shakRpahX8

Yes I finally bought RX-8 I love it
I got it this wednesday. My parents surpirsed me, because i wasn't expecting them to buy it that day.
The very next morning, my dad was teaching me how to drive the stick.
it's very hard...i can't really start smooth from gear 1.........runnin down the road shifting gears is rather easier,,,,but when i stop and start from 1.......i killed my car many times..... also im not used to do engine break so sometimes when i lower my gear while driving... the car jerks a bit and i hear this screech sound from the tire?(im not sure if its from tire but pretty sure)....yes im tryin to take good care of my car but im not reallie used to the stick rite now
the point is my RX-8 was chosen over M3 yes it may sound little crazy for some of you but i couldn't take it. My dad offered the idea of gettin brand new year 2005 M3, even went to the dealers and looked and actually found a nice white one.
but it was too much for me. and i couldn't possibly ask for brand new M3 to my dad being only 18 year old. despite of high insurance and all.. i figured it would be too extreme for me. BUT i was so happy to get my RX-8 MY OWN CAR!! which makes it more happy was our little parents' surprise!! my parents were gone all day visiting the dealer. they went out about at 4pm and came bak at 8pm. My mom came in first..tellin me which color do i like and stuff She told me they couldn't get it today even though they spent about 4 hours at the dealer...and i was like ok....and then went up to my room. Then i heard my dad coming out and little chit chat and then i realized they got it!! and then they told me to come down and got me blindfolded....AND I WAS SO HAPPY! OMG IT WAS SILVER !! GT with appearance package with navigation BRAND NEW 2005(just shipped to the dealer) OH MY GOD>>>>drool
So now you all know
I got rx8 over M3! and i damn love it!! it's only 3 days old and i don wanna harm it but i have to get used to the stick
=]

little tips for stick driving would be thankful

ps Oh by the way.. do all of you when u start ur car press gas alittle as u let go off the clutch?? it's just so damn hard for me i either kill the car or overrev
and i thought pressin gas and clutch at the same time wasn't good but its the only way to start movin the car!

greg-

just to make u feel better just a couple days ago i picked an 04 rx8 over an 01 s4. havent really gotten used to the stick either

Tayninh

Oh man a good time to buy a car. Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy the car. You will love the stick once you get the hang of it. Take it easy on that new car!! Nice!

VmanX

you're crazy

anyway, do a search.. there are numerous posts on how to drive stick. IMO the 8 isn't the best to learn stick on. but to answer a few of your questions, yes.. you need to hit the gas a little when you take off in order to release the clutch or you won't be moving at all.. rev it til about 1.5-2K rpms and slowly release the clutch until your car moves then you can release all the way.. as for engine breaking, you get that jerk because you're letting go of your clutch too fast.. when you're downshifting, either match rev to get that extra boost that you need or just slowly release the clutch and you'll slow down more smoothly..

i still think you're crazy choosing the 8 over a 2005 m3.. nonetheless, it's a great car.. congrats and welcome!

spork

i learned stick on my 8 too. I posted this on another thread about this very topic but since it's an old skool thread I'll just type it up again.

I basically learned by taking about 40-60 minutes a night when I had the time practicing around my neighborhood. First thing is I hope your neighborhood is flat. If it's not have your dad drive you to a flat area to practice. The last thing you want is to learn on a hilly area. Starting from a stop is the worst part of driving stick and starting from a stop on a steep hill is the worst thing you'll experience in a manual transmission car.

The way I did it was for the first week practice starting from a stop in a level area relatively late at night (no cars). Basically stop. Get into first gear, lift the clutch until you hit the catch point (the car will shake a little and move forward a little), give it a little gas, release the clutch. Once the car is in motion and your foot is off the clutch completely, put your foot back on the clutch, press and stop fully (use the brake). Repeat. Over and over again. Do this for the first week. This is by far the hardest part of manual.

The second week I did more of this (since I only practiced like 3 or 4 days out of the first week due to being busy). The third week I drove around the neighborhood in first, second and third gear. Fourth and fifth week I ventured a bit out of the neighborhood where there's a little traffic. Sixth week I drove to a friend's house. I still sucked, but I made it without embarassing myself too badly. :D

I still overrev often on hills when people pull up close behind me (though I barely have any roll anymore, it just freaks me out when someone's behind me on a hill). Better to burn the clutch a little than stall on a hill though (in my opinion at least). There's no way in hell I'll drive in San Francisco though. At least not for another year or so.

