well im 16, and i want to get a rx-8 when im 17 ... in 1 yar or so.
1.)First of all... is driving a manual really easy to learn.
2.) In Gran Turismo 3 video game i played manual and it seems reaaly fun, and easy.
3.) Give me advice what should i do get a 5 speed if they have one available by 2005. Or learn how to drive a manual if its easy.
Im confident i could learn but IS IT more dangerous driving a manual. Cause this crhismas i could buy a 94' RX-7 automatic silver/red for cheap and faster...
Not even get the RX-8 after 5 more years.
Help me out...
Also how long will it take to be a pro at it.

I don't remember the 0-60 times for a stock auto FD but I'm fairly certain it's slower than a manual RX-8. As for driving a manual, well it's kind of easy to pickup. I learned in about 15 minutes. At first you'll put too much thought into the mechanics of it. Then it'll become an unconscious action.

driving manual is amazingly ez.

Yeah don't worry it's easy to learn just get a good teacher to show you. It's like riding a bike once you got it you will never forget.

MT is very easy. I think it's less dangerous than AT b/c you are more active while driving.

yea mon, just like riding a bike! before i started learning how to drive a stick, i read all about it and i think it helps a whole lot when you know what's going on inside the car, http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm
get someone who knows how to teach a stick to show you the basics and practice on 'em quick starts and driving on slopes! And you'll have alot of fun stalling(part of the learning process:))!! Now only if i had pre-ordered the MT for my 8, i'd be the happiest kid on earth!!! :o

In my opinion getting an automatic sports car defeats the purpose of getting a sports car. I also feel that you have a lot less control in a auto becuase the car is more driving you than you are driving the car.
As for how easy it is to learn: Most people pick it up fairly quickly. It might not be smooth at first, but that will come.

I've just been learning myself actually. It's not too hard, just try not to learn on a Vette.

Originally posted by rx-7~rx-8
well im 16, and i want to get a rx-8 when im 17 ... in 1 yar or so.
1.)First of all... is driving a manual really easy to learn.
2.) In Gran Turismo 3 video game i played manual and it seems reaaly fun, and easy.
3.) Give me advice what should i do get a 5 speed if they have one available by 2005. Or learn how to drive a manual if its easy.
Im confident i could learn but IS IT more dangerous driving a manual. Cause this crhismas i could buy a 94' RX-7 automatic silver/red for cheap and faster...
Not even get the RX-8 after 5 more years.
Help me out...
Also how long will it take to be a pro at it.

1) Learning to drive stick is easy. Learning to drive stick well takes a little more time. ;)

2) As nice as GT3 is, it is no way to measure real life driving. An auto would be the closest real-life thing to GT3 you could get in the 8, because it would allow sequential shifting.

3) If you are serious about driving, then learn to drive stick. Automatics are silly in performance vehicles like the RX-7/8. As for buying the RX-7, are you a qualified mechanic? Do you like to work on cars? Because if you don't, don't buy a 3rd generation RX-7 unless you have deep pockets. There is the potential for very expensive repairs. The RX-8, on the other hand, should be cheaper to operate for two reasons. One, because it's new, whereas the RX-7 is now 10 years old. Two, it doesn't have the sequential turbo system and all the problems associated with it.

If you want a RX vehicle, take a look at a 2nd Generation RX-7, they were built from 86-91. Aside from some irritating electrical gremlins, they were solid cars and they have held up quite well. They will not blow the doors off the competition, but as a handler, the 2nd Generation RX-7 is a beaut. You will run into the same age problems that the '94 RX-7 has, but the price of buying a 2nd gen and fixing it properly is still less than buying a good condition 3rd generation RX-7.

For information about the RX-7 line, and the various generations, check out this link:

http://beyondtheredline.fd3s.net/rx7_models.html

That has all the different model years of RX-7 and the options they came with. Good luck, and do your homework before buying any car. You will thank yourself in the long run.

