Yes the driving courses are on the track or sometimes they set up cones in a big parking lot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGo5VXBXeYQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flbnm...eature=related

 

^Best Advice^

Hey! Had a Mazda Protege 5 too. What a great car!

 

I too had the pro 5, now thats a good car for a kid!! i sold mine to a local mazda club member, who came by and told me he got a tailgating ticket the first day he had the car, and a couple more right after.. and that cars not even fast....

 

no matter what anyone says it DOES come down to your kid. if someone says no matter what, you're kid is going to drive like an ******* at some point, theyre wrong. i know a few kids, one who has a brand new gti that he just started modding and the other with an X se, and they NEVER speed. because theyre dads knew they were trustworthy enough with it.

if somebody tells you that the kid is going to drive like an idiot no matter what, then theyre just reflecting how they behaved as a kid. if you believe your kid is trustworthy enough for it, then do it. you will be known as the cool dad who also trusted his kid enough and knew he was up to the responsibility. lay it down at the beginning that if he messes up then its gone. if he really loves the car that much, he wont do anything to jeopardize having it.

in the end you have to decide FOR YOURSELF if the juice is worth the squeeze. you're his dad, you know him better than any of us. so you decide whether you want to test his integrity or just play the safe route the whole way through. either way, the kid will be stoked with either car because well its a BRAND NEW ride for himself...

end rant.

 

At the same time however, it's important to recognize that the way your child acts around you can be very different than the way they act around their friends and even the most responsible child is still a child. You can't beat biology.

 

I love losing traction, and going sideways!!! I am 38, I will never grow up, this is how I see it, if you want your kid to drive responsable, get him a prius, it will teach him responsablility, if you want him to learn how to drive agressive, get him the RA or even an EVO, take him to track, let him "drive" like its ment to be driven. I can see buying a fast car to be obey the law. Its just not the way its supposed to be.

Ask your son these questions... What kind of driver do you want to be? Sunday Driver or Rally Driver? What does he want to do with the car? I bought my car be cause I want to drive it like a maniac! but I don't drive it back and forth to work just to drive it, I take it to tracks and really push the car like its meant to be pushed.

 

You don't need a fast car to go to the track. I would encourage the OP to register his son in HPDE regardless of what car he has. Hell, I think you learn more driving a slow car on track than you a fast car because it takes so much more skill and attention to go fast. Any idiot can stamp the gas in an AWD car and put down good lap times, it takes real skill to hustle a 150 HP FWD car around in the same time.

Why should a parent be asking their child the kind of questions you've proposed? It isn't the dad's job to buy a car that makes his son happy or makes him think he's a rally driver, nor should a parent encourage their child to not obey the law and not drive responsibly as you have suggested. Your advice is just terrible.

 

You can get yourself in plenty of trouble in pretty much any car. God knows I did as a kid in my 84 galant. I would worry less about the car itself and worry more about the kid. Like other's have said, I heavily agree with teaching him what cars do at the limits with things like HPDE.

 

Disagree. I'd say 95% of the time I spend on the highway in my RA I am being passed by Prius drivers swerving into and out of traffic. They are by far the biggest d-bags in the history of vehicle owners (at least in the Chicago-land area)and followed closely by any other Toyota or Lexus product owner.

To the OP, I am on the bandwagon that if you are pretty well set on buying your kid a new Mitsubishi vehicle and are concerned about safety first, go with the new Lancer SE.

The Lancer platform is definitely one of the safest cars in its class, and the AWD system is one of the best in its class. The car will also be extremely reliable. I worked at a Mitsubishi dealership, as a technician, for the last 4 years and I can tell you that the 2.0 and 2.4 engines in the 08 and newer lancers were built right (the rest of the car is VERY well put together, too). As long as you keep up with regular routine-maintenance (make him do the work to appreciate the car even more) the car will last forever. We actually had a couple of regular customers who had over 200k miles on their lancers within the first 3 years of ownership and nothing was replaced on the car other than normal wear-items that you'd expect to replace during 200k miles of ownership (tires, brakes, shocks, tie-rod ends, that sort of thing)

The engine is very capable and will still be plenty peppy at 168 hp (and the accompanying 167 tq is enough to push you back in your seat and keep it enjoyable); plus I'm sure that, given the opportunity, your son will want to try and talk you into bolting on a few upgrades (hell, if you're sharing the car, you may want to make some upgrades yourself). In that regard the N/A platform is much safer and more reliable since it isn't as dependant on an ECU tune every time to operate properly after installing (quality) parts (though you really won't see massive gains from them either).

The other recommendation that I would make, as others have mentioned, is to then enroll him into a couple of instructor-led HPDE classes in the SE. Learning to control the car that he has will not only make him a safer and more confident driver on a daily basis, but it will also make the car nearly as enjoyable as an RA when he is able to push it (successfully) to its limits in a performance environment.

 

my mom said she was gonna give me her car when i turn 18, so i made her buy a ralliart, and i've been using it since i got my permit. its a good car to learn how to go fast in.

 

Ive discussed this car with my son. Ive decided to do it before his birthday because of other reasons. He didn't want me to pay for it so we've decided to lease the car and split the payments. Thanks guys

 

Your son sounds responsible and not spoiled because he wants to pay for it himself. I would say you are making the right choice. Im 19 and I just bought my own ralliart with my on money off an auction and I am the one fixing it. Makes you want to drive carefully knowing how much time you invest in your car.

 

to the OP I would like to commend you for the steps you have taken before buying this car. Your son sounds like he's a good kid, and will want to live up to your expectations of him. I have no doubt he'll meet those, and again from one forum member to another.........I respects the steps you've taken in making this decision.

 

Sounds like your kid as a good head on his shoulders. Having some skin in the game definately makes one more careful. One suggestion I may have is that instead of splitting the lease with him...tell him you'll cover the car, he covers the insurance (or the difference for adding him to yours).

 

Lancer SE vote here.