a fork in the road
 

Alright, i know some of you don't want to hear about someone's dilemma but i know there are others here who can give very insightful information to those who ask.

About 7 or 8 months ago i got my first car, its a TI-gray 2004 A/T rx8. At first, i thought it was the coolest thing on the road. I was showing all my friends and what not, showing it off like it was a lambo. After a short amount of time i decided i wanted to do some work, so i joined this forum and began to learn about the car. It was shortly after i realized i had made a huge mistake.

My mistake was getting the A/T version of the car. I didnt realize until later on that i was missing two gears, two ports, and 1k rpm. Once i made these realizations i started to notice how slow the car truly is and this fact just grew and grew on me. After talking to my friends i decided i had no choice but to look in to a 6 speed M/T version of the car.

The only problem is i didnt buy this car myself. My parents payed for most of it, so this is even more their car then it is mine (even though they never drive it and what not). So i dont have the option of just trading it in or selling it and buying a M/T version. With that option out the window i find my self at a fork in the road, two ways i could go with this.

option 1. Suck it up. Yeah the cars slow, but its there. Do the work, learn about it, and do what i can to make it perform.

option 2. Hold on to the car. Dont touch it and dont invest any money or time in to it. Save save save save. Eventually junk or sell it and buy a real car.

The reason in posting this is that i want everyones input. What do you guys think is the best direction to go from here?

This may be of interest to you. I have proven that it is not as hard as people on this forum make it out to be. I think I am the first to do this (without doing a standalone computer or an alternate engine swap as well).

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-specific-performance-mods-97/mt-swap-151684/

Let me just say that this TRANSFORMED the car. Not so much in terms of raw speed, but just in smoothness, feedback, and connectivity to the car while driving. This car went from the bottom of my list of favorite rides, to very near the top. The responsiveness has increased 2 or 3 times and the gas mileage has also slightly improved (granted, I skip shift 1-3-6 most of the time in town). Before, the car looked nice, but I was almost embarrassed to drive it because it was just slow, unresponsive, gutless, and shifted nervously unless I manually controlled it. Now it does EXACTLY what I want it to, and it feels like I am driving something very nice and smooth. It feels like the value of the car has doubled, literally.

That is an awesome project to undertake if you have the resources and skills to do something like that. My problem is i have parents (im only 18) who are very uneducated when it comes to cars and think the only thing i want to do is go fast. I mean, thats true, :) but still. The thought of ever trying to explain a transmission swap to them would be near impossible. Money is also a huge issue there, because with my gas/insurance/loan payments and my income level leaves me with very little money to spare. Thats why i have to make a decision now as to wether or not i want to save up for something different or spend the money on this thing now.

I do appreciate the input though. Thats a very interesting thread to read up on and its cool to see that it can be done.

Sounds like you need higher priorities in life then. The best thing you can do is keep up with oil changes, run some premix, hope your engine is in good shape, and just drive the car as is while you finish school, get a higher paying job, and save money for mods or another car (daily beater to save money).

You need to be out from under your parents wing before you start getting greedy with mods for your car IMO, as it would be silly to have a sweet ride and live with mommy. Of course I got everything I have on my own since I moved out when I was 17 with a few clothes and a $300 '82 chevette.

Thats true. I just started college this year at the community college where i live so im stuck with the rents for two more years now anyway. And i dont know what you mean by needing higher priorities in my life?

higher priorities than modding your car, versus saving money and doing the school thing, so you can get more money and get out of the parents place. I say that because I see a lot of younger people living at home when they are 24 but having a 40 thousand dollar (price of car plus price of mods) ride. I'd rather have a 3 thousand dollar ride and live on my own than have a 30 thousand dollar ride and live at home, but apparently that is not the "normal" opinion these days.

Oh ok i totally agree. Well in FLA you can do two years at a community college and then transfer out to a university so hopefully in 4 or 5 years i can be on my own and hopefully the 8 will have gotten me through that time. That seems like the viable option, but i stare at my car every day thinking that i could be doing something to it anyways.

Live in Wellington eh? *Lives in WPB*

see with your parents if they don't mind going with you to swap the car for a M/T one, do a trade-in. I nabbed the only red 09 RX8 M/T (touring trim) in Florida though I think :p

They do have a black one still supposedly.

Go to a dealer, ask them how much they'd offer for your current one, see what your options are for a manual trans one. Might get lucky and find one for only a few grand more than the trade-in value of your current one.

:)

thats always another option. my 8 is in incredible shape for an 04. its only at about 30k. i might swing by the new dealership out on southern blvd.

Stevie-

RotaryResurrection gives sage advice. Just hang onto your car as-is, maintaining it well, and focus on school. You're fortunate that your parents are supporting you while you're in school and have even bought you wheels.