Originally posted by rx-7~rx-8
2.) In Gran Turismo 3 video game i played manual and it seems reaaly fun, and easy.


i don't know if i should laugh or cry that young kids these days are basing their opinions of cars from VIDEO FRIGGING GAMES

:D :mad: :eek: :(

Don't know if I am just getting old or what but I find the idea of teenagers getting into very new, very fast cars a bit worrysome. When I learned to drive I drove fast and was lucky enough to make it through to a time when I have my own kids. Totalled one car, fortunately not my fault but I did not help.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy autox, drive an 01 miata to work each day, summer and winter, and I drive it like it is ment to be driven, 5K+ rpm shifts and all.

Having been through the experience I bought my son an old Miata, underpowered but a great handler. I paid a price that I don't really care if/when he gets into an accident with it. Then I got him what mattered, proper driving lessons. He took his first performance driving lesson a week after getting his licence. After a month he had already been in two autox races and his times kept getting better. By the end of the season he was within a half a second behind my wife and a couple of seconds behind me.

In the winter he got a winter driving school offered by our local racing club. I would rather buy a cheap car and have lots left over to pay to have them learn to drive properly then spend a lot on their first car. He also got regular driving lessons to teach him the rules of the road.

The advantage is that he got a great performing car that he could learn to handle well, before he gets into power. Now we are in the middle of swapping in a 1.8 engine. We also got the car so he could learn to work on it.

Whatever car you get, make sure you take some courses to help you understand its limits and how to handle the car properly but most of all how to stay out of trouble. Real life is a lot different then any video game.

BTW he learned to drive a stick in about 15 min and had his first autox the next day.

Originally posted by ZoomZoomH


i don't know if i should laugh or cry that young kids these days are basing their opinions of cars from VIDEO FRIGGING GAMES

:D :mad: :eek: :(
Haha.. yup we're getting old.. I don't remember doing that myself.. then again, back THEN :p we had Nintendo..

thanks alot.
the rx-7 is actually a reliable car, becuase i live in dallas and 15 miinute there is this rotary specialist and they service rx-7's over 15 years. So.. but they said its reliable. I rather get a rx-8, cause it comes with warranty.
the rx-7 i was looking at also comes with 3 year/36,000 miles warranty. I like rx-7 looks better. Rx-8 has better engine and looks as well, but not as good. auto rx-7 = 0-60 in 5.7

I agree with midnight flyer. Being a teenager myself, I hang out mainly with 4 other guys. Of the 5 of us, I am the only one who has not been in an accident (they all rearended people). I think this is mainly because I also went to racing/performance driving school with a 93 Accord, which is also the oldest, and slowest of the cars that me and my friends drive.

I have a question for anyone my age who is buying a newer performance type car. How do you possible afford the insurance?

Originally posted by Andrew
I have a question for anyone my age who is buying a newer performance type car. How do you possible afford the insurance?

i can't, but a friend of mine started up his own internet company and he's got a pay cheque every month!it's sweet cause now he gives me domains with free hosting and stuff! The car im driving right now is my uncle's, and the all new 8 will be our family's only car, so my folks are taking care of it!:) If i were to have my own car, I wouldn't be able to afford it!!:o

BTW he learned to drive a stick in about 15 min and had his first autox the next day.


if I could find an eyes-bulging smiley, I'd use it in response to that...


i don't know if i should laugh or cry that young kids these days are basing their opinions of cars from VIDEO FRIGGING GAMES


Seriously. (And I'm only 22, so that's not a getting-older sentiment. There was Pole Position and Outrun, etc :) )

Anyway, to the original post...learning how to drive a stick isn't that hard, and I think essential to the "control" and "fun" factor of driving a sporty car. I learned pretty quick when I forced myself by buying a M/T ride. It doesn't take much to get off the ground, but it can take a while to get "good" at it. I'd suggest going the manual route w/an RX-8 (the third-gen 7 does NOT seem like a good first car to me, good mechanic or not), but learning with the mindset of just getting by, and don't even think about things like launches/racing techniques for at least month or two (and I'd suggest at the track where you're not endangering others). Don't think you need to show off to your friends how you drive in Gran Turismo 3 on your Playstation. Just get some time behind the wheel.

I don't know if there are any ill-advised effects of learning on a brand new car, ie break-in periods for things like clutch, engine, and putting up with extreme lurching and other such things beginners may run into. But I'd suggest if yer planning on getting a M/T 8, to see if you can find someone with a car you can use as a "learner".

