Automatic RX8- Is it really that bad?
 

I test drove an AT 2005 RX8 with low miles, sure it was slow through 20 miles an hour, but speed is only important above 60...and it didn't bother me that much. I really like the RX8, i just don't think I should drive a manual, too much trouble..also i dont have to worry about paying for burned out clutches and such...what do you guy s think....if I like the 8 enough, should I get the AT or just not get it at all and get a lame, ugly ass Mazda 3 for 'reliability' 'mpg', all those things that people who don't like living like...if you get what i'm saying :)

I have a feeling this is a troll. I'll bite anyways.

If you buy this car, you don't buy it for the MPG. It may have four doors and four seats, but it is a sports car. Deal with it or get a prius.. or something. You mention 'test driving' at 20mph. Are you younger? Can you afford payments? If you're worried about gas this isnt the car for you.


Just my opinion but you will come to wish you had a MT if you get an 8. Don't drop the clutch, ride the clutch, or abuse the car and you won't have to worry about replacing any burned out clutches. Test drive both, see the difference.

The forum is here, make use of the search function.. this place is an excellent resource. Prepare to be flamed.

prepare to be flamed? you think i'm a troll?

no, i am just younger, i can afford payments and gas.

i'm just wondering why everyone bashes the AT so much

Because it's slower, less powerful, and this is a sports car not a minivan.

It's just annoying when the points have been talked to death. Use the search.

i'm sorry bud..

im probably gonna get flamed for this, but i like a car for its looks and features, not so much its speed, that doesn't matter much to me.

You asked for drawbacks on the AT compared to MT. If you're already aware of them then what's the point of this thread?

man,

its not easy to be liked by worm

Welcome. Test drive a AT then test drive a MT. Now ask your self what are you going to be using your car for everyday? weekend? track? shared car? ect, ect. If you drive in every day stop and go traffic get the AT and SC it. How ever you will need to do some slight custom mods to it so "everything" can be accesible.
If you dont mind stop go or live in a part of town/city where you dont experince heavy traffic and looking for that punch you back in your seat feeling get the MT. Its what suites you.
As for reliability every car is going to have its probs unless your "one" of the lucky ones that dont have any probs then I say go for it! The 8 is not for everyone but as you can see on here everyone loves there car.

If the prospect of getting whooped by a 1996 Checy Cavalier doesn't bother you then go for it.

Yup then SC it!

Dude.

If the AT version is your fancy, then do it.

I have an 03 model with 4AT & love it. It gets 10km/lt hwy cycle & is fast enough for the wife for her everyday use with kids & friends.

Its no rocketship but Mazda never built it to be one so it suits my family perfectly

Remember the saying............ if the shoe fits.!

REgards

DMRH said it well there - he bought it because he liked it. The reason that folks generally don't like the AT is that you really do give up a lot of the character of the RX-8, IN THE OPINION OF THOSE THAT LIKE MANUALS.

I happen to be in the group of folks who like manuals as well. That said, if I had to drive it in city traffic every day and the RX-8 was absolutely the car I wanted given that situation, I'd have no qualms buying it.

Bottom line, it's your money, your butt in the seat, and your smile on your face that you have to worry about - nothing that any of us have anything to do with. If the car satisfies you and makes you happy, and feel that it is a good value for what you pay, and it fits your lifestyle, then go for it.

What you don't give up (as long as you get one of the higher packages) is the handling, which for me is what this car is all about anyway.

Go for it if it makes you happy. I am a manual transmission guy, regardless of the car, so there was not even a question about it for me. That said, if the Automatic in the RX-8 were a gearbox like VW's DSG (direct shift gearbox) or BMW's SMG (sequential manual gearbox), I'd have it in a minute - because those aren't "slushbox" automatics, but are instead manual gearboxes with automated shifting and clutches.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the car - just go for a good, long testdrive and wring it out a bit.

Stew

Bottom line,, it's an RX-8.

I prefer the CVT.

When I bought my RX-8 they had to ship it from another dealership. So for a day the dealership let me drive another RX-8. It was an '07 AT Sport. While I do prefer the MT (which is what I own), the AT with paddle shifters weren't too bad - kinda fun actually. The AT model does redline at 7,500 vs. 9000 but on the plus side does get slightly better gas mileage (I think only 1 MPG better than the MT).

It also depends on what you want to do with it. Several of the aftermarket mods are geared toward the MT only because the transmission can take a little more power abuse than the AT can.

Either way, the RX-8 is a great car. Get what you like and don't look back. You'll have to ignore all of the AT vs. MT arguments - its all just a religious argument anyhow.

