ok, we got back about an hour ago.
here's how the day went:
1st stop - Kaytes Ford, Butler, NJ
We stopped here to test a new 'Stang GT. Unfortunately, they didn't have one. Instead, we got to drive a black V6.
The seats are nice. Very supportive and comfortable. The gauges and vents are cool too, with a metallic edge to them (not sure if it's aluminum or a fake applique) It didn't have that color-shifting gauge package, though. JM liked seeing that in the brochure they gave us. The wheels were ehhhh, nothing exciting.
As for performance, it leaves much to be desired. Even though it has a 230 HP V6, it still feels about as fast as my 200 HP Camaro. The car rides nicely, not teeth-rattling like an F-body. It is, however, much stiffer than, say, my Lincoln. I don't think it would be any serious contender in the twisties, but it's not bad. All in all, not a bad car, but it's still not sporty.
2nd stop - Malcom Konner Dodge, Butler, NJ
This was right down the road from the Ford dealer, so we stopped here next. We asked about an SRT-4 to drive, and turns out they didn't have any in stock. Oh well.
3rd stop - Royal Pontiac/Oldsmobile, Butler, NJ
This was on the way back from the Dodge dealer. They had a brand-new GTO sitting in front of the showroom. After I wiped the drool off of my chin, we went inside and asked for a test drive. Unfortunately, it was the only Goat they had, so they weren't letting anyone take it out. Damn.
4th stop - Wayne Dodge, Wayne, NJ
Back to searching for an SRT-4. Once again, we were shut down because the dealer didn't have any in stock. The sales guy was kinda wacky too, like not every light was on upstairs. We left in a hurry.
5th stop - Verner-Cadby Ford, Fairfield, NJ
Back to a Mustang GT search. This dealer ended up having one. It was an automatic, Mineral Grey Metallic. We were allowed to start it up, but we couldn't drive it. It sounds ok, I'd rather have an LS1 F-body though. The interior was the same as the V6, seats and all, so no point in reviewing them.
6th stop - ??? Cadillac/Buick/Pontiac
We didn't even get out of the car on this one. We drove around the lot looking to see if they had any GTOs. No go, all Caddys and Buicks. The only worthwile Cadillacs they had were the new STS's, which we would look kinda fishy coming in to test drive. We drove around, and left.
7th stop - Route 46 Automall, Totowa, NJ
This is a combo Nissan/Mitsubishi dealer. As we go to park, I notice a blue Lancer Evo sitting in the lot. Score! A salesman was in the parking lot, and he asked us what we were looking for. I asked if we could drive the Evo. The guy says "Sure, just let me get the key." I almost started laughing, this was so easy. He comes back, hands me the key, and we get in the car. Start it up, and it purrs like a kitten. A small Momo steering wheel sat in front of me, and a nice short-throw shifter sat to my right. The clutch caught a little high, causing me to almost roll over another customer while i tried to get out of the lot. I got used to it quickly.
We take the car out onto Route 46. Unfortunately, there was a lot of traffic and I got forced off onto a side road. Jerkoffs....I hate Jersey drivers. I kept the car in 3rd gear, not wanting to punch it with the salesman in the car. He seemed to know nothing about the car. I had to fill him in on just about every major aspect of the car. He was a nice guy, just totally uninformed.
The seats of the car are outstanding. They are easily some of the best seats ever put into an automobile. They give great support, and they're pretty comfortable to sit in. The shifter is outstanding, it's impossible to mis-shift in that thing. it's easy to shift, too, just a slight flick of the wrist needed.
