daddyg

Hi there

Looking to buy one this week (still trying to bargain with the dealer in Toronto) and definitely want to get the 6speed vs. the Auto. One problem, all my cars have been auto, and I will have to learn how to drive stick.

Would this be a bad car to learn on, since it has unique configuration/rpms?

My friend has taken me out to try once on his Audi A4, but I need a lot more practice.

Thanks!

rotten42

Learn how to drive a stick and buy the 6 speed....more power, more fun.....the auto is for the ladies!


(yes I know I am asking for it with that last comment...bring it on) :D :D :D

RUmble

Once you learn how to drive stick you'll never want to go back... in my opinion. I know how to drive stick, but never owned a manual car. You gotta learn at some point. Don't let it stop you from buying the 6speed 8.

Ninja

I don't think the 8 would be tougher to learn on than any other manual. The big thing is just practice, and smoothe movement of the throttle and clutch pedals. The 8 may rev higher than most other manauls, but it's quite manageable at low RPM.

veilsidev1

getting stick was the best car decision i have ever made, more power, more speed, higer revs looks and feels cooler and the chicks dig it. Im 17 and learned how do drive stick in this car, pretty easy.

czr

iTrader: (3)

As someone mentioned on another thread, get a rental and spend the $50 and learn until you are comfortable (beat it up) before you go on the 8. I tried teaching my gf to drive on my 8 and mission not accomplished. She stalled a bunch of times and didn't flood, but I felt sorry for the 8. She got jealous when she sees how much fun I have. I must warn you; hard to look for a comparable beater but its a great start.

markd

I have an auto, and while I can't quite pace with the manuals out there (although I've never tried and, out of respect of my fellow 8's, probably wouldn't try to race unless they wanted to do it for fun), it still jets once you get above a certain mph and I understand that it's better for city driving.

I never learned how to drive a stick, though, so I'm speaking from a completely A/T perspective.

G8rboy

The RX-8 is very forgiving to learn on- the motor doesn't bog/stall very easy, the clutch is very smooth and effortless, and crazy tall powerband means if you forget to shift, there's plenty of RPM's left. And I won't get involved with another AT vs MT pissing match, but they really are two different vehicles with different personalities. I personally love to have complete control of the vehicle, upshifting and downshifting all the time according to the conditions, and the power at 9000k redline is like crack :D

Morgan

get a stick...i was forced to learn on stick and always said when i bought my first car it would be auto, but obvisouly that didn't work..i wouldn't EVER drive an auto..in fact..i'm HORRIBLE at it..i tend to slam on the break thinking it's the clutch...my sister hates when i drive her car cause i do it all the freakin' time!!!

and rotten: we're not another fight to add to that thread..i'm going to beat you when/if i ever meet you!!! LOL! AUTO'S ARE NOT FOR GIRLS! THEY"RE FOR LAZY PEOPLE! GRRRRRR (jk people..everyone has their reasons..)

Grabitquick

I've also always driven manual because I like to have more control of the car and it also makes me pay attention. It's not unlike manual versus autofocus in a camera--you can get lazy when you don't have to think about it at all. Anyway, my two cents says go for the manual. After all, your left knee may not work forever and you'll want to experience the manual transmission before you need that knee replacement.

phee

I'm with Morgan. Hurt you I will. LOL

I haven't driven an automatic in years. Taught my son to drive a manual, and I'll teach my daughter the same. A stick makes you drive your car instead of thinking you can multi-task while you drive. And it's a whole lot more fun

shelleys_man_06

If you're still intimidated by a manual transmission, you can still invest in an automatic RX-8. I drove one before I went home with the manual, and it was pretty fun to drive. Personally, I'd still rather have the 6-speed, as it's very forgiving like other members have said.

JeRKy 8 Owner

The only problem I have w/my automatic is that if you are driving calmly between 31 - 40 mph and thenall of a sudden gun it - youll barely feel any pick up until youre going 45+ mph. See onceyou are driving past 30mph the computer prevents youfrom dropping to 1st gear which forces you to stay at the bottom of 2nd gear. Since 2nd gear is very tall youll be stuck at its low (or should I say slow) RPM range until youre going 45. This lackof pickup annoyance only lasts a couple seconds (depending onhow far away you are from 45 mph). Nevertheless it feels very disappointing (at leastfor me) to temporarily get "stuck" in this "dead zone" of the car w/no way around it sincethe computer is restricting you. If the manual Rx8s even have a problem likethis Im sure its not as bad b/c they have a wider powerband w/their 1500 additional RPMs.

So w/the automatic - for the sake of comfort (not having to clutch and shift) youre accepting more limitations on your engine b/c you only have 4 gears instead of 6 and a lower redline of 7500 instead of 9000.

Morgan

hmm..so is it bad that i multi-task and drive a stick...i'm talking, drinking, cell phone...at the same time..LOL!

cas2themoe

It was my first stick too and it was actually easy to learn in this car. I had one of my friends who has been driving stick all his life drive it and he said it was one of the best gear boxes hes ever felt.

rotten42

I'm counting on it...I was told before that you were going to kick my ***!..that sounds interesting. :D

93rdcurrent

IMHO (note the caps... :D ) the only thing that beats stick is the SMGII system that BMW has on their M cars. That is unless you go really high end with the Ferraris and such. I still like the feel of shifting myself but on the track or stoplight to stoplight you can't shift as fast with 0 errors like you can with the SMGII. That said the RX-8 doesn't have the SMGII so get the stick.

Abracadabra

I have an AT as well, stock no less. My wife of 29 years doesn't drive a stick so as a concession the AT was the choice. I can drive a stick...had a 73 vette and a Saab which I would drive to work in NYC every day...lots of clutching. I think the 6 speed might be more fun to drive but not so sure in bumper to bumper rush hour. The AT is kinda strange how the speed kicks in around 45...then it's very quick. The mpg has been great...24.5 on highway at 75 mpg reliably, 20 around town. We got the AT for easy driving enjoyment. It's that andf more.Which ever you choose...the car turns heads. I drove into a Jaguar/Aston Martin dealership in Palm Beach last week to look at the Lotus Elsie and it was pretty funny to see the heads turn and stare when I drove by. Good luck and have fun!

Vertigo-1

iTrader: (3)

After tooling around with the manual mode on my AT RX-8, I can see why it *really* needs at least a 5 speed. 2nd gear is indeed ridiculously tall...you can do anywhere from 10mph to probably 80mph all in 2nd gear. This makes it very hard to have any revving fun at all without completely destroying the speed limit around town. The pickup is also pretty pitiful below 3000 RPM...especially noticeable if you're bumper to bumper, then suddenly the car in front blasts off. It's tough to catch up till after 3000 RPM...then the car just flies.

Nonetheless, I have tons of fun just the same...I have complete control over my gears, so I don't see what advantage the manual has here. Other then you being able to blow up the car by downshifting at the wrong RPMs, playing "rock the boat" with passengers, and the pure adrenaline rush you get everytime someone goes bumper to bumper with you on a hill. :D I've yet to encounter a situation where I can't downshift because the computer's restricting me. Heck I accidentally downshifted to first twice now while going 20...it felt HORRIBLE. Once the car moves, you should be staying away from first gear anyways, even in a manual.

phee

No, no, no......not THAT kind of multi-tasking. I'm talking about the guy shaving, talking to his passenger and driving, or the one I saw eating a freakin' bowl of cereal while driving (and I use that term loosely), or the lady reading her Thomas Brothers (positioned squarely on her steering wheel) while talking on her cell phone and driving. That's what I mean by multi-tasking, and generally done by people NOT driving sticks!

vsomaya

Driven sticks for 7 years and bought an auto because I need to do a 60 mile commute every morning. There's no question that the 6 spd rules if you don't have to deal with a lot of city driving. I agree with those who advise that you learn on another car - not because it'll be easier but once you step up to the 6 spd you'll realise why everyone is going on about this manual.
Either ways you're going to get a car that will turn heads and give you juice when you need it.
Enjoy !

Ninja

I love my MT, and would never consider switching.

That said, every time I get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic it is one of the most frustrating experiences... If I had THAT sort of commute on a regular basis I would definitely consider an AT. But then I'd probably have gotten something different... I've seen what an AT can do compared to an MT. On high reving, fast, twisties there's NO comparison: the MT is notably faster. :D

budebaker

I have the A/T and have always had an auto car. I've noticed that a lot of people who have sticks, their first car was a standard so I guess it's what you get used to. I'm still breaking in the engine, so I have been driving the 8 very hard, but I can attest to the slow-start and then suddenly, zoom (got a speeding ticket learning about that).

I've never regretted having an auto, especially with the tiptronic feature I had in previous cars, but with the 8, for the first time, I kind of wish I had got the manual. The extra gears, higher revs, more power, I feel like I am missing out.

Having said that, the auto is still a fun car to drive and the auto trans is very smooth. And the paddle shifters are fun. I live in LA so I'm sure there will be plenty of days where I'll be glad I got the A/T but right now, I'd say, get the stick.

Tony_Montana

hows the clutch? Is it heavy? Light? When dose it start to engage? Half way out? right off the floor?

1.3L-of-pure-crack

I'm just sick of replacing syncro's and clutches. My last two cars were a 1994 honda prelude v-tech (which has the weakest trany I have ever seen) and 1975 porsche 911. Both were manual 5spd. I do think manuals are more fun. But if it's a daily driver they can be a hassel especialy if you race allot on the weekends. I would autocross on sunday and not be able to get to work on monday because the clutch was fried. The honda was the worst because not only would I have to pull the trany out all the time to replace the clutch but I also went through 3 transmissions in the two and a half years that I owned it. It was really embarrassing having such nice cars that were always torn apart in my garage.
I bought my A/T 8 about a month and a half ago so I have not raced it yet. But from what I can tell from driving on back roads I don't think the A/T will slow me down any on the track.

AND I don't have to replace clutches anymore and if I blow up the trany I'v got a warranty.