Right now he drives his moms 2003 volvo xc90. He always tells me how much he loves the Lancer Ralliart. He works 22 hour a week and is not spoiled. I want to buy one for him. Is this car too much for him to handle? and are they reliable?

The awd really keeps the car in check, but if he gets cocky he can still end up in a tree. The car is also reliable, but the maintenance can get pricey,
especially if you aren't doing it yourself.

If he's working 22 hours, why doesn't he buy one for himself? It's your kid, do whatever you want. I wouldn't if it was my kid.

My dad gave me his 1995 Grand Cherokee. It is still the best car that I have ever owned.

My first car cost my parents $650..I think young drivers should start out with a cheap car so they can appreciate a nicer one later in life, and personally I think a RA has too much power for a 17 year old..but like it's been said before, he's your kid!

24k is a lot of car for a 17yo.

It builds character. My car may have been a ****-box, but it was my **** box!

I'm sure the kid will be fine. I learned how to drive on my older brother's Evo VIII and drove it the last 2 years of highschool because he didn't want to take it down to school with him.

Doesn't matter how fast the car is. The chances of survival are greatly larger if they actually know the limits of the car. Take em straight to HPDE!

i got my ralliart at 18, you should do a driving school course so that you learn the limits of the car as someone else had said

you know your son more than we do, it all depends on the type of person he is. i know when i was 16 my first car was an 84 supra i bought for 125 bucks and after i fixed the brakes i beat the living crap out of it the whole time i owned it.

I say know because he is gonna be a typical 17 year old. He will take care of it to a point and beat the living **** out of it when your not around. 24k car with someone who has what a year of driving experience is a bad idea. Have him get experience on something more cost efficent and that he can learn how to master driveing before you give him a toy hes gonna wanna do nothing more then mod and beat the snot out of every chance he gets.

At the age of 16 first car I ever owned was a Nissan Sentra, SE. Not the SE R, from there I moved on to a Mazda Protege 5, not the Mazda Speed 5. Then I got a grocery getter Rav 4, not the V6.

My dad only ever let me get these cars because he knew I would do one thing if I got my hands on any of the high performance versions. I'm now 27 and have owned my Ralliart for 6 months. I've been pulled over 5 times (no tickets yet!!!)

It doesn't matter how responsible your 17 year old is for his age. The fact of the matter is he's still 17 and buying even a responsible 17 year old a 237HP car is going to be more trouble than its worth.

If you're looking for that same platform and AWD, look to the 2012 Lance SE (Special Edition). Its got all of the safety features the lancer platform offers, all wheel control (there's a switch for FWD, AWD, and Lock), and a zippy but not sports tuned 168 HP 2.4L. Any 17 year old should be more than happy to get one.

If you were coming to my dealership looking for a car, I'd sell you what ever the heck car you wanted to buy. But this is the non-sales person side of me speaking. I think you'd rather be the guy who's proud of his responsible 17 year old, than the "cool dad" who lost his kid of a tragic car accident.

On a personal note, the first 3 cars I mentioned above were bought for me. Over the years I've always wanted a performance sports car. Not only do I just simply love my RA, but I think that's furthered by the fact that I bought it with my own money. Let him have that same feeling of being proud to finally buy the cars he's always wanted on his own... it feels really good!

I bought my car when I was 18 with my money. My parents were a bit worried but I'm smart enough to know not to do stupid stuff on the street where other people are driving. If he gets the RA, bring him to a track or driving school so he can see the limits of the car. Make sure he knows AWD doesn't mean "I can never lose traction"

It all depends on the kid.

All aside, the car is great and VERY reliable, but if you do go through with it, watch out for which Mitsu dealer you go through, because some of them are very sneaky, and will deny warranty work and tell you that your car is perfectly normal in a heartbeat!

If you trust the kid, I'd say yes, because I know he'd be proud of that car and hopefully take very good care of it!

Thanks guys... My son and I would never even imagine owning a 24 thousand dollar car. But because of some financial gains we can now afford nicer things in our lives. Ill probably end up buying the car not only for him but for me to drive also lol. Knowing my son I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't drive the car for a while and just stared at it because he wouldn't want to ruin it. He's turning 18 in 3 weeks. I know he will love the car. Btw thank again for all the replies. Any other opinions are welcome

And those driving courses. They take you on a track? I've never heard of them