Just remeber, doesnt matter if your 18 or 80, there is always a need for speed. The only difference is driving experence and responsibility. I lots of money at 18. I had cars from crotch rockets. I survived 2 bike wrecks. One at over a buck and another slower. If I had to do it over, i wish I didnt have the opportunity to kill my self. Just speaking from life lessons.

 

I got my ralliart when I was 16. My dad and I bought it wrecked and fixed it up it helped me learn a lot about the car and appreciate what it does all the more.

 

Responsible is how much you push your foot down while driving. AWD can't fix stupid.

This might also apply.

"If I pull this handbrake lever, All my girlfriend's clothes will fall off." - Jeremy Clarkson

best of luck in your decision

 

It's your money and it's your kid. Buy him whatever you feel is right. My first car was a 95 Infiniti g20 that was handed down to me after my sister decided she no longer wanted it.

 

Let me guess, a squid that can't turn?

 

I got mine at 16 so I guess my opinion would be pretty biased... But if he's a responsible kid, I vote yes

 

like what others have said, after all it comes down to you, if you think your son is responsible enough to own a Ralliart then go for it.

If you do decide to get him one, all I can say is, "what a lucky kid".

 

I had a 99Ford taurus at 18, 97 lincoln continental at 20. Had a mirage when I was 22.. had it for a about a year. It wasn't fast at all. And driving up a hill in snow with bald tires, really made the people behind me angry. I got a 10 gts right out of bootcamp... I had a 25k limit and I couldn't really convinve the new wife of the RA.. Great buy.. but it wasn't fast enough. Got the 09ra(only 11k mi) in may and haven't looked back. I'm 25 and the car is already paid off.

For you 17yo I would consider looking into the price of insurance... it costs me a lot and I've never been in any accidents.. I think its too much for a 17yo, id prolly beat it up too.... considering I spirited my car the first 3 months.. LOL

 

I love my RA and would have loved one at 17. I think you'll find you get jealousy in your responses. It's to be expected. Truthfully an RA is quite a bit of car for a 17 year old IMOP but I feel in this cercomstance we also have to take into consideration that you are buying this car for you and he to drive. Why sell yourself short and get something you wouldn't have a blast in!!! LoL. Make sure he understands that this car is not a toy.

 

Its not too much car, it doesnt take a lot of car to be an idiot and wreck or break something. As long as he stays in check he will be fine.

 

If insurance isn't a matter to you. and you can trust your son to not pick up tickets until he's out of the <24 bracket, then I say go for it. It does, however, set a strangely high bar for consecutive cars your son my buy in the distant future.

I drove a 97 Malibu up until January of this year, and I will always love that gas-guzzling v6 from the 90s .

 

Doesn't matter what car you plan to buy, the way I view it is how much do you want your son to learn and respect his car.

My first car was an '88 VW Jetta ($800) that I learned many of my early mistakes from. I didn't have someone there to teach me about cars, so I learned on my own. Each car I owned afterwards taught me something new. Because of this, when my younger brothers came looking for car buying advice, I pointed them to cheap Hondas and Toyotas because I knew those cars could take a beating and didn't cost much to fix (also fairly easy to work on). From what I taught them, they learned the joy of changing their own oil, flat tire, spark plugs, etc. and now they respect the cars they own today.

It's not a question of "Is buying a RA a good idea for a teenager?" but instead it's about how much you want him to appreciate the car. I could probably add more to this, but you probably already get the direction I'm going.

Just a side note, I own a 2000 Dodge Ram and I'm thinking of snatching up a used 2G Eclipse eventually so each of my stepsons have the ability to learn the trials and tribulations of vehicle ownership when they are able to drive.

 

This car already saved my life once. Even though they may be a tad bit quicker than I would feel comfortable with, they are VERY safe. After my accident, there was no question in my mind that I would be sticking with this line of cars. I upgraded to the Evolution, but the Ralliart is still a great car. If your kid isn't mechanically inclined, I would be more than happy to limit the speed and maximum RPM for you.

 

Safety wide, the Lancer is one of the safest cars in its class. It's earned top IIHS safety ratings 5 years running, had 7 standard air bags, AWD on the SE, RA and Evo trim levels, a sophisticated traction control system, and is build on the RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Chassis).

All of these features are great, but ultimately, it's a matter of how the kid drives it that will determine whether or not he needs those features to safe him.

If buying $26000 cars is part of your normal lifestyle, then by all means. Some of us have been fortunate enough to have a blessed life where things like that are the norm. But I really get the sense there might be some additional effort to be the "cool dad" here. I could be wrong, I'm just some dude on the internet. But if there is any inkling of of that being true... just give it some thought before you put a 17 year old behind a 237HP car.

 

I understand where all you guys are coming from. But I'm not trying to be the "Cool" dad. I wouldn't post on this site asking this question if i wanted to be the cool dad. I am very concerned for the safety of my son.