It’s not ‘cause she can’t drive a stick, she can. She hasn’t asked, I haven’t offered.

That's kinda weird, if you ask me.

What if you guys go out together and for some reason you're unable to drive home (you have a bit too much to drink, you lose a contact lens, whatever). Wouldn't you want her to be at least somewhat familiar with the car so she could get you both home?

Why don't you ask her to take the car to get gas or something -- don't go with her. Just let her take it by herself. I have to wonder why she hasn't ever asked to drive the car for a whole year. Is it because she knows you don't trust her driving?

It’s not ‘cause she can’t drive a stick, she can. She hasn’t asked, I haven’t offered.

It took my wife a while to drive the 8. The last time she drove the RX7 she got hit (not her fault) so she was aftraid of someone hitting her kf she drove the 8. Now that she has driven it, she loves it. Offer your wife the keys, you will enjoy how much she will lke it.

My girlfriend hates the RX8, hated the RX7, and has refused to drive both. She knows how to drive stick too. I just had to tell her to STFup tonight. I had to take her car to work cause it's snowing. She said something like "Oh, so that means I have to take your stupid car to the gym then. I hate that thing." She just doesn't like to drive stick.

It’s not ‘cause she can’t drive a stick, she can. She hasn’t asked, I haven’t offered.


You poor poor man. My woman loves driving stick, as do most women, but she doesnt like manual transmissions.
;) Sorry I couldnt' resist. :)

What if you guys go out together and for some reason you're unable to drive home

Well, sure, if I was drinking or really tired, she would drive. I generally like to drive, and she doesn't, so even if we are in her car I drive, especially if we have to get somewhere fast. I usually don't think about this, but coming home yesterday from Vegas to Long Beach it stuck me: she's never driven my car.

Perhaps she thinks that if she dented it that my wrath would be terrible (one of the first things that I did after buying the 8 was to revoke her right to park in the garage citing all the dings on the side of my Saab that was facing where she parked; the side that the pesky children exited). I suppose I could ask her why she has never had an interest in driving the Mazda, but it's much more fun to let this thread run semi-wild with conjecture.

And Viking, my man, no need to tell me that your woman loves da stick....trust me, I know. She was surprised to find out about second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth gear. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

And Viking, my man, no need to tell me that your woman loves da stick....trust me, I know. She was surprised to find out about second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth gear. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

What about reverse? :)

FS

What about reverse? :)

FS


Only if you aren't wearing an umbrella, and you don't want little rotaries running around. :D

Only if you aren't wearing an umbrella, and you don't want little rotaries running around. :D

HAHA! :D

And Viking, my man, no need to tell me that your woman loves da stick....trust me, I know. She was surprised to find out about second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth gear. Sorry, I couldn't resist.


More like pleasantly surprised. As you get older and experienced with stick you learn how to use 5th 6th gear, and prolong the life by staying in OD, then downshifting when ready to accelerate. Most younger people can't get out of first or second gear, and they blow their engine. Ok I'm done. :)

My wife drove my RX8 the first week I owned it - she let me buy it.

She stalled a few times in reverse getting out of the driveway but otherwise was ok. She drove my Mazda6 some and she scraped the wheel at a WalMart parking lot island and I wasn't too happy, so I don't think she drives the RX8 anymore because she KNOWS THAT IF SHE HURT THE 8...

LOL...my wife has been talking to me about this kind of stuff. She tells me, if I can't drive your 8 you can't drive my 6....lol

Right now I'm keeping everyone back by saying that until I hit the 1,500 (semi-RB break in) I wont let anyone drive my 8, but I'm at 1,350 now...I need a new reason...lol

My wife does not have alot of experiance with stick cars so I kind of worry about it, but I think I will give in soon. I think it would be fun to see how she might enjoy the car. Also, I"ll let my bro drive pretty soon also since he knows how to drive stick and I know he would like to drive it. Oh yeah, my dad too since he took a trip with me to Miami to get an 8 and we came back empty handed. Well,...then there is that paying for everything while I was growing up thing, so I'll let the old man take a spin also.

What about reverse? :)

FS

While I’ve considered a Borla exhaust system to allow for more horsepower, my wife, after 20 years of marriage, believes that it will invalidate the warranty.

And this is a bad thing because ... ????

My wife took the 8 yesterday since I needed the wagon to transport the family hound. On her way home she called to inform me that "all the guys" on her ski bus gathered around to admire the her and the car and that while on the drive home she was enjoying all the attention she was getting from male drivers. I may have to reconsider this car sharing arrangement. :)

P.S. She was duly impressed that she could fit her skis, boots, and ski bag in the 8 with so little difficulty. Fortunately, she had only to drive the car to the meeting place for the bus that took her skiing. I don't think she would have enjoyed the trip up the mountain on icy roads on summer tires.

So she actually found some snow in WA.