What I've found is I have some good driving days and some really crappy ones. Some days you can barely tell if I shift gears and some days you'd have to be unconscious not to notice. Manual is a pain in the *** but you know what? It adds so much to the driving experience and I'm really glad I got my manual 8. :D Hope you enjoy your 8. (And you're crazy for not taking the M3. )

paintballa

Dude, I went through almost the exact same situation. I had a choice of several cars and finally set my heart on the RX-8. We negotiated for hours... for days. Me and my parents had been looking for cars for about a year. To me, this was just another car that I would love to have, but the price wouldn't be right. Well, on my way to work one day, they called me and told me that I needed to go see them. When I did, I found that they had bought a 2004 black 6-speed RX-8 for me. I was ssssooo excited, but had no clue how to drive a standard. The next day I was taught by my dad. It took me about 2 hours to be able to do it alright. After about 1 1/2 weeks, I was shifting smooth. I have gotten better and better since then. You will not regret getting a standard.

Tip 1: Don't be scared to rev your engine up to 3,000 rpm's and SLOWLY let off the clutch. I did that for the first several days until I got the hang of things. Make sure you don't let the clutch out too fast (especially if something is in front of you) or you'll peel out.

Tip 2: Go out into the country and practice on some ridiculously steep hills. This will teach you how to handle hills that you would never ever have to deal with in everyday driving. It will also help you with being able to get started from first.

Tip 3: ENJOY YOUR NEW 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

khtm

tell your parents to buy you some English lessons, too.

oh, and congrats on your car....merry xmas :D

ironmedic

clutching is an art. u can give it like 5k but as long as u control the clutch, u will be fine. i have always taught my wife that lesson. once u get used to clutching from a stop, u can probably give it like 1500rpms and roll it smooth.

black-rx8-msbodykit

iTrader: (-1)

I first learn stick on my rx8 too, took me few days to learn. My dad let me practice on a little hill the first day, it was kind scary for me because i know i would burn the clutch, but after awhile u kind use to the hill, and you go on the smooth road, it was much more easier. that's how i learn to drive a manuel. By the way, i choosed Rx8 over a 1994 toyota supra. I know supra is a lot faster, but it's too old, and i don't trust second hand car. If i were u, i would choose the M3, it's really nice car, you can make it look very nice. I am still 16, i'll get a new car when i am older. congrat on your decision.

EyeBall Fixer...(o)(x)

I predict a new clutch by this time next year....

BlueFrenzy

Congrats on the car! I too learned stick shift on the 8 after years of driving auto. Like the other fellows said, find a parking lot late at night and practice starting from a stop. As for hills, the way I learned was from tips here and on www.standardshift.com. I found a shopping mall loading ramp and just practiced getting up the ramp.

Only thing that scares me about your downshifting is the engine braking (screeching that you are describing) ... match those revs! Blip the throttle to get the revs to about 3K before you let the clutch go.

Again awesome present from your folks. Be grateful to them and don't abuse the 8 too much. Oh and I'm glad that you got it over the M3 .. then again, I think the 8 is the best car ever.

Paul_in_DC

You're crazy... but you're in good company since most RX-8 drivers are crazy too. :D

Getting used to driving a stick just takes time and practice. I've been driving a stick since before you were born, and even I stalled it a couple times in the first week or two. *BLUSH!*

Learn all you can from the sites people listed, then practice practice practice!

Congrats on your new toy, and welcome to the madhouse.

RXE16T

'Daddy bought me a car'

...........the less said, the better.

sohcpunk

I would probably have taken the M3 with a nice SMG transmission and over 300hp in a heart beat over the RX8 any day. Bad decision if you ask me. Even thought it was more expensive and insruance was higher, but hey you only live life once!

angeLa___x

getting a rx8 for christmas... WOW... congrats!! for christmas, someone backed up into my 8 ='[ haha oh well glad to hear that you're happy with your new car! :D

RX-Hachi

Nope, don't think you're crazy at all. Good choice and congrats!

