Hello everyone. I'm this close to buying a used (probably 04) RX8, but I have a few questions to ask. I most definitely appreciate it if you can help answer them. Just so you know I browsed the threads, and that's why I came up with a bunch of question :P

First of all, I live in Minnesota. HARSH winters, lots of snow. So my first question is, is driving the RX8 really any different from driving a sedan in the snow? I read around here that it's clearance is bad. Is that really the case?
I've never driven a RWD before, so will it be really difficult for me to adjust to driving a RWD? Especially in winter? Will it fish tail a lot?

Sometimes we have days where the snow isn't really that bad, like the snow in these pics. So how will it perform when it's snowing like that?
But we also have days like this, will the car get stuck?

Of course I read and know (common sense) that snow tires will be much better than stock tires. Are they better than all seasons? I just don't see myself switching tires every season. And if winter tires are better, are they drivable (is that a word?) in summer?

Also, if I'm looking at an RX8 for sale, and someone advertises that it comes with snow tires, how do I know from the tires that they are actually snow tires? (noob!)

I've also read around that people usually start in "2nd gear," but in my case, I'm definitely gonna be getting an automatic (I know, what the hell?) so is it gonna be different or harder to get it moving?

And lets say I did get stuck in the snow, and lets say I have AAA roadside assistance and called them up to tow me, will they be able to? Has anyone had any bad experiences with them or with towing the RX8 in general? Do I need to carry anything extra with me in the car for towing?
I read something about "tow hooks," does the car have those? Do they come with it or do you have to install it? Pics will definitely help!

Finally, and this is a deal breaker for me. A lot of people have posted that the car needs 2-3 minutes warm up, HOWEVER, no one ever mentioned a remote starter, how come? Is it a lot harder to install one on the RX8? Can one be even installed in it? Or does no one talk about remote starts because you all have manual transmission, which makes it a little harder to install one?

Ok one last question, for serious .... GUYS: do you pick up chicks with your 8? Hahahahahaha...

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

If winter is a concern...save yourself the grief and get an SUV

The 8 is OK in small amounts of snow WITH snow tires...but anything over a couple of inches will be a no go.
Snow tires will say M+S or such on the sidewalls...with snowflakes on some

Remote start would be OK in a auto..but make sure it doesn't almost start...you could flood it easily and that isn't good

If you have never driven a RWD car in the snow you will have some learning to do

Best thing to do is get a winter beater 4X4 and drive the 8 in the spring summer and fall

 

I can't afford having two cars though

 

Can you afford to take the bus or walk to work when there is a storm in the winter?

Or not work.....there would be at least a few days that you couldn;t drive the 8

I grew up in a Canadian Province above North Dakota...so I had lots of practice in the snow

 

dannobre is right, snow isn't fun to drive in when it really accumulates.
Had a local here in Ohio that ran this past winter with snow tires.
Lets just say he bought a beater truck last month for next winter

 

You know what's funny? Like I've mentioned in my first post, I've done a lot of reading on here, and 95% of the posts I read said "it's sooo much fun to drive in the snow." So I'm really confused right now.

Need more opinions please!

 

Were the posts by teenagers who've watched too much Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift and try to act cool in parking lots?
When you depend on your vehicle to get you to work and back safely and on time, you want a dependable means of transportation.

 

Well I saw a couple of videos of adults driving around with it in snow, and a few pictures. And people who responded to their threads, most of them, said "it's fun to drive in the snow."

 

lol... just skip the rx8. especially the 04

 

Driving in the snow can be fun. But you need some combination of ego that you're a brilliant snow driver and/or you don't care whether your car gets wrecked. I have a friend with a Corvette who enjoys snow days on its summer tires, with a combination of DSC and hedonism overriding her fear of mutilated fiberglas.

Days like the first picture are fine with good snow tires. Days like the second are stay-at-home.

IMHO, it takes at least one good winter to learn what you're doing on snow. For all the talk of FWD being better than RWD, when I got my first FWD car (they didn't have FWD in my youth) it took me a while to learn how to deal with that on snow.

Expect a several hour wait for AAA on a snow day.

There are posts here about remote starters. In a lot of places (most places?) it's illegal to leave a running car unattended. Cops in one of the jurisdictions around here make their quota easy on cold days by looking for remote started cars.

The snowflake on the sidewall. You can also look at the brand and model and look it up.

They're tie-down hooks. Used to anchor the car on a flatbed - when one finally shows up.

Why settle for chicks? The car is not that small...sheep will fit.

Ken

 

buy a 300 dolllar beater...that's what I did..I DEFINATELY reccommend a beater car....

 

But a beater car is gonna cost me 100 times if it breaks down.

 

not true. buy a toyota truck or an older tacoma (much harder to find since the recal) they NEVER DIE. super cheap to maintain and insurance is super cheap if you have two vehicles. mine went from $150 a month to $175 a month with the addition of a second vehicle and a boat. all three are insured for an extra $25 a month.

 

I just think it's a hassle to have two cars. And what if the cheap beater breaks down on me when there's 8 inch snow outside? It's gonna be even worse than being just stuck there.

 

Why???????????