We finally got back onto Route 46. It was as if God had suddenly stopped the flow of traffic. I don't know how many people are familiar with the Totowa area, but we got on by the OfficeMax, before the Toys'R'Us. I was in first gear, and I laid the hammer down. I only did this because i knew the salesman had no idea about the car and didn't seem to care about it, either. I was rewarded with an insane amount of boost at around 3500 RPMs. I was suddenly slammed back in my seat. I wound it up to 5500, then shifted. A brief respite came as the clutch went in, and then I was launched backwards again when my foot went on the gas. The sound of the turbo spooling up is amazing. We were up to 70 MPH in a few seconds. This car is DEFINITELY underrated from the factory. I wouldn't be surprised if it puts out around 300 HP, instead of the advertised 271. The car has lightning-quick steering, and it stops on a dime. It has a stiff suspension, but it still absorbs quite a bit of road imperfections.
I spent some more time thrashing the Evo, as the sales guy took us to the various lots of the dealership. We saw two '05 Evos, one a black base model (if there is such a thing), and a red Evo RS. The black one's price was $34K
The RS was a slightly less $29K.
Once more, we launched onto 46. Launched is the operative word, since this thing takes off like a rocket. We pulled back into the main lot, and the sales guy brought us inside the showroom. He sat us down, and said he'd be right back with some numbers. We really didn't care how much the car cost, we just wanted to drive it. He comes back, and tells us the price is $29K! i looked at him like he had 8 heads. The car was an '03 model! It was more than the brand-new RS we saw. We told him that was too much. He then went to his manager, who offered us $27K. Of course, we had no intention of buying the car. We told him that we were just seeing the car, that we weren't interested in buying it right away. Still, they persisted. Soon, they had the price down to $24K. Now, If I had some actual money, this would be a steal. An '03 Evo with 11,000 miles on it for $24K!!! we told them once more that we weren't interested in buying right away, we just wanted to check it out. Now the price was down to..........get this.........$22K. I was nearly slapping myself. In the space of about 20 minutes, they'd dropped the price nearly $7,000. I'm sure we could've gotten them down to $20K if we had a few more minutes. They were really desperate to make this sale. Unfortunately, we shut them down and finally they let us go. I really like that car too.....I can't wait until I get an actual job so I can have a car like that.
Another good part about this was we were learning how to drive the price down on a car. These guys were so determined to make the sale that they were practically falling over themselves to give us a lower and lower price. I kinda felt bad for the salesman, since he was new at the dealer and hadn't sold a car all day. Maybe somewhere down the road I'll buy a car from him.
7th stop - Wayne Mazda, Wayne, NJ
Boy, was this place hoppin'. There were a ton of people in here. All of the sales people were busy, so we left without driving an RX-8.
8th stop - Wayne Subaru, Wayne, NJ
We were hoping to find a WRX STi here, but all they had were garden-variety WRXs. Ehhh, good enough for me. We were allowed to drive a blue WRX wagon, which I wasn't thrilled about. I wanted the sedan. Unfortunately, it's the only 5-speed sedan they have, and it has 410 miles on it. they didn't want to put any more on it.
The seats of the Rex aren't too comfortable. They're kinda hard, almost like sitting on a bench. The clutch is strange, catching too quickly once it's engaged. The steering is fine, and it rides smoother than the Evo.
I didn't quite get a chance to open it up....but what i did see was potential. This is a great foundation to build on, and a wagon is a total sleeper. However, i'd still prefer an STi, or at least the sedan WRX.
9th stop - Preakness Chevrolet, Wayne, NJ
Right down the road from the Subie dealer. I was hoping a Cobalt SS would be in stock. They had several Cobalts, sedans and coupes, but no SS's. turns out they won't start production until April.
dammit. I briefly considered asking the guy if he had a new 'Vette in stock to drive, but better judgement prevailed and I kept my mouth shut.
That was our whole day. It was a lot of fun, especially in the Mitsu dealer. Me and JM had to effectively pretend we were a married couple to get out of there. There's a lot more to that story, but I'll save it for another time.
Who knows what'll happen next weekend?
My boss said he was surprised with ford, he said it actually has some balls. I was at least able to sit in it, the stock shifter is somewhat of a short throw.