My girlfriend drove it once around the parking lot, and when she stopped she said something like, are you supposed to let go of the clutch? I think the look on my face scared her, because she hasn't driven it, nor expressed a desire to, since.

So she actually found some snow in WA.
Yeah, but it was a struggle. The Californians have stolen our snow and our rain this year. Frankly, I think it's a plot to stem the flow of California refugees to Washington. Show them what it's like to live in Washington and maybe they'll stay home. :)

hehe. To bad the weather has been so nice here lately so all the refufees will want to stay here.

hehe. To bad the weather has been so nice here lately so all the refufees will want to stay here.Shut up. Just.... Shut up! I'm starting to MILDEW, fercrissakes! It's been pouring non-stop here for the past five days. :mad: :p ;)

My wife has driven my car exactly three times. Once when I had had too much to drink to be able to drive, and boy was she pissed off, once when I took her car to Home Depot and forgot that she needed to take the kids to soccer practice, and once on a familiarization drive. That's it.

My wife has driven the 8 just a handful of times - says it is growing on her (hence the New Miata, MS Miata, S2000 thread). She does loves the attention when she is behind the wheel though. I'm lucky; she indulges me in my toys (auto/computer/audio/tv, etc) - her philosophy is as long as she can "work" it, she doesnt' really care what I buy.

my wife knows she is not allowed to drive my car. i wont let anybody drive it because my luck something will happen.

I offered the 8 to my wife on several occasions but she always had some excuse not to drive it. Usually "I have a headache". :(

Finally it just so happened one sunny afternoon that she had to take it to pick up our child. She commented on the phone that she had exceptional difficulty get it to go and that the clutch was even more difficult than my Mitsubishi was, which isn't true at all. She also said there was a funny burning smell. I said, oh you're just getting used to driving a stick again. She said " I suppose so, but I killed it four times in a two mile drive" :eek: I didn't know what to say to that but reassured her that she would do fine on the way home and said good bye... that's when it hit me as I'm sure it has you already. I yelled into the receiver in hopes that my voice would carry from the now descending handset to her ears and could catch her in time. After a slight pause, thankfully not filled with dial tone she says "WHAT" . I then calmly asked her, with some fear of offending her intelligence and possibly sparking another "headache", if she had released the hand brake?... another longer pause this time, and then the response came. Oh I was wondering what that handle was. :eek: :mad:

My wife doesn't even ask anymore after curbing my rim :( Geez, you want to pound them but she was so nice letting me get the car in the first place.

My wife drove my car one day when her van had a flat tire and she had to hurry our daughter to school. She did not like the 8... but she certainly got a few comments on the cool style when she arrived to the school and got the kids out the car. That was when the 8 was still quite rare to see (december 2003 I believe).
She has no problem with driving a car with manual tranny - that's what we have when at home in Europe - but she said the 8 is "too sporty" and the ride is harsh for her. Compared to her Toyota Sienna, it surely is :D
The funny thing is: I was on a business trip when she had to take the car, and you can imagine my face when she calls my cell asking: "How do you put this car into reverse?" :eek:
I thought: whatthehellisshedoingwithmycar?

My wife's driven my car on occasion. Maybe four or five times since July 03. The funny thing is that I don't drive it daily so it's at home ready for her to drive it anytime she wants. The times she has driven it, however, she's come back home with a big smile on her face. :D

My wife drives my Precious occasionally, but never for fun. I even have to back it out of the garage for her. Afraid of scraping it or something. Maybe it's just as well. She's impressed with the attention the car gets, though. Just not an enthusiast. Oh well, she went along with the purchase so she's OK in my book.

I rimmed my wheel on a kerb the other day, when picking up my wife. I was pretty annoyed with myself, however she just shruged and said "it's only a car sweets, If it really bothers you, I'll go buy you another."

I've only had the 8 for 4 days...

My wife is wonderful, however she can't drive :D

Ive had my 8 since 8/26/04 and now have 8700 miles on it and my girlfriend/pseudo wife has not driven it yet either.

She's asked, Ive said no.
It my baby and I dont want anyone else driving it. She's cool with it now.

Mrs Omi hasn't driven my '8 much either. Not because she doesn't like it per se, but more because she feels it has too many blind spots as compared to her Mazda 6S... which I suppose it does by comparison, but it certainly doesn't bother me :D. She also hasn't driven it much because she has a hard time getting the keys from me. :D

My wife is extermeley nervous when driving the 8. She knows I take meticulous care of it and thus she drives much more cautious. I told her I don't mind if you drive it, but treat it as if you borrowed it from somebody. Don't drive it like our own mininvan where you back into mailboxes, hit the garage door, scrap the rim on a curb etc.

