This is a classic question for new motorcyclist. Usually some newbie wants to buy a Yamaha R6 or R1. Now I'm not saying riding a motorcycle is the same as driving a car, but this is a question that will come up often and has turned into a debate recently in another thread so why not a poll? ;)

You can learn on any car... I just was glad that I got into an accident with a piece of crap Lumina instead of a nice car when I started driving :)

To each his own.

Yeah. I think I had been driving on the farm since I was 12. And I did some on-road joy riding prior to 16. ;) I still got into a fender bender one morning going to school. Guess I didn't look to the left twice and see the car coming. Then theres the time when a passenger in the rear decided to open the door while I was backing up which bent the door when it hit a mailbox. But the rear passengers can't open their door in the RX-8. ;) I stopped counting how many wrecks I had been in when riding with others. Luckily nothing serious. We were a crazy bunch.

Originally posted by Hercules
You can learn on any car... I just was glad that I got into an accident with a piece of crap Lumina instead of a nice car when I started driving :)

To each his own.

yeah but wouldnt it be better to get in an accident in a SAFE car instead of a piece of crap car? why risk your life in a piece of crap car, when a brand new car is so much safer (see pics of the crashed rx8 in the photo section, notice the air bags!!) who cares how he gets it at least he is safer!!

yeah but wouldnt it be better to get in an accident in a SAFE car instead of a piece of crap car? why risk your life in a piece of crap car, when a brand new car is so much safer (see pics of the crashed rx8 in the photo section, notice the air bags!!) who cares how he gets it at least he is safer!!

There are plenty of safe cars out there. Found a web page explaining risk analysis and gave this as an insurance industry example:

Minor wrecks occur more often than large ones, so the probability of a large wreck is smaller than the probability of a minor wreck. The number of accidents also depends on the type of people in a group. In general, high school students have more accidents per person than their parents, so the students premiums are larger than their parents.

Originally posted by ibfubar2000


yeah but wouldnt it be better to get in an accident in a SAFE car instead of a piece of crap car? why risk your life in a piece of crap car, when a brand new car is so much safer (see pics of the crashed rx8 in the photo section, notice the air bags!!) who cares how he gets it at least he is safer!! Don't try to wing the safety arguement on me because I'll just tell you to get into a Ford Crown Vic that's got a huge chassis that will keep you isolated from everything.

If you want a sports car, you're not buying it for safety. I want one, but I cant lose on practicality, at least to a small extent. Thus, the RX-8 is a good choice.

no way,

every one should have to learn to drive in a hunk of junk
(like my rusty old biege metro, with it's 1.0 litre engine from the old morris minor)

it's the only way you'll ever really appreciate a decent motor.

one of the old guys in my work has just replaced his antique escort with a honda accord, 1st time he's had power steering, power brakes, a modern engine, airbags, climate control, and he's quite possibly the happiest car owner i've met in years.

Originally posted by KEF
no way,

every one should have to learn to drive in a hunk of junk
(like my rusty old biege metro, with it's 1.0 litre engine from the old morris minor)

it's the only way you'll ever really appreciate a decent motor.

one of the old guys in my work has just replaced his antique escort with a honda accord, 1st time he's had power steering, power brakes, a modern engine, airbags, climate control, and he's quite possibly the happiest car owner i've met in years. Slow steps make ya happiest, that's for sure.

Instant gratification wears off oh, so quickly.

you can never truly appreciate a good car until you've driven a piece of shit for years.

So im holding off Rx-8 for a few years just so i can fully appreciate it when the time comes... that and other reasons too haha

Few years and you can appreciate the RX-7 too :p

Like most people have said, you won't truly appreicate a good car, unless you've come from one that was worse. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but it's certianly true for me.

Originally posted by dying_here
you can never truly appreciate a good car until you've driven a piece of shit for years.

that would make a great quote! my piece of shits were in the form of an '87 Honda CRX, '93 Honda Civic LX, '97 Honda Civic HX...driving econoboxes for years really made me appreciate my used '96 3000GT which has giving me a lot of enjoyment for the past 3 years...

btw, i learned to drive stick the moment i took the GT off the lot...i had driven stick maybe like 3 times before that, but never on an actual street...thank goodness it was at night when there were no cars around cuz i did stall it 2 out of the 5 lights on the way home! after a weeks worth of "hardcore" driving in a shopping mall parking lot, i drove the car smoother than people who've driven stick all their lives

Originally posted by MaRX8
Like most people have said, you won't truly appreicate a good car, unless you've come from one that was worse. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but it's certianly true for me.

I to will appreicate my 8 when it gets here. I drive a POS tercel now.

i feel kinda sorry for those who have/had the privilege to jump right into a nice car. sorry b/c they usually don't learn car basics like jumpstarting, changing flat tires, etc. i learned on a pontiac lemans, drove around in my parents '87 (or '88) Mazda GLCs (we had a red one and a blue one!), an '80 mercedes sled (gf's car), 87 maxima (which was abused). in my ~12 years of driving, i've think i've turned over 4 or 5 cars now (meaning i've watched the odometer go over 100,000 miles). now i have a m-edition mx-6, which isn't a super fabulous car, but I love it!

My first car, the '87 CRX didn't have power steering (oh yea, parallel parking was a bitch), power windows, or power door locks...the fan blew out on me twice which made my car look like a smoking fireball down the street, especially cuz it was red...i got a synthetic "turbo-boost" everytime i turned the air-conditioning off...

I say teach them to drive on a POS. The more dents and rust, the better. That way the inevitable bumps and curb scrapes don't matter.