FWIW, an AT RX-8 isn't exactly a junker. Still a very cool ride. Maybe not as fast at the MT version, but an MT 8 isn't as fast as a 350Z. Which isn't as fast as a bunch of other cars out there. Don't let peer pressure (you said you talked to yur friends) cause you to obsess with a car rather than concentrate on building your future.

Ken

I hope you or the OP do not take this the wrong way...just my opinion...

the OP already said the parents footed the bill for "most" of the car. And as a parent myself I can say that I would be DAMNED pissed if my offspring came to me wanting a newer/faster version of an already cool/newer car that I had supplied to him at very little cost. I would go so far as to think they were ungrateful if the very suggestion were made, and I'd have a mind to take him out of that car and put him into a beretta or some shit. :rofl:

Maybe I am just bitter that my parents could not/would not give me a nice newer car when I was young, but that is my own opinion. :dunno:

That said, I am not in the situation you are in, so only you can make the decision that best suits you. :)

yeah peer pressure seems to have played a pert here or there. its funny that you mention the 350z because i hang with a dude who drives one.

as far as looks go im in love with my car. its a very cool ride and the ladies like it. if i am stuck with this car for while it atleast has those pros going for it.

no thats true too and i think thats another reason im at constant war with my parents over this car. in the end ill probably keep this, end up throwing an exhaust on and some other small bolt on apps and thats that.

oh and btw. my parents payed 10k and im in the process of paying the other 7.5k off. i say this so you can gauge how much they really have a say in this car, which is alot.

i hate to sound like a spoiled little kid. i really am grateful to not be driving a beater. it just the fact that i have to live with the mistake of not getting a MT that bothers me.

on the note of exhaust on an auto...don't do it. Been there, done that. You get no noticeable gain, but the car sounds like shit and you get a CEL due to cat removal. At least on an MT you get a gain that is worthwhile, but it is not worthwhile on an AT. I guess they don't move enough air to make the exhaust a significant restriction. I ran a MP on my car while it was still AT and the only good thing about it was that the floorboard didn't get as hot, as quick. I ran it for a few thousand miles and then pulled it off and traded it for a stock cat. The best thing you can do is just cruise in it as-is and maintain it so that the engine holds up for a long time. Maybe throw on a set of rims, ground effects and lower it if you have to.

this should have been a POLL

thats if i ditch the cat i guess. yeah i was looking at an r-magic front lip, they look pretty clean. that, a debadge and a lower and i can probably pull off a clean look. oh and some clear corners too!

They sprang for more than half, and you're at war with them?

But you're pretty good at it. ;)

At your age, what more do you want out of a car?

Ken

wow. im not going to turn this in to an argument but i like how you re arrange the some of the stuff typed in the first quote to make it sound like that ;)

thanks for the advice!

after reading alot of what was said here, it looks like im going to have to suck it up and ride this one out. live and learn i guess. next time i get a car, im going to do alot more research and be much more careful before pulling the trigger.

see you guys around the forums

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Just throwing this out there, you may also want to consider leasing your next car, especially if you have a good car to trade in as down payment for it, you'll get a substantially lower monthly bill plus it'll build up your credit rating nicely, providing you stay on top of the bill. Just FYI.

No argument or offense intended - just trimming the excess to save space...and it really did sound like that to me. Glad you liked it. :)

Ken

don't fix it up or put any money into it if you truly don't like it. any mods to this car are NOT goin to make it ANY faster. you could do suspension ande it will take corners better, but that's it.

talk to your parents and see if they are receptive to selling it and getting you something else. if you have valid reasons and it won't be too financially devastating to sell it, they may help you out. one "angle" to work with is gas mileage. point out what bad gas mileage you are getting and how if you repalce it with a better more economical car - that means any other car prettymuch - you woudl save X on gas. the gas savings over the next 3 years might even offset any loss you take on the car - depending on how much you drive.

you may want to go test drive stuff that WOULD be in your new car price range and see if you even likethem. one plus the rx has - even your AT - is that in the price range - it's a lot of fun. the stick is more fun, but your AT is still mor efun than any civic, or other car.

what did you payf or it? how much do you/them owe on it. if you can't get enough out of it to cover your loan - you may be so upside down that you CAN'T sell it = then you may want to do some minor suspension/tire mods to make it more fun to tide you over.

if you can get out of it for almost what you owe - and there is somethign else out there that turns your crank then go for it.

be patient. you sound young. study hard, get agood job and as you age you will be able to buy cool stuff. but it takes time...

how old are you? why not just put all your effort into getng laid...

buy a used greddy turbo and install it yourself. if you are smart about it, you'll spend $2500 and you'll get 240whp. thats up from your 130whp right now.

but you should really just focus on other things.

this is plainly a lack of doing ones homework....so i'm sure u were told before the purchase how you would hate it so...........search and you will learn