R-2Genesis

I just wanted to know from you guys, that own an RX-8. Would the RX-8 make a good first car for an 18 year old????

any thoughts would be helpfull

-- thanks

fxdsconv2000

That would depend on the 18 year old.

I know now that I was not responsible enough at 18 to own a car like the 8.

8_wannabe

who's buying it? It's too good for mom and dad to give him. Maybe a 3. If he's buying it himself and he's not looking for a way to kill himself or his friends, then maybe...

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Don't be so critical.

Hell im 16, but I paid for it, well I'm still paying for it.

If your parents buy it for you than it sort of devalues the hardwork and struggle that will teach you better than any lecture. And it ends up just being a toy daddy bought for you. Do yourself a favor and buy it yourself. Assuming your responsible enough to save the money and work off the payments, you'll be responsible enough to drive it so you don't end up killing yourself.

AvitalBlue8

Depends on the person, i know when i was 16 i wasn't reponsible enough to get my liceanse so i waited till i was 17 to get it and learn what a responsibility/privilege (sp) to be able to drive. Looking back on it i doubt my parents would have co-signed on the loan inorder for me to purchase one 6 months ago when i was 19 (now i'm 20) if they had not seen how reponsible i was in regards to driving.

BlueOakleyz

NOPE
drivers 18/under or with only 2-3 years driving experience are SO not responsible enough for a new car. Start with a beater up, a safe, but beater upper.

When I was 18 I crashed my parents brand new Alero. Insurance took care of it and at least I turned into a better driver, now 3 years later I'm ready for my 8

hotpot

I only started driving at 20, and even then I cannot say that I was a responsible driver. I was always trying to overtake every one else, and the fastest I've ever driven (besides a couple of German autobahn runs) was when I was still an inexperienced driver. Having said that, I have never had any major accident besides one while rally-driving.

So, as others have said, it depends on the driver's maturity. But in general I would not recommend it. The 8 can be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.

Psylence

No no, holy **** no.

Absolutely not.

RWD is never a good option for a first car... get a cheap beater Subaru Impreza or something from the mid-90's. Indestructible and AWD, it's a perfect car to start out with.

BlueOakleyz

My first car was a Camaro, but an 83 Camaro, well I learned how to drive on a Nissan Z from the 80s.... but my real first car was an 83 Camaro.. it was rear wheel drive and I took it nice and slow and got a real handle on it. I mean I still have it... nice car.

Sometimes in the rain I'd skid in the back wheels etc... but I always kept a handle on it and stayed perfectly calm. This was after my accident that is. Yet in high school I knew a guy, like 17, who had a brand new camaro. one time, with 3 other guys including me in the car he went speeding on a 90 degree left turn in the light rain and we fish tailed for like 30 seconds and then ended up facing the opposite direction of traffic.

And not to mention all through out high school there wouldn't be a week gone by where I didn't hear some stupid bimbo talking about how she got in an accident "again" and they joked about it and took it lightly....

I got in an accident just for looking away....... distracted because of my thoughts of a love interest.... nuff said.

I was actually lucky i was in my parents new car, more safe, insurance that covered it and I got to keep my car (camaro) but if it had been an RX-8.... oh man

BlueOakleyz

Here's another thing, if he's ready to make a $10,000 down payment on it, maybe even with your help.... he might be ready...

Don't buy the car outright for him.. that wouldn't be good either. Not cuz it's just handing things to him but because part of responsibility of owning a car is the work that goes with it.

MMGDC

If the 18 year old owns a body shop, sure!

Teenagers almost always wreck their first car.

Kaliken

ok first off.. like other people said you need to make sure the kid learns responsibility. By buying him a new car at such a young age he'll have nothing to really strive for. If you have always been giving in to his demands then you are pretty much screwed as now more than likely he is a leech... I have been noticing this an aweful lot lately. Kids expecting the world to be put at their feet. Make him earn the car. Its the best thing you can do.

