn't second guess myself with the purchase of this car. I bought it because it's an Evo, not because it's practical. If I wanted practical I'd be in a Prius or Insight since I commute 50+ miles a day. ;)

actually, i respect whatever amount you paid for it, i'm not here to second guess anyone's purchase. :) the price he quoted me (33k) includes the $2000 pit pass so in actuality, it's only about $1000 over MSRP. i can live with that but i ran my numbers last night and i don't think it'll happen for another 3 months or so. don't get me wrong, i'd love to go out today and put money down on the evo but have to balance the budget first.

but i'm glad to see that we're finally getting the treatment ALL customers deserve. anyway, i'm just going to have to keep calm over the evo and wait till i can realistically afford one. got out of u.t. last august and i've been hopping around temp jobs till now. like i said earlier, i start my permanent job on monday and will be looking into it as soon as possible.

also, k, best of luck when you go down to barrett, hope you get a good deal! we should definitely start meeting up once we all have our evos.....oh yeah, what color are you looking at k? i know iodine has a white, go_trees is picking up a black and i'm looking at the yellow (or blue by you, if barrett ever gets one)

I used to big a big fan of yellow. Hell I'm wearing a yellow t-shirt right now. But maybe I've grown out of the wanting a yellow car phase. In general I'm actually more of a fan of the non-colored Evos. I could've just as easily bought a black one, and the one on the showroom that replaced my white looks damn sharp. I just kind of fell in love with white when I saw that white Evo7 in the UK last year.

Yellow would definitely stand out! ;) And pics I've seen of the blue make it look much better than what they had in the pre-release pictures and on their website now.

Are you looking to go sunroof or not?

yeah, yellow is a little too 'boy-racer'. i'm 27 so maybe i shouldn't be looking at yellow... :D reason i'm looking at yellow is because it's a really nice yellow that is hard to find on cars. the blue looks nice from the pics i've seen on this board, but i have yet to see one in real life though. black looks REALLY sweet but it doesn't contrast the cf spoiler like yellow or white does.

definitely going with no sunroof. i have a sunroof in my current car ('91 mazda mx-6) which will still be my daily driver. it also leaks when it rains and i know it'll be many years before the weather stripping wears out on the evo but having dealt with soggy pants on a wet seat, i'll give it a miss. :)

Red is probably the way for me. Also no sunroof, need that helmet clearance. It is going to be hard for me to make it up to Barrett today with the weather looking so awesome!!! It is days like today that reminds me why I live in Austin! It is so nice out right now, think I might skip out work early and head down to Zilker!

/<

My little lady has a yellow s2k and it seems like every light someone wants to give it a go. Everything from WRXs to Rednecks in old F100s with open exhausts. I think we are finished with yellow. It attracts way to much attention and usually the wrong type. I really liked white but after seening one in person, I would have to swap out the rear lights with EVO 7 ones. My Eagle Talon TSi was black and I sore never again. 110 degree summers suck in a black car. Blue might be cool, and red seems to look best with the altezas. But to each his own. White would be my second choice with silver a very close third. But we also already have a Silver car.

If we decide to get the M3 SMG (my other choice next to an EVO) it will be white.

/<

Yah, it's awesome out and the Evo needs more miles and I'm stuck here at work doing critical documentation crap, yuck. I am going to soccer practice at 6pm over at UT though, should be a great evening for that!

So if yellow is a little too boy racer, then what about the CF wing, 17" rims, clear tails, recaros, and 4" exhaust tip? ;)

Nothing I can do about that, anyway thats the good stuff! Stock is Stock to me. Remember the old 91/92 Galant VR4? Now that was a wolf in sheep skin. Really, just an evo 3.

Can't wait for Fast and Furiously Ricey 2 to come out!!! /vin-on "You never had me" /vin-off

/<

Have you sat in one with a sunroof? Surprisingly it has a lot of headroom clearance. Almost as much as the one without. I am not trying to push a sunroof because my preference is without one but just thought if you liked the sunroof you should give it a try. Now if you don't like the sunroof for other reasons as well please by all means disregard what I said above.

