Once again, to all of those who took the time to respond, thanks for all of your thoughtful input. Per the compelling and blunt recommendations of a few, I'm going to hold off on the purchase of an Evo until later. The fact that I had to agonize over the decision for so long suggests that I should probably wait. The decision is purely financial. My payment would be close to $800/month. With a $650/month minivan payment, student loans, a house payment, four kids, etc., it would be perhaps be too much of a stress (even though I could technically do it). That being said, I'll pay down my Eclipse as much as I can and when the payoff curve intersects the trade-in curve, I'll do it. Besides, aren't Evos going to continue to get more advanced in the coming years? I've read that the Evo IX will have standard what the current MR has now, and that power output will exceed 300 HP. Finally, the Evo X (if the rumors are true) will represent a departure from the current Lancer platform. Will it be a more agressive looking coupe? Who knows. I'm still gonna get one someday soon and hopefully I'll be glad I waited. I'll post any questions about the car as they come up, since it's evident that Evo ownership is not a prerequisite for participation in this very excellent forum.

 

In light of your financial commitments I would say this is a very wise choice. Don't worry there will be far better EVOs to come!

 

800/ month good lord I only put 4k down and got 480payments . Have the 05's gone up that much?

 

No. I just have a lot of negative equity in my Eclipse and I'm not in the mood to part with a lot of cash up front.

 

Smart move, hopefully the X won't look like the IX...or you could keep saving and get the GT-R when it comes out, like EVERYONE else wants...lol