My parents gave me just enough to survive. If I wanted a nice car then I would have had to work to go get one. It was made clear to me that if I wanted something I would have to learn how to become a self suffiecent person and get it myself.

I guess it worked as now I have a good job and can afford a car like my rx-8!

BlueOakleyz

damn y'all are up early. I didn't think I'd get a reply so fast, let alone two.
I'm still awake from the night before haha....

NoVa

I have paid for my car and I'm 17. It all depends on your responsibility like everyone is saying. Too many of my friends have gotten into accidents, but it depends on your awareness of the road and driving style. If you work hard for the car you will do everything in your power to not screw it up...and make it your "baby"

BlueOakleyz

yeah see at least Nova has something to compensate for non natural responsibility that's needed

8_wannabe

I'm not saying this to be critical; I am genuinely curious as I have a 15-yr-old son: How does a 17-yr-old make enough money to buy a car like an '8, and pay for insurance and gas, while still devoting enough time to school? I've seen a few cases where extraordinary kids make a bundle of money like programming for summer jobs, etc. But how does an ordinary, run-of-the-mill kid do this?

Myself, I plan to get my son a decent, new car when his grades are good enough. This is because in high school I don't want him to be preoccupied with earning money for a nice car; I want him to be preoccupied with his classes. The Mazda 3 is a good candidate or Acura RSX (base, not Type S.) That way, when he graduates he keeps the car and has no maintenance problems like with a beater.

idle0ne

on the contrary i had a new car when i was 16, never drove anything older than a year or two up until now. now i am driving a 1990 subaru legacy.

only 2 of the vehicles i have had were given to me no strings attached. My father bought me my first truck and i later traded that in for a car with more room, there are the two given to me. the rest i bought myself.

i have never crashed a car however i made the mistake of letting a friend drive one and they totaled it.

Lesson learned wether you have insurance or not dont let anyone drive your cars

idle0ne

i would like to note that i was a semi responsible kid but my parents giving me my first car and having it be a year or 2 old, was the best thing they could have done. I had the nicest vehicle amongst my friends, yea some thought i was spoiled but what i learned is that if i want to remain having nice cars i have to work to keep them.

the next car i bought after that vehicle was a 99 grand am, then i bought a 01 grand prix, traded that in in 02 for a 98 and 99 cavalier(s) then traded one of the cavaliers in for a 01 grand am, dont ask lol

had one car and a fiance to boot out her excuse was i dont have a car so i traded my beautiful baby in so i could give her a car to get the hell out with

i am 23 and i have had about 6 cars, i think the 8 will be my last for a while LOL i wont be trading that baby in for ANYTHING

Japan8

I agree with the "beater" comment. Stick with something no more than 3 years old (doesn't HAVE to be brand new you know). A car of that age has all the latest saftey devices and is practically new.

I'm going to try not to tell you how to parent, but...

Hey... what's summertime for? My parents paid for a lot of my first car (got it at 17), but I had to work my *** off and make a downpayment on it. I had to pay for my own gas, maintenance and anything I wanted like a stereo. I worked part-time during my senior year... kept my hours to a min... one week day since we got out early and weekends. That was enough to basically cover the above mentioned stuff. I went to a private school and graduated in the top 10% of my class. Went on to a top 25 university (and worked my junior and senior years)... could made top 10, but the tuition was a killer. MY point isn't to brag... it's that working while in school doesn't take away from studies (using myself as an example). It teaches not only responsibilty, but time management. And that is a skill that will be greatly needed in college (at least with the workload at mine) and later in the workforce. But you are the his/her parent... so you choose what you think is best. I just wanted to offer you another perspective.

If you insist on a new car... a leftover Protege 5 is a good car. I've got one here in Japan. I've looked at the Axcela (Mazda 3) and it seems to be a soild car... may have better straight line performance, but the P5 has got a firmer suspension.

As far as type of jobs go... I have no idea what these guys are doing. I worked for a nearby grocery store and saved every penny possible. So maybe he/she can't earn enough to buy a 3 much less an 8... but asking him/her to work hard and chip in towards buying the car sounds reasonable to me...

