foolsjoker

thanks for the honest opinon guys, the stick thing really is starting to seep (sp?) in. If i can find a way to learn stick, it will push the 8 a good amount. But i think everything said, its just down to what the test drives tell me.

Also i was wondering if i could take the car to drive to places like Tahoe or Reno, places that have snowy roads. Which car would be smarter to have RX-8 or Eclipse? And could u fit a snowboard in the RX-8? I know they are sports cars, but im just looking into the most random things. Thanks.

Sportura_Collection

You won't get the HP on demand with the RX8 that you said you need. You're young and I'm not sure you'll be dependable enough to show the attention to detail required to keep the rotary running a long time. Get a stick shift and teach yourself. Might take you only 2 to 4 days to get the hang of it. What is the MSRP of an Eclipse GT that is not bare bones? Is the Eclipse GT even selling at all? I don't see any of them around southern calif. If they aren't selling, you should be able to get a huge discount off of the MSRP (if you do your homework properly; for example, talking directly with the internet or fleet manager rather than a regular salesperson) that might bring a well equipped Eclipse GT into your parents' price range.

MyRXdrug

well for snow... you will definetly need to buy good winter tires. i got 17" rims and dunlops graspics for about $1600 canadian. (Maybe $1500). So if your coming from Hot Cali to snowy Denver then you could be in a pickle. I think you can fit a snowboard through the seats. I think you need a car with all seasons and better trunk space. Sounds like a sedan more and more.

spork

Ok a few things
1) Stick will feel like it's over your head at first. Getting moving from a stop is tricky with a manual transmission in the beginning, especially since you have to manage two pedals at the same time doing different things. If you stick with it though, it really does become second nature. I don't even think about it most of the time. How fast you learn depends on where you live. If you live somewhere that's very flat everywhere, you can probably start taking it out for real pretty quickly. In a hilly area it gets more difficult. I would guess it would take a few hours of practice before you'll feel comfortable taking it out normally. I think it was like 3 weeks before I started driving it normally for me. But I was just doing 1/2 an hour a night 4x a week and I was living in a pretty hilly area.

2) If you have the manual and you're not very experienced, you will HATE driving to Tahoe and the like. Steep areas are difficult to manage, especially if you're a beginner. You'll roll back if you start from a full stop on a hill. A tiny bit if you're good, A LOT if you're not. You can always use the hand brake trick but that involves you managing two pedals, and the hand brake. If you're a big winter sports person, I would make sure you have a back up to the 8 for getting there (ie a friend that can/will drive with his car).

3) From what I hear, driving in the snow with the stock tires (which are meant for summer) is horribly dangerous. With winter tires or all season, supposedly the RX-8 handles just fine. But keep that in mind... you'll have to buy new tires if you want to hit snowy roads.

4) I'm not sure if a board will fit in the RX-8. You probably can get a rack or something though? I'm not sure, don't quote me on that.

If you're looking for a car to do winter sports with though, you're better off getting an SUV...

foolsjoker

Thanks again guys, just got back from Tahoe (friend drove) messed up my wrist(sprain) and my knee (previous injury), but it was fun. I found the Eclipse has ~6 ft of clearance in the cargo space, which should be enough for a board er 2. But thats just what ive heard, only one way to find out , so when i go to a dealership for testdrives il check it out.

What is with the Coldstart thing i heard about? Someone said that if i start the 8 when its cold a switch er something will be flipped and il have to tow it to a dealership? Not sure if i got that right, so sorry if u dont know what im talking about.

cleoent

The rx8 is not for you.

Maybe a v6 mustang or barebones gt would be a good fit.

shaolin

You're inexperienced with stick, and you want to drive a manual RX-8 in the snow? You may as well jump off the cliff yourself, and spare the car.

All joking aside, the RX-8 will do fine with proper preparation...snow tires/chains.

I just bought a new pair of skis today and was able to get them home in the 8. Twin tipped K2 public enemy baby.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

finally! somebody agrees with me!

map

No, you can start the 8 fine when it's cold. The problem is shutting it down before the engine warms up. If you do you risk flooding the engine. Even if you do flood there is a chance you can get it started again, but worst case you would need a tow to the dealership. This really isn't that much of a problem anymore, but could still happen. So just keep in mind that if you start the 8 you want to run it at least 5 min to get the engine warm. No 30 second moves to the other side of the driveway.