Still patiently (yeah right) waiting for my Evo.

geez, the weather is awesome! i got a much better job offer in dallas but i turned it down to stay here. i don't think you could pay me enough to leave austin....:)

so, running count is:
iodine: white
go_trees: black
k: red
me: yellow or blue

that sounds like a good combination for austin.. :D any silvers out there? anyway, i'm sick of sitting in my cube....going outside to enjoy the weather.....and smoke a cigarette... :lol:

I got a sunroof for a few reasons:

1. They only had white with sunroof.
2. Markup on the sunroof/non-sunroof cars was different, sunroof had less markup (at least pre-negotiation).
3. I'm not that concerned with the weight or regidity sacrifices you may make with the sunroof. I probably won't race the car, except maybe AutoX, so I'm not concerned with every last ounce of weight savings.
4. We live in a warm climate, and it's fun to pop the lid up or slide it back and get some fresh air into the car!

There is quite a bit of headroom clearance in the car, you can check it out on my car when you see it... or check it on David's car up at Barrett. Errr, I don't know if his car had the sunroof or not.

Speaking of "Faster than Your Grandma, and more Furious Too!" did you guys see those commercials for that motorcycle rip-off of F&F? I forget what it was called, but that looked soooo bad.

biker boyz? or some s@#t like that.....yeah, i saw the trailer and decided i'd rather light my $10 bill on fire than waste it on that crap......david's car did have the sun roof and to be honest, i don't see why people claim there's less headroom because i didn't feel it...then again, i'm 5'8" so it doesn't matter to me anyway, there will be head room for me if i sat in a moving box.... :lol:

I'm getting without sunroof because that's what I can get in black for the price I want. I'd be happy to have a sunroof but I found that I don't use it nearly as often in Texas as I did in California. It's too hot here. Although today would be a great day for it. The roof never leaked in the 4.5 years I owned my last car, but it did break twice. It'll be okay to be without.

The headroom in the sunroof model that I sat in was just fine. I am 6' so I'm not huge, but a little uncomfortable in a Civic. The spaciousness overall was remarkably similar to my Passat which is nice for a compact car.

I had the VW dark blue which is almost black so I'm used to the heat in the summer. It's not that big a deal to crank the A/C and roll the windows down for a couple of minutes. Frankly though I think every single color looks great on the evo. For personal reasons I'd stick to black, silver, or white, but I like understated clothes too.

I just got my insurance in order and I can't believe it is so cheap. It is through USAA, but the new Evo is cheaper than my 4.5 year old Passat. It also came in under WRX numbers. I know they aren't Lancer number because it is more than the Lancer, but it looks like USAA is going to keep the rate low until more Evo's crash.

Now, I'm just waiting for my phone to ring with the call the my car is off the truck. Every time my phone rings I get excited until I see that the caller ID isn't what I want...god what a great day to be driving around in a new Evo. If I wasn't sure about getting the car from somewhere else I'd have to go to Barrett and get a test drive.

I have sat in both with/without and there is like an inch and a half difference. So, "what is an inch and a half" you say? Well, in our GSX that would make all of the difference. I constantly bounce my head off of the roof and I am 5' 11." I have to set the seat lean back some and it really screws with my driving style. I end up wedging my knee against the center console and I get a nice little bruise there after a single event. So, it matters a little to me. I will bring my helmet and see how much though. I might just have to live with it anyway. We will see.

/<

when i find the nicest dealer i am getting a blue or red one. i have a yellow now and he's right that's too much attention. so hope to see ya'll tonight at fudds!!

redza: Back to the topic of the 6, how do you and your GF like it? Don't you think the front looks kind of Evo'ish? I saw a yellow one coming down 360 at me yesterday and started to get excited because I thought it was another Evo on the road! Turns out it was just a 6. ;)

I think Mazda is definitely on the right track, first the MP3 and P5, now the new6, MP3 turbo, and RX8.

:mitsu: First off... Lulu, I would like to apologize for how you were treated. We want everyone to be happy when they leave this dealership, with or without a car. David (the owner) would like anyone who wishes to speak to him, to call and do so. 531-5090.


LULU----Let us make it up to you..
TREES---What about a black with a sunroof for the same price as one without.(and we have one - so you don't have to wait!!)
K-----There is red one here with your name on it.