Good luck, and be careful out there! When I was 16 I had an 85 accord, and still managed to drive that thing way too dangerously. It'd be real easy to screw up w/a powerful car. Take care, and don't let friends or other traffic effect the way you drive! :)

my first car is 96' accord for 1 year, then i'll get a rx-7 or rx-8 which ever one. rx-7 is not a bad car, its reliable, and there are many dicent ones to buy. i live like 20 min away from the largest rx-7 dealer they have 8 rx-7's. just if i learn how to drive manual i will definalety get a rx-8.
some said how i plan to pay insurance, dont get insurance ... haha.. jk. my parents will pay for it til' i get 21.

I tried learning when i was 13... but it was in a ford fiesta. i know th whole concept of a manual. clutch drop, shift, 1,2,...
It's just matter me actually doing it.
Also i had a question, are some gearboxes, easier to learn in, then others. Does the car's gearbox make a difference.

Blizz,

whats so surprising about doing an autox after having just learned to drive. It took about 15 min for him to grasp the basics of driving a stick. We then spent another hour building up to the point where he could get it up to 5th gear without thinking about it too much. We found a strip mall with a deserted delivery area around back. He could get up to 4th/5th before we got near the end.

At the autox, put on by our Miata club, he stalled a number of times in the box, did about double the course time that everyone else had, but had a great time learning to go around corners. He went from an 80 second first run to about a 60 second last run when the rest of the field was running about 30 sec. Only went off track once or twice but in a safe runoff area.

A week later he took a performance driving school where the instructors showed him how to launch, panic stop, threashold brake, slalom, bus stop, and run around a skid pad.

When he had his first "driving lesson" the instructor bumped him up 6 lessons after his first hour. Even the emergency procedures included in the drivers ed were less difficult then what he learned at the MCO school. Panic stop in drivers ed was at about 20kph, while performance school had him going WOT.

By the end of the season he was less then a second behind my wife on an autox.

At the winter driving school one of the instructors commented that while he would not let most 18 year olds drive his go kart, he would have no problems putting my 16 year old son in his race car.

rx7~8

I would recommend a similar course of action to all young people who want to learn to drive safely. Buy a beater, use the money you save for as many performance driving schools as you can, summer and winter as the case may be. Learn what your limits are in a safe controlled environment. Once you have a year or two under your belt then get a car that you want and take it to a school to learn its limits. I'm in my 40's and I joined a school when I got my new Miata so I could find out how far it and I could go.

Also, see if you can join a local racing or driving club. I know there is one for the 7, may soon be one for the 8. They provide a safe outlet for that youthful exuberance that I could only demonstrate on the streets when I was that age.

As far as the reliability of the 7, go to the RX7 forum and read there. The NA cars are very reliable, the 13B turbo cars have some issues. The FDs - well - I could give one to you and you still could not afford it, as the saying goes.

Get as much time in on that Fiesta as you can. By the time you get your RX-8, you should have the fundamentals pretty well down. I learned on a VW bug many moons ago (in the snow - Pennsylvania - December birthday). The only hard part in starting to learn is when letting-out the clutch from a dead-stop - ESPECIALLY if you're stopped on an incline grade with some jerk 6" from your rear end. Too late, you roll into him - too early, you jerk violently & stall. Jerk & stall is very embarrasing & somewhat dangerous since those around you can't (don't) predict when you will, and will have to make some sudden corrections themselves to keep from hitting your temporarily dead self. Learn this BEFORE you get your RX-8.

If you're good at manual shifting in Gran Turismo, that prooves to me you have good coordination. Geez, I totally loose it whenever I try that. One thought on that matter (I thought I would write it down so you can throw it away), if your steering wheel has paddle shifters, it would be the same as those on the real RX-8 automatics. No clutch, just whap the paddles to shift up or down. It won't let you put it in 1st or reverse when going 70mph. I never did that myself, but I'm sure many have. Not a good thing.

Originally posted by Racer X-8
If you're good at manual shifting in Gran Turismo, that prooves to me you have good coordination. Geez, I totally loose it whenever I try that.

