2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Made Me Cool At Preschool

mylifeisovermobile. funny...

Don't forget those R-class abominations, which put the "ass" in "class."

Admittedly, I am discriminating strictly on looks here, but these cars all look heavy and slow. I keep hearing that I'll understand when I have kids, but I think a sedan will do nicely nearly all the time, and I know that it will protect my family just as well as these behemoths.

@carguy622 says
Our friends that live in San Clemente have a AWD lexus RX330 and AWD Mercedes ML350,I really don't get it. If I lived in a place with no snow I'd have an M3 or G8, I would never buy an SUV.

Thank goodness for small miracles I too got out of the SUV rut I was in.

"Don't forget those R-class abominations, which put the "ass" in "class.""

I second that. My cousin's had TWO that were both reported as lemons. Their first had a steering issue, while the second in which Mercedes replaced the first with had a interior lighting issue (the entire interior had random blackouts - odometer and all).

What about that Yukon Denali XL. I find it kind of funny how these people "prepare" for kids by buying full-size SUV's, and then they only have one kid.

But, someone on this blog said in the past, what's the difference between buying a large SUV and carting around a 40lb child, as opposed to buying a full-size pickup and carting around 40lbs of fertilizer.

Whomever said that, I second you as well.

@jeepsrt:
I am with you there. I made it through last winter with my MS3 and a good set of performance snow tires. It was the best winter driving experience I had ever had, including a variety of AWD cars and SUVs with all-season tires. It was also the dumbest thing I have ever done driving: driving to the Tire Rack in a snow storm on Potenzas.

We will see if I feel the same way after this winter now that I have a RWD car (335i). I have the snow wheel set ready to go, but it has stayed too warm to put them on yet.

@nealibob
"but I think a sedan will do nicely nearly all the time, and I know that it will protect my family just as well as these behemoths."

There is no replacement for mass in a crash. That said most sedans do protect well enough that they would be a soild 2nd choice.

Sport cars aren't the only good vehicles out there. Some so called "car guys" really need to learn how to enjoy different kinds of vehicles for what they are!

I'm so thankful that I'm not stuck in Mommycar Hell...

Holy crapola batman. Yeah teh Kia is the most sensible car of this "boring" car lot. The eVo not included of course

is it just me or does it look like that dude is urinating on the benz?

"mylifeisovermobile"- instant classic. I think I will be using this in the near future along with "a car for boring people"- Tiff Needell

American families really need to rediscover the wagon and the sedan...all these huge SUVs and Minivans is overkill, at least until you've got 3 or more kids and/or some big dogs to transport.

To be fair to some of those parents, modern baby seat and booster seat requirements are overkill too. I can understanding wanting something CR-V sized for one or two kids instead of a compact sedan. That kind of vehicle seems to be very common for small families around here.

i often have an option to drive a land cruiser or an altima coupe, and i often choose the land cruiser due to the features and comfort and ease of driving. i get in it, do whatever i want because i know that i usually will have enough room for however many friends or other things i can fit inside and drive around without worries and often enjoy it more than the altima.

The trick to have the right car for the job.

If you have a family, you need something versitile to cover the 101 different things you have to do on a daily basis. Sure you could drive an EVO or a Camaro and make the rest of the family suffer so you can pretend to be cool or you could choose something practical.

Not that I'm saying that anything in that row of people movers is a good choice. All were likely chosen over minivans and wagons for the same reason most people buy EVO's and Camaros.

To look cool.

Remind me not to get old

@wrinklebump:
I'll make you a deal. I'll remind you not to get old if you remind me not to have kids. Ever.

Of course it could go the other way...
An Evo? What do you need that for? Isn't that overkill? Why do you need so much power and AWD and such a loud exhaust on a car?

I thought my 07 Forester XT was going to be the perfect family car until I tried to wedge the gigantic rear facing car seat in the back. We'll see how long I can hold out!
There's still really no substitute for a minivan. A wagon is great, but its still just a sedan with a bigger "trunk".

"There's still really no substitute for a minivan. "

Yes there is- just have one child.
That worked for us!

Read the yearly Oregon trip guy's posts about which vehicle to choose for his family of four. The smaller SUV's and even the big Bimmer sedan didn't have enough room. He took the Flex. We have a Suburban, and we love it. Convenient, comfortable, surprisingly easy to drive and park (in Texas). Highway mpg is not much worse than a minivan. Dead reliable - also important when you are planning to keep for 10 years and pay for your own repairs and services. Now the kids are starting hockey... talk about a lot of gear. I also love my Mazda3 for what it is and what I use it for - commuting. 31.6 lifetime mpg. But when you don't have an entire long term test fleet at your disposal, you tend to choose for the "family car" a large, versatile vehicle that can handle a wide variety of tasks. It may be overqualified for most daily errands, but it's there when you need it.