David Smith(GM-Owner)
Ken Rose (GSM)
Henry Hilliard(Sales)

We want you all to be in an Evo. I promise we will work with you. :)

My name is Rene Garcia. If you have any questions on available Evos call me. I can tell you when any car is coming (color, spoiler,sunroof, etc.). If we don't have one I will find one for you.

this is a little OT but to tell you the truth, if i was looking into a daily driver, i would definitely look at mazdas. my g/f's mazda6 is sweet looking, she got a silver, v-6, stick shift, fully loaded (sports package, bose stereo, leather, power everything) for about 25K. i'm really happy she got it, (not just because i get to drive it!) but because it's probably, imo, the best value mid-sized sedan out there...cheaper (and better looking) than the accord, altima, g20, camry....and the interior is almost as nice as the 3 series bimmers....handles really well too.... :headbang:

i'd love to take credit for her buying it but she surprised me....she's the one who wanted the stick and the v-6...i just went along and said 'hell yeah!'. actually i was trying to get her to look at the mazdaspeed protege which is a nice little car for $20K even, but she wanted a little more cushy-ness....

but you're right iodine, mazda are definitely going places with the '03/'04 line-up....my friend has a deposit down on the rx-8 and i can't wait to see what it's like. :drool:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I get that same damn bruise in my Lancer O-Z from bracing myself through the turns. That and my legs are pretty big so there is not a lot of room through there.

Mr. Garcia,

I am not in Austin otherwise I would definitely check out your dealership. Sounds like you guys started off on the wrong foot but are intelligent and realized the damage that can do to your reputation especially with the new digital age and light speed transmission of opinions and perceptions. It is refreshing to see a dealership realize that just because a person in your store may not buy something today either that person or someone that person knows may eventually be a potential customer. Good that you nipped that stuff in the bud as it makes you a whole lot more enticing as a potential vendor to someone when people start hearing about how well they were treated at Barrett Mitsu as oppose to how some salesguy ticked them off. Kudos to you and the other staff that you listed.

Sorry for the OT but as I see dealers posting on here further adding to the frustrations of potential Evo buyers I did submit an e-mail to Mitsu corporat regarding a dealership in Cali. and did receive a response so I know it was read and understood. I just wanted to take this oportunity to give some accolades to a dealership to offset the negativity I have been fostering regarding most dealers. Makes me feel better anyway and keeps you people entertained for at least a few moments as you scan and realize that there is really not much in here.

By the way all you Austinites, congrats on your purchases. I received word today that they have located my color choice and hopefully it will be here soon. Date TBA.

Just thought I'd let everyone know that I did talk to Rene Garcia at Barrett over the phone. He said all the right things and even respected my desire to stay in my current situation and reward the salesman I've been working with for over a month for his hard work. I was impressed that he didn't try to steal the sale and even looked up my VIN in their tracking system to corroborate what I've heard about my car.

It seems that Barrett is taking the negative response very seriously. It also seems like it is dawning on them that the economy is in the crapper, we're going to war, and the audience that this car appeals to generally doesn't make enough $$ to afford it. I think we'll all be in our evos at reasonable prices in the near future.

Ive been searching for an Evo. I dont think I can afford it though. But shopping is always the fun part. Maybe if I can find the right deal I can talk my step dad into financing me again {thumbup}

Oh the agony! The car is sitting down in the parking garage here at work with 599 miles on the odometer. It rolled over to 599 quite a distance from work, so I think it's actually sitting closer to 599.8 or 599.9. Not that 1 mile is going to make much of a difference and all... but I figured I'd just save the fun for after work! ;)

OK...
 

I went up to Barrett Mitsu this afternoon at around lunch. They were very eager to hear my side of the story. Let me start by saying, David Smith and Rene Garcia care about their dealership and our experiences there. Two very nice and helpful guys. I talked about the whole experience and got exactly what I wanted. They treated me with respect and were very eager to help resolve any issues. This is what I expected in the first place. This thread has brought many things to their attention. I can honestly say that I wish I had run into them first. So, with that said, when you visit Barrett, ask for either David Smith or Ken Rose only. Both of them are the owners of the store and care greatly about its reputation. So to summarize, they apologized, I got to test drive (lightly) an EVO and they made me an offer on a car that I am seriously consideriing. So I am finished with this thread. Time for me to move on to other issues.
Like what I thought about the EVO!

/<

PS. If you have problems or want to talk about an EVO, just ask for Ken Rose, or David Smith

PPS. Lulu, might want to go up there and give them another chance. See if you feel the same way.