I can't play that game in automatic mode anymore :D

Originally posted by ZoomZoomH


I can't play that game in automatic mode anymore :D

Har har. OK, hot shot.:mad:

Actually, I was just trying to give the rx-7~rx-8 person (guy?) some sense of assurance. You know, like that cajun dude in "The Waterboy" - "Yooo can dooo it!!!"

Actually, once, I was going so fast in that game (manual shifting, of course) that I started seeing the back of my head!

Zoom zoom
:D

Pole Position and Outran only had two gears.. low and high.. :)

Originally posted by rx-7~rx-8
well im 16, and i want to get a rx-8 when im 17 ... in 1 yar or so.
1.)First of all... is driving a manual really easy to learn.

Oh boy! OK, I'm frankly shocked by the responses I've seen here... Can it really be true? The idea that a 16 year old would worry if they could drive a manual... Don't, unless you're completely cack handed you'll be able to control the gears fine in an hour or two... Worry about if you can drive safely because whatever you believe, your judgement of distance, speed, yours and the cars capabilities will take much longer to develop, regardless of the transmission.


2.) In Gran Turismo 3 video game i played manual and it seems reaaly fun, and easy.


Video games are way better than they used to be, but nothing will prepare you, forget them.

3.) Give me advice what should i do get a 5 speed if they have one available by 2005. Or learn how to drive a manual if its easy.

Learn in a manual, then you can drive either later... but my advice is to get something cheap for 6 months to 1 year before buying a new car because the odds are that you'll get in some kind of accident in the first year.... OK, it probably won't be totally your fault, but it takes 2 to tango and we've all done it.


Im confident i could learn but IS IT more dangerous driving a manual. Cause this crhismas i could buy a 94' RX-7 automatic silver/red for cheap and faster...


It's more dangerous driving somthing you're not capable of handling, but after a few days you won't even have to think about changing gear... I would be more worried about your going for a first car that may be more than you can handle until you've had some real experience on the road.... hell, knowing myself, I would have wrecked it at 17, and that's not an easy thing to admit...

Not even get the RX-8 after 5 more years.
Help me out...
Also how long will it take to be a pro at it.

LOL, that's a question I can't answer, but the type of transmission isn't gonna be a worry.

Originally posted by Quick_lude
Pole Position and Outran only had two gears.. low and high.. :)

Do you know Gran Turismo? A most excellent game! Many cars spec'd.-out just like the real thing (including the number of gears).

If you're a gamer and you like SCCA type racing, this is the one to have. A steering wheel & peddle cluster doubles the enjoyment/realism too.;)

Originally posted by BlueAdept

Oh boy! OK, I'm frankly shocked...

OK dude, why don't you lighten up a bit and go back and fix your post. It's a mess.

Do you want to go through the whole thing again like what was done in this forum so many times before? "You're a kid, and kids shouldn't be driving big bad cars like this"....yada yada....

Yawn.

Originally posted by Racer X-8


OK dude, why don't you lighten up a bit and go back and fix your post. It's a mess.

Do you want to go through the whole thing again like what was done in this forum so many times before? "You're a kid, and kids shouldn't be driving big bad cars like this"....yada yada....

Yawn.
i was waiting for someone to bring that up.....

Originally posted by tribal azn2
driving manual is amazingly ez.

Tell my wife that! I tried to get her to learn a stick with my RX-7 - she finally gave up after telling me she was tired of seeing me turn green!

yeah.. we shoould drive shit boxes... right
i know where your comming from, im not the owdinary teenager. i drive my moms volvo c70 and its pretty fast. 240 hp .. i do messa round alot.. but i know my limits. I am driving a 96' accord daily til im 17 .. 17 1/2 .. til i buy a new car like rx-8 or something.

I think that teenagers should drive shitboxes. Its nice to get mom or dad's car every once in a while, but I know so many people who have been in accidents, it just makes sense.

I think though I am probably just a little jealous though, and if I could afford it, I know I would have a nice new car, no matter what, but it is nice to pretend that I am the responsible teenager.