Originally posted by med_mx6
now i have a m-edition mx-6, which isn't a super fabulous car, but I love it!

how can you say that,

i went from an A series rover metro to rover 213

(unbelievable jump from 1970's to 1980's technology)

them from 213 to Mazda MX-6 J-Spec 4WS

(now 80's family buggy to 90's sports coupe that's a jump)

Selling the '6 is one of the hardest decisions i faced in years.


(sorry off topic, but that's my pride and joy, at least until the '8 comes along)

Originally posted by KEF


how can you say that,

then from 213 to Mazda MX-6 J-Spec 4WS

Selling the '6 is one of the hardest decisions i faced in years.

(sorry off topic, but that's my pride and joy, at least until the '8 comes along)

yeah, that's because your jspec probably puts down ~30 hp more and has 4WS. (i dyno'ed my a-spec at ~142 hp.) i love my mx6 and it's been very reliable and stylish, but you can probably guess i'm itching for a little more pizzazz. by the time i could logically and finanicially do an engine swap, I'll be ready for my 8!

Originally posted by Hercules
Slow steps make ya happiest, that's for sure.

Instant gratification wears off oh, so quickly. that's ever so true. i drive a huge awkward minivan and when i drive my dad's or friends' cars it feels reaaaaaal good.

I'm driving a Hyundai Excel 92 and I'm projecting to get a rx-8 (maybe in one year but I'll get it someday ;) ). I think it'll be safe... the problem is often the driver not the car when the car is running safely (my car have scrapped brakes and suspension it's getting hard to drive safely).

I started with two RX-7's. I never got myself killed. Close to it... but I made it. Although I started driving at a young age around a ranch on old pickup trucks and big cars. To think about it, I would start off some first time drive with something big and ugly that they can wreck!

If you're referring to motorcycles, then try the Suzuki SV650 -- it's recommended as a good starter. For cars, I would recommend a front-wheeler like a Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio. Although, switching to rear-wheel drive will take some adjustment, at least FWD produces predictable understeer without dangerous power-oversteer.

Piece out,
TerraHopper

I would definitely recommend starting out with something like a 1st gen Miata or 240SX, so they can get used to handling a RWD car, which will be MUCH easier and safer in a car that doesn't have lots of power and a high top speed.

Cars like the RX-8, FD, or S2000, with lots of power and sharp handling are great, but inexperienced drivers can get into trouble very easily in them. Don't take my word for it, just check all the threads on the RX-7 forum about totalled cars, injury, and even death in single car accidents.

Well since this post is directed towards me i'll give some insight. When i first started driving about a year and a half ago i had the luxury to drive 3 different cars and get the feel for the differences. I learned on my awd rx300 and fwd jaguar. After i got comfortable in driving i went to drive the rwd(of course) mustang gt. Although the two other cars were very smooth i didnt feel right in them. Now the only car i drive is the mustang and have been drivign it for over a year. Take it as you must, but i prefer the feeling of a sports coupe over the smoothness of a luxury sedan or suv.

Originally posted by TerraHopper
If you're referring to motorcycles, then try the Suzuki SV650 -- it's recommended as a good starter. For cars, I would recommend a front-wheeler like a Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio. Although, switching to rear-wheel drive will take some adjustment, at least FWD produces predictable understeer without dangerous power-oversteer.

Piece out,
TerraHopper

hey dude chill on the colors they are drilling into my brain.

Oh yeah, my first car i'm still drivin. 4 years old next month. '99 protege with 100 hampster power. What a great car, but man is it slow. i'm glad i learned on it.

Originally posted by NoVa
I learned on my awd rx300 and fwd jaguar.

a fwd jag?

apart from the new X type I wasn't aware of there being such a thing, what model was it?

sorry didnt mean to put fwd. it's a xj6. Its very comfortable, but i like to hear the engine.

I might be able to give a little insight, being a farily new driver. The very first time I drove a car was in a parking lot with my dads escort. That car was crappy. You could barley tell what gear you were shifting into because the stick was so worn out. When I got my permit I drove my moms minivan at first because I was hesitant to drive a stick on the road my first time out. After getting comfortable with driving in general I started driving my dads Elantra. As crapping as it sounds it was like a dream driving a little car with a manual instead of a minivan. Right now I am driving a 95 GTI while my sister is in Spain.

What I am trying to say out of all of this is that gradually stepping up in cars is a great way to learn. I still can get some enjoyment out of driving a civic. All I have to do is think about driving a minivan and it suddenly seems like I am in a sports car.:)

Let me tell you a true story.

It was a dark and stormy night...wait, I'm not to that part yet.

Way back in '96, a friend of mine named Peter bought a brand new Integra with a 5-speed manual transmission. This guy had never driven a car at all (didn't have a license) until 6 weeks before he bought it (he grew up in the DC area and always took the Metro). Peter was 20 years old at the time.

I test drove the car for him before he bought it since he didn't have a license yet (talk about a weird scene, me in the driver's seat, the salesman in the passenger seat, Peter in the back. Anyway, he decided to buy it a couple days later. Another friend drove him to the dealership, stopping by the DMV on the way to get his driver's license!

Peter drove his new car home without too much incident (other than stalling, then spinning out after stopping at a stop sign on a hill, that kind of thing).

Later that SAME evening....

It was a dark and stormy night. Peter attempted to parallel-park his new car (remember, he just got his license, learned to drive stick, and bought his first car THAT DAY). He did $1500 damage to his car and $600 to the car he hit while trying to parallel park. His insurance went immediately from something like $1600/year to $2400/year.

What's my point? I don't know. But it seemed appropriate to this thread.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Peter's still driving that same '96 Integra (9 years later). He's only washed it maybe 10 times the entire time he's owned it. This car *used to be* white.