Also, thanks for putting the wing back on the Evo. I liked it better without, but not if you weren't going to fill and paint the holes.

"Yes there is- just have one child."

Somebody's got to raise up enough taxpayers to cover all this "free" sh!t coming down the pike...

By the way, everyone whose house has more than 500 square ft per person is unqualified to preach about other folks driving "mylifeisovermobiles".

ahightower, good point.
There seems to be an upward trend of judging others. I think the internet has a lot to do with it. Who cares if someone wants to drive a Sequoia or an Evo. They both probably get the same gas mileage anyway, and when you compare the amount of fuel they use its barely a drop in the bucket compared to other forms of transportation.

"By the way, everyone whose house has more than 500 square ft per person is unqualified to preach about other folks driving "mylifeisovermobiles"."

I don't care what other people drive; I'm just saying my definition of eternal torment would be having to drive a minivan or Expedition-sized SUV every day. If other people like to drive the things that's entirely their business.

Interesting discussion, there are good points being made on both sides.

I currently drive an 05 S4 Avant and find it to be too small for my family of three. It's not the width that's an issue, it's the length - particularly, the rear leg room. My son is using the front center arm rest as a foot rest, which is an issue for me because I happen to use it for its intended purpose! That's why I'm shopping for a larger car (in this case, a late-2010 Flex). I don't need the extra width and cargo area, but that's the only way I can get the rear leg room that I want.

Note that the Flex gets the same gas mileage as my wagon, so that makes the decision a lot easier. It's also exactly $1 more expensive to insure.

I'm on the downward slope on this one...3 of the 4 children now drive and two are in college with their own cars...that said, never had a mini-van or wagon but always had a full size vehicle until three years ago or so....F-150, Roadmaster, Grand Marquis...all of which were just fine for 6 people and the associated crap...personally, viva la Panther...if we had another one, I'd be looking for a used Town Car, cheap to maintain, better gas mileage than a mid-size SUV, cavernous interior and trunk plus easy clean leather...

The real question is what do you really drive? And do you have 2-3 kids? Not what you have access to being an IL employee. To be honest if you show up in the LT Camaro they are just going to think you are a douche having a mid-live crisis.

Most families have one or two vehicles, they need them to do everything, carrying kids, commute, take trips in with the dog and grandma as well as the kids. Sure you can get by with a couple of sedans or a wagon and a compact sedan but it’s not ideal. Not saying everyone in the family needs a Mini-van or Suburban but a lot of families use the abilities of them.

Oh and if you want the best enthusiast family vehicle (as long as you have another real family vehicle in the family), it’s a 2008 or later STI. I can carry 4-5 depending on age, the seats fold down and I can carry twice what the Evo does. Ohh want to carry that exhaust or four new rims in the Evo while carrying a kid in the back seat? Oh sorry not going to happen.

I have 4 kids, an Odyssey to cart them around in and an Evo for commuting and quick runs. The Evo has 2 Recaro boosters in the back seat and plenty of room in the trunk (and passenger seat) for a twice weekly grocery run. I guess if I had to carry rims, I could throw them in the Odyssey, but that really hasn't been an issue. It's the best of both worlds.

I was an idiot once and bought an SUV, thinking Im buying the lifestyle of mountain bikes and kayaks. Total BS.

I live in Los Angeles and its pathetic seeing these people with their Range Rovers and other large SUV's polished and driving around with nobody else in their big box.

I had my fun BMW M Coupe but had to sell for a baby.
Now 3 years later I have a 5 door 2009 WRX and its fast, fits baby seat, rated very safe, can go to the track. Not bad for under $30K.

Now if BMW would bring an M3 wagon I'd jump all over it!
I commend Audi for having brought the S4 Avant (wagon) and wish I had gotten one.

We used to have a Honda Pilot and my wife hated it. We have a Mazda5 now and it has proven quite practical and reliable (@60K) and has enough room to carry 2 kids and an assortment of junk. That plus the MS3's hatch is enough for a family of four IMO. I will rent a pick-up or one of those pay by the hour trucks if need be, which is usually only twice a year. Of course I also wonder how many other things I'd get done if I owned a pick-up.

"Now if BMW would bring an M3 wagon I'd jump all over it!
I commend Audi for having brought the S4 Avant (wagon) and wish I had gotten one. "

Ditto on the M3 wagon. I like the E39 540i wagons, but they were only available with a slushbox. I also looked at an S4 Avant(and an E46 M3) but instead wound up with a much less involving sled. I wish Mitsubishi would build an EVO sportback; the Ralliart isn't all that quick.