As far as a 3 vs 8... my 3rd car was a V8 Mustang... there is no way 16 year olds should drive it. RWD cars like that... especially without TCS are very easy to get in trouble with. Cloverleaf on-ramps... just sweeping curve on-ramps... very easy to go in too fast, tap the brake and the rear-end just steps out on you.

IN terms of driving responsibility...I look back on my driving when I was 16/17 and think how terrible it was. Other people's lives are at stake... your passengers and the other drivers. Kids of that age have little experience but lots of courage... and we all know that driving has a lot to do with experience.

So I'd suggest the 3 for these reasons as well. It'll be fun and it's stylish... and it'll have more room to hold friends and junk anyway. Plsu the insurance will be much cheaper.

Arcane

getting off the money/responsibility issue, i think of the maturity/sensibility/experience level...

1) this car is RWD, which may not be a smart decision to give someone that doesn't have much driving any car. the fact, that some people on this forum commented on speeding without knowing it, makes this an unwiser decision. a little rain/snow and an unexperience driver may be in an accident.

2) is the kid mature? or is he the type to drive recklessly with his friends, to show off to girls, etc? does he know his limits? have a good head on his shoulders?

if you take into consideration these things, and you think it's a good idea to get him the car...by all means, i'd say go for it.

Smoker

A Sport Car is like a Black Belt, you have to earn it to appreciate it.

Get a beater for the kid if is absolutely needed. He has all the time in the world to work hard in life and buy a Sport Car himself later on. Gurantee you'll see a bigger smile and a better person when that day comes.

s13lover

My first car was an RX-7. Athouth mine was an 84 with around 150 hp, it taught me how to respect a fast rwd car. I drove that thing in the snow so I feel that I can pretty much manage any car in the snow now.

As for an 18 yr old buying any $30,000 car with his own money, I would say it is a bad idea. Insurance will be through the roof, your APR will probably quite high, and that much in monthly payments for an 18 yr old sounds like an easy way to miss payments and establish bad credit. But if you got a lot of money saved up, and a well paying, secure job, I would say go for it.

ac89

First car an RX-7!!!! that is awesome.
My parents got me a new honda civic when I was 17 (23 now). obviously not as fast as an 8, but still felt fast enough at the time. I reckon its all down to the personality of the kid. some are just more responsible than others. i know plenty of my friends who totalled their cars within a couple of years of getting theirs, but so far the only person who's bumped my car is my mother!!

Astor

You almost always wreck your first car, I did, it was the only one ever given to me. A '76 Chevy Van, anyway, if it's a male, testosterone has a bad way of getting in the way of clear thinking, so the show off factor is definitely there. If it's a female (no offense to anyone) most female teenage drivers lack attention to drive a faster car. I also agree with an above statement, if they get everything now, what will motivate them to work hard and go after the things you want. My parents divorced when I was 6, my Mom struggled till I was almost 18, my father is very well off, makes about $400,000.00/year. Never gave me anything very big (Best thing was a set of $3,000.00 Bose speakers, when the name meant something). He told me he grew up poor, and if he can do it, I can do it. I also agree that if you work for something and pay for it yourself, you will appreciate it much more and will take care of it. If it is just given to you, the mentality is that "well I didn't pay for it, I can get another one".
I think that any 18 year old would love this car, however most would not have the maturity to drive safe or take care of it.
Also if the teenager can pay for it themselves, can they really? It goes farther than just a car payment, there's insurance, and maintenance.
Just my thoughts.

stickman

Well, I will concede that if the person has demonstrated the tenacity and discipline to save enough for a down payment and is working enough to afford the monthly payment, that certainly helps. However, I think it is still too young for a car like this. Just having the money and work ethic doesn't mean you are fully mature. There is no substitute for life experience; it is the only way to hone your judgement. Frankly, the kid would do better to invest most of the money and buy a cheaper used car initially. Make your inevitable mistakes with that car and then be better prepared for something better and with money to your name.