Cheers

dsg and smg are awesome. mebbe my friend didnt abuse his dodge caliber (cvt) enough, but he was flooring it and it never goes past 3500 rpm. thats just retarded.

dude, if you like AT, get it. its still an rx8, and it will still be fun to drive. personally, the biggest difference i see is the start off the line. with a mt, you can drop the clutch at 4000 rpm and get off the line quite a bit faster. with an AT, you cant unless you neutral slam it and that is very very very very bad. also, with a MT you can do crazy burnouts, no burnouts with an AT.

that said... my previous car was automatic. and i had a 20 mile commute to school every day (now its 30, oh joy) i was stuck in traffic for the 40 minutes it took me to get there. np, put some tunes on and i was fine. i got my 05 rx8 in may, after school was over. i only once have been in heavy traffic with my rx8, sometime last week. and omg. it was utter utter hell. i have never experienced such aggravation in my life. i honestly said, "right now i wish i had an automatic."

if you do a lot of city driving or highway driving and prefer an automatic. there is absolutely no reason for you to not get one. the rx8 is a beautiful car. and im sure you will enjoy it.

i look forward to seeing pics of your rx8. :P

Dont care what everyone thinks! Buy what you want! Its your $$$$ & youre the one who has to drive it everyday. Nobody drives at 20MPH(Except in school zones). Youre right, it happens above 60. And in the twisties? :)

And just like Easy_E1 stated. Its still an RX8!

Like everyone else says - buy what you want.

Personally, though, I also agree with lots of the posts here - you're missing out on a BIG part of what this car is all about if you go with AT. And, frankly, once you get used to MT, traffic jams won't even bother you. You'll quickly learn how to make it easy on yourself and your car and you probably won't even think to bemoan your decision.

If I had to recommend one to you, I'd (obviously) say MT all the way. But, in the end, it's your decision - I don't know your experience level, how passionate you are, or what your driving situation is like. I will, however, absolutely implore you to drive both extensively before making your decision.

Actually, getting caught in traffic with a mannytranny isn't the end of the world - the trick is leaving a big whack of space in front of you - that way you can crawl along in 1st or 2nd (depending on the speed of the traffic) and not clutch in and out constantly. If you're one of those impatient tailgaiting asshats that can't stand being more than 20 feet from the guy in front of you, this doesn't work - and you will find lots of people pulling in front of you, but this does work. I've been driving manuals for the majority of the last 25 years and have used this technique since I started driving them.

+1, that's exactly what I do.

Why do most people feel the need to eliminate any and all space between your car and theirs at all times, anyway? I mean, if it was a packed lot at a car dealership, I could almost understand parking cars that close, but it's not like we're trying to pack as many cars as we can into some arbitrary space behind the red light.

Then, if they get knocked into the car in front of them they act all surprised "But...But...But...They hit me into you!" Christ, and they wonder why I leave so much space in front of me.

Prepare to be flamed?? What is that all about? The guy had a simple question. I chose an 8 with an AT and it runs pretty good. And, to be perfectly honest, it looks pretty good too!! Take a look. A man's ride is about how he feels while "driving" his car. Not about what others think he should have. For me, I've done my time with MT's. What's especially nice about the AT are the paddle shifters. You have the best of both worlds. Shift it manually or let the thing do it for you. As for MPG, I average 20 around town. And, that's when I don't use the paddle shifters. I once got 26 on a trip to Vegas. That only happened once. Now, on the road I am getting between 22 and 24.

The AT works for me, maybe it will work for him too.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

I had an automatic before and after pounding the crap out of that car for four years, it finally came to an end. I spoke to some of my friends and mechanics about what I should do. All of them told me this, "If you are planning to keep driving the way you do, get a manual. If you stop messing around and just cruise then get an automatic."

The reason for this is because the manual transmission is built a lot tougher than an automatic transmission. The pieces in an automatic transmission, such as the friction discs and clutch plate are really thin. So when the friction discs heat up, there is a possibility you can run into transmission failure. Not only that, but with the manual transmission you gain about 30hp more than the automatic RX8 and your rev limiter is over 9,000rpm compared to 7,500rpm. I don't know why that is, but it is.

Do you know how to drive stick? If not, learn, then test drive the manual rx8. Your decision will be made then and there...

I have been driving a 04 AT for the past 3 years now as a daily, and it has just been ridiculously fun to drive every single drive. I had my doubts about the car the first year of ownership...the insanely tall gears, the gas mileage, getting owned by an OZ Rally Lancer. I really think differently about my RX-8 nowdays, just accepting it for what it is, and also simply learning how to drive it well. I know mine like the back of my hand now and I absolutely love driving it. I know much more about the rotary now and without a doubt, it is what makes each and every drive so special, I love it to death. I also ran across the same OZ Rally that messed with me in the twisties 3 years ago and taught him not to mess with RX-8s ever again.

I'll admit, I don't exactly drive mine like an AT...I'm always in manual mode, so maybe that defeats the purpose of the AT. But nonetheless, learning how to drive the AT RX-8 well in manual mode gives you an entirely different driving experience in the AT. My buddy asked me one night to give him and his girlfriend a ride cause he wanted to impress her with how my car handled. Not only did she walk away immensely impressed with the handling, she also started questioning what exactly I was driving because I was "so in control of the car". I had to convince her that we were really in an automatic.

Anyways, my suggestion is, the rotary is an engine that really requires you to interact with it to really bring it to life. Either in an MT or using the manual mode in the AT. If you drive an AT in full AT mode, I can guarantee that you'll be very disappointed in the RX-8. So if you're looking for a 100% cruise car, get something else.

easy is right, rx-8 is an rx-8..... some people are way to hung up on specs, but just do what you want its your money. the only reason why some people are givin u a hard time is that this topic has been discussed over and over again. so nxt time if you ask a question just type it in the search bar and see if you get somerthin. if not then ask away. good luck!:fingersx: