Bankotsu

n/t

Digisan

MT

Gord96BRG

Better for what? Your criteria could be entirely different than mine - if the most important thing is how comfortable and easy it is for your 2 hour each way commute in stop-n-go traffic, then you might feel the auto is better. If you're concerned about resale value in 3 years, then I'd suggest that the manual trans is better... You'll have to go into more detail with your question if you want any meaningful answers.

Regards,
Gordon

Hercules

Gas mileage: manual (if they were the same power... hehe)
Longevity: manual
Service: manual
Fun: manual

Ease of use: auto

Sadly 90% of America can't drive a manual car so the remaining 10% of us really get happy when we're behind the wheel!

Bankotsu

What about all the stories I hear about manual being in the shops because of something? I am sorry, I am not that intelligent with cars.

tribal azn2

negative

RXhusker

As someone so appropriately said:

"Manuals are for people who LOVE TO DRIVE, Automatics are for people who love to steer"

Bankotsu

OK thanks for the replies guys. Now I just need to convince my dad that I want a Manual. If he disagress, won't matter because he is still paying for my RX-8. Yes I am a newbie driver. I drove for about 2 years now.

Haze

Well, good for you man!!!! There are so few young folks these days looking to learn how to drive manual that I think it's great.

I have no idea what part of the world you are in, but if you are in the US then your biggest problem might be finding a teacher for manual trans, but they are cheaper to buy in general and with the Mazda you get a whole lot more car. The major down side here in the US is that the resale value of manuals is normally less than a comparable automatic because you are substantially limiting the market for the car on resale. That might be a hang up for your dad. But man if you want the most out of this car . . . manual is the way to go.

-H

akrx8

man i wish my old man would have got me a 30,000 car when i was a kid.just tell your dad that a manual will improve your driver skills and get better gas mileage,i could work?

rpm_pwr

Is this true or an exageration? In Australia (at least where I've been) all males are expected to learn manual. It's perfectly normal for someone to toss a friend the keys to their car / work vehicle and expect that person to drive manual.

In fact, I don't know a single guy with an auto-only license. I know quite a few girls with them though.

Auto or manual? The only auto car I've ever owned, I spent $2500 on converting to manual

-pete

ibfubar2000

its usually because driver error. like people who ride the clutch or try to power shift with the clutch and who just abuse theor clutch all together. if used and maitnaied properly it should have no problems at all.

eccles

It's sad but true. The simple fact is that the vast majority of Murrikins drive slushboxes, so that's what they learn in. There's no such thing as an automatic-only licence (at least here in Texas; other states may differ).

It's another sad fact that most folks here never engage the handbrake. Perhaps that's why they refer to it as an "emergency brake." Hill starts are done with the left foot on the brake and the right on the gas, and parked vehicles are left rocking on the transmission in "Park".

I borrowed a friend's Saturn one day, and pulled the handbrake when I parked it. He thought I'd broken his car because it wouldn't move when he engaged reverse to back out of my driveway!

red_base 95

There are many factors to consider when choosing transmission type, but the primary factor is likely to be either driving experience or driving environment (i.e. stop n' go commuting).

The effect on resale value can be affected by the type of car. The RX-8 is inteded as an enthusiasts car, and the significant power difference between auto and manual models will help the resale values of the manual transmission. Corollas, neons, camry's and other mainstream midsize cars are adversely affected with a manual. But how many people really buy a car because of high residual values? (they are a distinct minority) A new car is a depreciating asset, to expect otherwise is foolish (there are exceptions, I know)

As for maintenance issues, I currently own a 95 Beretta that just turned 140,000 miles on the original clutch - and I am not perfect all the time. It is a self adjusting hydraulic clutch (for whatever that's worth), so there may be some wear advantages with this type. Most of the horror stories from the last 2 years regarding 6 speed celicas and RSX's come from those who were not paying attention or racing, and missed a shift (i.e. while coming from 5th gear at 6500 RPM, they miss 6th, drop to 4th, and over-rev the engine). Other maintenance issues are derived from clutch riders. My thought on this is only depress the clutch when changing gears, although clutch slipping from a stop on a hill is necessary if someone is behind you.

Regarding driver control....multi-tasking (talking on the phone while eating, applying make-up or other preening processes) is nearly impossible with a manual transmission. I have been guilty of it myself, I am a hypocrite. But I did get a handsfree device for my cell phone (less than $25 US), and is the only way I use the phone in the car. Lesson here: Never try to do too much at 70 MPH!

Finally - choose the tranny the fits your needs/desires, if you can. Ultimately, if you buy the car and don't like, I think the RX-8 will be easy to sell in the secondary market regardless of tranny type (at least for the 1st 12 months after release).

desmo996

And yet another reason why the U.S. doesn't have good F1 drivers and why NASCAR is so popular.

Hercules

NASCAR sucks

Racer X-8

I would like to think that even in the good old USA, it would be the other way around for the RX-8 as well as other enthusiast cars of this type.

m477

More like:

"Automatics are for people who love to talk on their cell phone and sip their latte" :p

Racer X-8

Uh, NASCAR cars are all strictly manual, F1 has trick shifter schemes that are almost like automatics. I don't see the parallel here, sorry.

desmo996

What a NASCAR driver is thinking during a race:
" There is a left turn... do i need to shift? Nah... Crap... another left turn .... shift.... nah.....another left turn...... shift?.... Nah... Maybe I'll slow down..... Actually I don't neeed to slow down because my car has restrictors anyway... Oh **** ....another left turn!!!

People who learn to drive stick tend to have a better understanding of car dynamics and performance. My wife learned and only drove A/T. I forced her to buy a manual and she loves it. She says she has much better control of the car and definately a much better car driver. I very sure Juan Pablo Montoya grew up with A/T (Sarcasm). :p

Good Duck

The resale value between an auto and a manual car is not that much. It's no more than a few hundred bucks ($200-$400). That's certainly less than the original sticker price to add the auto option. But that's only true for regular cars. In performance cars, the price difference is even less. There's instance where a manual will carry a premium over an auto.

From what I see here in Florida, more females drive manual than males.

blizz81

Quite. I was kind of forced into paying too much for my maxima, mainly because in months of searching within 100 miles I had found two SE 5-speeds, and one was a salvage title. Plus it was even more of a rarity that it was all OEM options. Hopefully I'll get an enthusiast buyer to appreciate the same factors.

I was also looking for 6-speed Type II Legend coupes. Only found one, and they played the rare card. Would have rather been rolling in that had a mechanics inspection not found quite a bit wrong with it that the seller was unwilling to compensate for.

Same token, an auto RX-8 may be somewhat of a rarity in the future, so someone might be willing to pay a bit more for one.

jonalan

Herc! Where do you think you are, Fresh Alloy?

8_wannabe

While reading the paper with a poodle in their lap.

Sputnik

Shyeah, right. The reason why NASCAR is so popular in the US is because it's on practically every weekend, the TV coverage is terrific compared to any of the other major racing series/events, and it is much easier to follow for those whose racing experience is limited to stoplights. Besides, in alot of cases, it actually is good racing (although Daytona and Talledega are the most boring races I've ever seen, IMHO).

The reason why the U.S. currently doesn't have good F1 drivers is because most U.S. drivers grew up watching U.S. racing series, and therefore ascribed to them instead, and they will normally go where the money takes them. It's along the same lines of more U.S. boys growing up wanting to play baseball, basketball, or football, than going overseas to play rugby or soccer.

---jps