I chose the RX-8 over the e46 M3 too. No doubt the M3 is a nice car, better power and more prestige etc. But for my money (as Daddy does me no such favors), the RX-8 is more unique, more agile, has sports car sytling, is just as fun to drive and saved me $20K+. But then I've also owned a bunch of BMWs in the past (325is, e36 M3, 535i, and still have a 540i), so I was kind of tired of 'em.

portero23

greg-

I totally chose (well, am choosing) the RX-8 over an '01 S4. They are about the same price, but you just can't beat that new car smell! I looked for 2 months for an S4, ended up walking away from 5 different cars due to quality issues. Buying a new RX-8 is so much easier! Just find the car you want, haggle the dealer down a bit, and buy! Granted...the '01 S4 is damn sexy...a simple chip mod will take the 250hp to 300+. Going Stage III will change the car entirely. It's a dragster with quattro handling! I'm choosing the RX-8 because I can buy it with the reassurance that there was no prior owner abusing it. And when it comes to S4's...people really abuse them. Plus, the 8 is more distinctive. There are a million Audi S4's and A4's running around in New England, but I've only seen one RX-8 on the street. Add on the hi-revving rotary engine and the car's crisp handling, it's a no brainer! I can't wait! I'm going to the dealer tomorrow...

-P23

P.S. Shak, you're crazy for not getting the M3...but then again, I agree, it's way too much car for an 18 y/o. Hell, I could probably finance an M3 right now, but it's way too much car for this 22 y/o! I'll get either an M3 or a 911s when I hit that mid-life crisis... Welcome to the cult!

\\Konig\\

iTrader: (4)

I think you made a good choice by going with the 8. And dont worry too much about 1st gear issues. I was horrible, and I literally mean horrible, when I first got my 8. I felt bad that I had to learn on the 8 yet after a good amount of driving I got used to it. I'm actually still a little slow to get going from first gear but I can finally do it smoothly so im happy . Hope you have fun with your brand-spankin new 2005 RX-8!

MrH

You, my friend, are an idiot. I bet your repair shop just loves when you come into the shop for a new clutch every few months. :D

Just a few tips when first driving stick.

In your driveway, with the car in neutral, and the parking brake on, practice using the throttle. Let the car warm up, and then see if you can get it to 1,500 RPM, and hold it, then try to get right to 2,000 RPM right away, and hold it there. May sound like a dumb exercise, but by picking out different RPM's to try and modulate the throttle to get to, it'll help you not over rev when starting from a stand still.

Just try to keep your revs at a constant RPM all while letting out the clutch. You'll get it in a few days.

Good luck.

StewC625

I will keep my mouth shut this time. Goodness knows I've been flamed on the "daddy bought me" topic before.

must ... avoid ... comment!

pbr

And they say we dont spoil our children in this country, I am truly amazed that 18-22 year olds still living at home are driving 30k cars around, truly a sign of the times and easy money to borrow, enjoy it while you can, cause when rates go up in the near future there will be a reckoning. What happened to the idea of saving your money and living within ones means? Or working for it? These parents are doing their kids no favors by spoiling them. Either that or we have a disproportionate number of rich kids on this board.

portero23

my philosophy: If I earned it in a fair and honest way, and I've given back to the community, I have the right to use my money in any way shape or form. If I choose to give it to my 18y/o son in the form of a brand new RX-8 so that he can taste success and use it as inspiration, so be it. If I choose to forego my (useless) 401(k) and spend my signing bonus on my dream car, so be it. If I choose to donate half my salary to the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter, that's awesome! If I choose to save my money for a rainy day, boring, but that's cool too. However, nothing sucks more than a successful guy who doesn't know how to enjoy life.

I admit, I grew up in a wealthy household. Yup, I was spoiled. Was I spoiled rotten? No. Was I lucky? Yes. Am I socially conscious of the wealth paradigms in the United States? Yes. Do I do my part to help those who are less fortunate than me? Yes. Did daddy give me a hand through college? Yes. Am I grateful? Extremely so. Did I earn my (future) 8? Well, I'm paying for it right? (more on this later)

Some people are luckier than others, that's just how the world works. If I've got the means, I'll probably spoil my kid too. At the same time, I'll pray that he comes out right, using his childhood taste of wealth and success as inspiration to work hard in order to maintain a certain quality of life. More importantly, I hope he'll be socially conscious as well, realizing that not everybody is born to an emotionally and financially stable family. My family did an awesome job with that, trying to show us success, and at the same time making it a point to help those who needed it.

As it stands, I'm paying for my RX-8, but I couldn't have done that at all without the support of the family. It's not solely the hard work I've put in over the years, but that of many generations of my family striving to get to a better place. Think about it, every single one of you owes your RX-8 to your daddy/momma/step-great-uncle/or whoever it was who nurtured you into a functional member of our society, because without them, you'd just be a dead baby in a trash can.