My wife has driven it quite a few times when I need the van for something. She worries more about hurting it than I worry about her hurting it. The only thing she has a "little" trouble with is reverse. My daughter told me the it took my wife quite a while to find reverse the last time she had the car. :p

The girlfriend loves driving my RX8, and I trust her with it. However, the only time she does get to use it is when I have to DJ a wedding, and need her Xterra to haul my equipment. The STI on the other hand, is not her favorite. The RX8 forces you to rev it to have any real power, so it fits her driving style very well. She shifts early, so it feels like a regular car to her. The STI on other hand, kicks you square in the behind, and just takes off in any gear at any RPM, and she is afraid of it. I told her it takes getting used to, and you have to keep the rpms below 2500, and lay off gas, because it has a lot more hp and almost twice as much torque as RX8. She's stuck with STI when I need her SUV in winter, but when weather is nice, I give her choice, and she always choses rx8. It has the looks and the goodies, and she's not about power, so she absolutely loves the RX8. :)

I would love for my wife to enjoy driving the 8 as much as I do, but because of the way I acted when she first drove it, I'm not sure she'll ever drive it again!
Two weeks after we got the 8 (2004 MT GT with 9.5k miles) she announces she'd like to drive home from the party we'd been attending. Well, this is the first MT we'd driven since my VW Scirocco 27 years ago, and I've got to admit she did great for the first time. But I was a nervous wreck! I'm not sure if it was that "new to me" car thing, but I just couldn't relax. I felt like she accelerated too fast, slowed down too quickly, followed too closely, stayed in gear too long... My skin was literally crawling by the time she turned the car off in our driveway.
A week later, she asks to drive to a restaurant, and does a fine job for her second time. I, on the other hand, was even worse than before, and this time I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Keep the revs under 4000." "You should be in 4th by now." "You just went from 3rd to 6th." "Look for a parking space where no one will park next to you." "Don't slam the door." Real constructive stuff, huh? She parked the car, handed me the keys, looked me square in the eyes and said "You have made this the worst experience of my life. I will never drive this bleeping car again!" And out the door she went, slamming it hard behind her. I found her half a block away, crying, sitting at a bus stop. I was fortunate that she accepted my apology that night, though I'm sure my behavior fostered a resentment within her for me and the 8 that continues to seeth under the surface.
I tried to get her to drive the 8 with me again over the next few weeks, but she wasn't willing. Then one night she says "I'm going up to the store alone- and taking your car!" OK. I was nervous again. But it was alot better not being there. Though I kept imagining the worst, nothing happened. She left, she came back, the 8 was fine! I think I took a big step in letting go that night.
Is it just me, or do we all love the 8 just a little more than any other car we've owned?

I would love for my wife to enjoy driving the 8 as much as I do, but because of the way I acted when she first drove it, I'm not sure she'll ever drive it again!
Two weeks after we got the 8 (2004 MT GT with 9.5k miles) she announces she'd like to drive home from the party we'd been attending. Well, this is the first MT we'd driven since my VW Scirocco 27 years ago, and I've got to admit she did great for the first time. But I was a nervous wreck! I'm not sure if it was that "new to me" car thing, but I just couldn't relax. I felt like she accelerated too fast, slowed down too quickly, followed too closely, stayed in gear too long... My skin was literally crawling by the time she turned the car off in our driveway.
A week later, she asks to drive to a restaurant, and does a fine job for her second time. I, on the other hand, was even worse than before, and this time I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Keep the revs under 4000." "You should be in 4th by now." "You just went from 3rd to 6th." "Look for a parking space where no one will park next to you." "Don't slam the door." Real constructive stuff, huh? She parked the car, handed me the keys, looked me square in the eyes and said "You have made this the worst experience of my life. I will never drive this bleeping car again!" And out the door she went, slamming it hard behind her. I found her half a block away, crying, sitting at a bus stop. I was fortunate that she accepted my apology that night, though I'm sure my behavior fostered a resentment within her for me and the 8 that continues to seeth under the surface.
I tried to get her to drive the 8 with me again over the next few weeks, but she wasn't willing. Then one night she says "I'm going up to the store alone- and taking your car!" OK. I was nervous again. But it was alot better not being there. Though I kept imagining the worst, nothing happened. She left, she came back, the 8 was fine! I think I took a big step in letting go that night.
Is it just me, or do we all love the 8 just a little more than any other car we've owned?
I'm sorry to say that was funny as hell! You my friend, have become a real car enthusiast.

My wife drove my car once to church while I drove our van. I made her call as soon as she got parked so I could instruct her on how far she could pull up so as to not scrape the sidewalk w/ the nose of the car (it's very low). She does this in our van and it would've hurt my RX8.

She stalled twice trying to back up out of the driveway but she wasn't use to the clutch. She could tell by my sternness of voice and all of warnings of flooding that I wasn't happy.

Anyway, all was fine but she doesn't even ask anymore. She knows that it worries me too much.

I purchased my 8 Dec. 18 2004.......my Xmas present from the wife. .....yes she spoils me!

And she has yet to drive it, has'nt even asked. Go figure?