If only University didn't cost so much . . .

hey when i was a teen(around '84 or '85) the only thing i had to drive was my dad's second hand 1976 Olds Delta88. it was a piece of crap as far as performance goes but i could haul 4 of my freinds and our girlfreinds around in comfort. and once on the highway that thing loved to cruise @75mph.:D talk about your backseat room whoa baby you could lay down and stretch out in it;) my freinds used to joke about the back seat being like a queen sized bed;) :p :D

well, thanks for the manual tips, i appreciate it.
those who commented of me getting a rx-8 or rx-7 i quess i should wait til 21 ... haha. i know where your comming from .. you been there done that ... so your telling me. I appreciate it. if i do the rx-8 ill prolly stick with auto since its slower, then upgrade to manual later on.

Originally posted by Racer X-8


OK dude, why don't you lighten up a bit and go back and fix your post. It's a mess.


Ahhh, you must have been quick off the mark... yes I got the quotes out of sync... I fixed it pretty much right away though.

Heh, "Lighten up eh!"... Was shocked about the fact that so many people in the thread were so worried about a MT... not about the original poster being 16,.,,, Must be an American thing because it's the norm here for everyone to have a MT at least for their first car.



Do you want to go through the whole thing again like what was done in this forum so many times before? "You're a kid, and kids shouldn't be driving big bad cars like this"....yada yada....

Yawn.

Originally posted by tribal azn2
driving manual is amazingly ez.
As long as you can manage the clutch than it is all a 2nd nature. I drove for 10 years in manual and also have an auto car and I don't find manual car is more dangerous. In fact, you will find that you can control your speed more easily as it is not constantly feeding fuel to the engine (you know when auto driver just lifting the brake up, the car moves). Auto driving is smoother though as I am not revving the engine - hehe :D

One piece of advice when learning manual... Learn well of hand brake start

Originally posted by rx-7~rx-8

Also i had a question, are some gearboxes, easier to learn in, then others. Does the car's gearbox make a difference.

Oh yeah... Dont try the manual gear box of an old Merc - it is horrible
That is why now they are all autos

I learned to drive in an AT, then went to a MT for the first car I owned. I see it like this: When you're learning how to feel the breaks and see all around you, fiddling with the stick is a distraction that I'd rather do without. But once you've learned how to control a car, the MT is SOOOOOOOO much more fun. Plus, you'll be learning more about your car at the right age (when many young men are most interested in learning about how cars work).

Originally posted by BlueAdept

Ahhh, you must have been quick off the mark... yes I got the quotes out of sync... I fixed it pretty much right away though.

Heh, "Lighten up eh!"... Was shocked about the fact that so many people in the thread were so worried about a MT... not about the original poster being 16,.,,, Must be an American thing because it's the norm here for everyone to have a MT at least for their first car.



Yeah, I submitted my post and there was yours.

No norm here in the US about MT's.

Even though you weren't bringing it up, I do agree about greenhorn drivers being not ready enough for powerful/expensive cars, it's just that the forum is full of that already. Maybe a new thread on greenhorn goof-ups would be entertaining as well as enlightening.

Here's one of mine. I rear-ended a brand new Cadilac (he had less than 100 miles on it!) coming up to a stop sign with my '65 Corvair the first week I got my license, when my buddy forgot to roll the window down BEFORE he lit the firecracker. Just a small fenderbender. $27 to fix the broken lense on the Caddy, $270 damage to the Corvair. Back in '69, that was a lot of money still. Told my Dad the brakes didn't work, to which he claimed I had experienced "brake fade". HAH! I haven't rear-ended anybody since though.:D

I don't think that anyone is concerned as to what type of car a young person drives. If RX-7~8 wants a 7 or 8 and can afford it who am I to say no he should not have one.

I think the concern, though it may not be expressed well, is that many parents are giving kids cars that they don't have the skills to handle properly. Most parents think that the regular driver's ed is fine for their children and unfortunately while it does teach the kids the rules of the road it does little or nothing about what so many kids end up doing, showing off, racing, driving past the limits of the car or themselves. I am not saying that RX will do this, just that statistically that is what it adds up to. Why else would the insurance rates for people under 25 be more then anyone else.

To insure my son as a primary driver on a 91 miata would cost me almost as much as I paid for the car. I know why, been there done that.

This also works two ways in that you have some people who don't know what their car is capable of and so hold everyone else on the road up.

If you are going to get a performance car, make sure you take performance driving lessons. Don't rely on the fact that you are driving a beater for a year because each car handles differently.