Shak, congratulations on your new car. You probably worked hard through high school and were rewarded for getting into a good college. Awesome. Just remember that not every reward is going to be as sweet as a brand new 2005 RX-8, and that you're going to work hard to be able to give your son a kickass car when he graduates. I'd say the next place you should go with your sexy sweet car is down the road to the coat drive with a box full of warm clothes in the trunk.

We live in a capitalist society...look around you, at how commercialized the holidays have become. That just means some people have it better than others. There will always be someone who is stronger/faster/wealthier/cooler/kinder/sweeter/luckier than you. Like that kid who goes to my cousins high school who drives a Bentley.

Happy Holidays, enjoy what you have, and try to imagine your life without what's most important to you.

StewC625

Aw hell, might as well say what I want to say.

1) To the kid that started this thread. Congrats. Happy for you, enjoy your -8. Know that it's a gift, that you didn't "earn" it through grades, keeping your nose clean, etc. It was a gift. Deal with it. Drive it responsibly please.

2) In a response to the above, I'll start with your closing thought "imagine your life without what's most important to you". Well, the ONLY thing that is truly important to me is my family - my wife and kids. Having seen a few tough times in my life from a cashflow state (the 1991 recession and late 2001 both come to mind), I can say that both times we didn't need to cut to the quick. That's because we live responsibly. But more importantly is the attitude of my kids - they know we can afford to live far larger than we do. But we live the way we do because we don't NEED to live larger. We can afford to do the things we want to do Choosing to do them or not is another issue.

My RX-8 will be about four years old when my 12 year old son turns 16. It will go back to the leasing company a few weeks after he gets his license. He will never get to drive it by himself. I WILL teach him how to drive in it though - it's important for a kid to know how to drive a manual transmission.

I will buy my son a good "sensible shoes" car that's several years old - a Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota whatever, etc. He will need transportation.

I will do for him what my parents did for me in addition to that. When I turned 16, my grandparents wanted to buy me a car. They gave my parents about $15,000 to do it with. Instead, my parents bought me a sensible car (a Chevy Chevette ... yikes), AND deposited more than $10,000 into a durable trust that I could "touch" when I was 22. Then, when my grandparents wanted to buy me a car for graduation, instead my folks asked them to contribute to my college education, therefore reducing my share (our deal was "you pay half"). They also gave me another $10K for a graduation gift, again in a durable trust, this time not available until I was 25.

So, what did I do with all that dough? Well, I have to admit, I used $5000 of the original sum on a downpayment on my beloved 1985 RX-7, which I bought as a graduation gift to myself when I got my post-college job. No cosigner on that loan! But left the rest untouched. On my 25th birthday, I used the remainder, plus my other trust, plus a big whack of my own money and bought a house. Find another 25 year old that can do that. And doens't have to go to mom and dad for the check or a co-sign.

You'll argue "but that was still Daddy's money" ... yup, I'll give you that. But it's money I wouldn't have had to build a life-long asset (my house) had we given into temptation and instead buy me a car.

Today, I can afford to do pretty much what I want. And afford to give my kids what I want to give them. But instead of all their clothes coming from Abercrombie and Fitch, they come from Kohl's. Instead of our vacations being going to some all-inclusive resort or cruise ship, where they head off to the kids club while mom and I go to the beach/pool/etc., we take family vacations to interesting places in the USA, via driving, and have great family time together. This year was Cape Cod. Last year was Colorado mountains. And instead of a $75,000 BMW or Mercedes-Benz, I drive a $30,000 RX-8. No reason to spend more. Although I easily could.

I just think that we overspoil children these days. Yes, my kids are playing with their latest/greatest Playstation games this December 26th, while other kids in our world are wondering where their next meal is going to come from. They are more spoiled than I'd ideally like them to be. But I honestly do think they appreciate the life they have and know that while they could have much more, what's more important is the family life and enjoyment they have.

Ok, off the soapbox now.

Stew

Paul_in_DC

There was a joke going around here ...

Q: What's the difference between a BMW and an elephant?
A: The elephant has an *sshole on the outside.



Apologies to all non-*sshole BMW owners. :D

khtm

Yep, you can definitely tell by his incredible English prowess. No doubt yet another US education system success story.