Alright well i want to start off by saying that i am 16 going on 17 in Feb. I have been researching and reading up on the evo for sometime now because it is the car that i have wanted since i was about 13. Currently i drive an auto 1997 Mazda Protege with a grand total of 92 hp and i haven't had any wrecks or any tickets yet(knock on wood) and in Feb. i will have had a year of driving already. So the opportunity to get an Evo came up but i have to pay the $200 for insurance and a little bit on the car payment, which is fine by me. My mom wants to drop about 10g on the downpayment so we finance about $22,xxx. What i want to know is what ya'll think about this and please no flames i just want honest suggestions and advice.

p.s. i test drove a GG Evo IX SE over thanksgiving break in NC right outside of Camp Lejeune(sp) so my parents know what it's capable of because they rode in the back. My parents both told me that if i were to get this that anything i messed up in whether it be school or tickets that i will be grounded from it and my dad will drive it for awhile.

 

My opinion is that you buy a 2nd gen DSM on your own dime, and learn some responsibility. You haven't even been driving a year.

 

i take it your family has money, so w/e go for it. Im willing to bet you'll end up losing the car within 2 years from a wreck

 

I hope what ever job you get at 17 (Which, judging on this forum is CEO of some tech company or a consultant making 6 figures) can afford the monthly payments and upkeep. You also might want to think about *gasp* saving money for college instead or having extra money to just go out and have fun with. I mean 22,000$ with no interest and a 200$ insurance bill each month is 600$. Can you really afford that at 17? why don't you enjoy your Protege and save money?

Also at being grounded if you wreck it.

 

no my insurance is gonna be $200 a month because im gonna be under the minivan and its $135.45 for the Evo under my mom and i just have to pay the $200 a month and whatever i have left over gets split between my savings account and payments to help my parents a little. As far as school i go to the number high school in the state of georgia so school rise im already busting my butt but i am saving money for college just incase. i've been working since 14 only at $6.50 but i save a lot of it.

Bret: my mom is a pharmacist so we aren't rich by a long shot but we're well off you could say

 

If your parents are cool with it, go for it! Life is short, you only live once, and the Evo is a young man's car.

If you've been reading these forums, you know the above posters are right. We see young men wrecking these cars all the time because they drive beyond their abilities or show off, or whatever. Don't be one of them.

Don't give up your education or anything else for it, but from the sounds of things, you aren't.

Good luck!

 

I'm not going to call you a liar about saving up... but if your family can afford it why do you even need our opinion?

 

Thanks Qest and i've read what others have said to the other young guys who have asked about this and have taken all that into consideration and have no intentions of showing off or any of that bs. We have enough of those here in columbus that i don't want to be a part of it nor labeled as one of them. Also lately i've been driving my dad's 05 Titan LE so i have an appreciation for cars of value. I havent wrecked that one either.

 

I didn't mean that i saved all of it. Obviously that would be a lie because i was 14 and wanted shoes and cloths but i did save each year and about the opinion i just want advice from someone who has the car and has more experience than me.

 

My oldest kids are around your age and the last thing I would allow them to drive, let alone own, is an Evo. Too fast, too much bad attention, expensive to maintain and insure, not good in a crash, etc. etc.

Look, you may be the most responsible 16 going on 17 year old on the planet - and it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders - this still doesn't change the fact that the Evo is too much car to own having only a year of driving under your belt. Things happen fast in this car and you can get in bad trouble quickly.

More importantly, 17 is too early an age to start getting yourself in serious debt. Think how much that 20 odd grand would help as a down payment on your first house. Use your money to buy something that appreciates rather than depreciates. When you got your education behind you, a good job and some assets and still have some disposable income to play with - that's the time to buy yourself an expensive toy.

 

For what it's worth, if I could go back to your age (which was not so long ago) I would have spent my money on go-karts or a Formula Ford

 

this is an elaborate ploy by your father to get your mother to buy him an EVO.

 

I don't know what the laws are regarding insurance, but if you're insured under the mini van, doesn't that mean you can only drive the mini van?

 

Bro: I like that one. As much as he loves it his dream car is a Porche. He wanted a truck for a very long time and they finally decided to get that around my birthday last year.

 

It sounds like you're a responsible person. If you don't do anything stupid, you'll really enjoy your EVO. It is not an easy car to drive, and even more so to a driver with less driving experience. So drive within your limits, always be alert and you'll be fine.