You should really browse around the main forum some more and you will learn all the little details and quirks of the 8. It's like a woman. If you don't pay proper attention she can be a bitch, but when everything is going well it's like nothing else.

TODreamer

When I bought my first car (as well as first manual...it was a 91 integra) I knew the fundamentals of stick but didnt really know how to do it very well at all. Furst day with it and I drove that car home in the midst of a snow storm in stop and go traffic on the highway.

Umbra

I think you need to forget about the power thing and get something that will have enough space like a vibe or toren or one of those crossover things. For $25k your not going to get a decent amount of space and a decent amount of power.

RX-8: Must have manual (NO AUTOMATIC). If you want to go fast you have to know how to drive it. Not a street light dragster, it's a pass more powerful car on the curves type car. Not a lot of spare space. Trunk isn't that huge and there wont be much room for a passanger behind you if you have the seat back all the way unless they have no legs. Your going to have to replace the tires right away for driving in snow.

Eclipse: It's a boat. Enough said. I have a V6-3G for my daily and its a few hundred pounds lighter and I consider it a boat.

If I were buying under $25k I would look at:
Cobolt SS
Sentra SPEC-V (it's an ugly car but a blast to drive)
Neon SRT4
Civic SI

JRichter

Yes, my '95 Eclipse (that I got rid of when I bought the RX-8) still had all of its paint with just a little bit of clear coat coming off the spoiler and lots of rock chips in front. The only problems I had with the exterior was the passenger door handle breaking off in someones hand and the headlights fogging up.

Georgia8er

It doesn't really sound like an RX-8 is right for you, or that if you bought one you need something else that is roomier for the other things you like to do. I have yet to drive on snow, doesn't snow much around here, but like everyone has been saying you'd need to invest in snow tires and a set of wheels. The downside of those are that you can't carry them with you and change them out when you get to an area where you need it.

Gas mileage depends on who's driving, I get 22 mpg in mixed driving during the summer and 24 mpg on long highway trips. Been getting about 2 mpg less since winter fuel has arrived.

MrJynx

I was in your boat 2 years ago.. Just finished uni, got a nice job, was originally looking at the RSX Type S because it was cheaper than the 8. Got my offer and turns out i could afford the 8.

Now, I never drove stick cept maybe 1 or 2 times before picking up the car.. I could shift with no grinding or stalling (was shitty shifting though) so that day was scary as hell.. I thought god damn, i'm gonna stall it in front of the dealership..

Well anyways, at that time i checked out other cars and nothing really fit for what I was looking for cept the 8.. So now almost 2 years later I get into the car and it still has that "holy ****, this is my car feeling" .. 2 years later!!! Now that I can shift properly and perfectly I honestly do not know how I can ever drive anything but a rotary again..

But if you want power you won't get nothing off the line or when your less than 5k.. Once you hit 5 - 6k you can instantly jump to the end of the gear in 2nd(95km/h) / 3rd (135km/h)..

But the only problem is gas mileage.. Personally I don't give a ****, gas may be expensive so instead of whinning about how costly it is blah blah blah. . . I just make sure every litre that car drinks is well spent by having as much fun as possible..

Also this car loves to get into the high revs, sounds like a jet and seems like it's asking for more!

But if you want raw power, go with an STI or an EVO.. those cars will spank our ***'s, but for me power isn't everything.. Good luck on your purchase.. 1st car purchases only happen once, just make sure you make the right choice


MrJynx

toca

im the same every bit of gas is well used

foolsjoker

thanks again guys, i really do like the look of the 8. And from what it sounds the handling is where its at. Need to find a Mazda dealership in the Sacramento area. And il let u guys know how it goes. Kinda leaning towards the Eclipse, but thats just because it seems like an easier choice. But i dont like the fact that i feel like im going for ease, instead of whats best. But ease could mean its the best fitting for me. But yeah....