With the exception of high rpm clutch dumping, I don't think we'll have problems with fried clutches on the RX8. I raced and autocrossed my Miata for many years, and the clutch was never a problem, and would have lasted 150k miles if I'd left it in there (and not had to replace a bearing). With the relative ease and low cost of replacing MT parts, I'd be a lot more concerned with repairing an AT after the warranty was up.

 

I've been noticing how many people are learning stick because of the RX-8, including me. :D I couldn't in good conscience have my first sports car be an automatic.

It's a lot of fun. For anyone who's thinking of learning stick, I'll say it wasn't hard to learn the basics. Now I'm trying to teach myself how to get going faster and how to shift quicker and more smoothly (so it feels like an automatic).

Driving in traffic is really not that big of a deal. Personally, I like it because it gives me lots of practice getting the car started from a stop. I guess once I master that, that will get old pretty quickly. Oh well, that's when I start learning how to race.

 

True, AT's are more expensive. but I work for an auto parts store so I get good discounts on parts if I need them. But when it gets to bad it's usually cheaper to just replace it than to repair it. In that case one of my business accounts deals in the 30k mile engines and transmissions from Japan (witch I get discounts on ).
There is not as much of a demand for the transmissions so the price for a AT is generally about the same as a MT.
Everyone has a different opinion on this, but for me I feel AT are more reliable. Which is important since I need my car for work.
And as far as price, after owning a porsche NOTHING on my 8 will shock me as far as pricing is concerned. ($120 for a door lock, what the f#*k )

BTW I am in no way knocking the 6MT, this is just my opinion and personal preference. And as anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm an idiot.

 

After about 3 weeks of owning my MT 8 ... I'm trying to stay away from AT. Everytime I get into the Corolla, it feels so awkward and foreign. And to be honest, learning on the 8 isn't THAT bad. Just be sure you're familiar with theory. I think that there was a thread on that earlier this week.

 

what is up with the 'I bought the AT cause I don't like bumper to bumper' I don't see the big deal that is usually an excuse someone who doesn't know how to drive a stick or had a bad experience driving a stick talks...the reality is when I get stuck in traffic I don't even notice i'm shifting...everything becomes second nature after you've been driving a stick for a while. Also if you get really good at stick you'll be SMOOTHER than an automatic

 

Definitely worth buying the manny tranny ... driving a sports car with an automatic is like having sex while wearing a ... oh wait, that's politically incorrect. How about "like taking a shower with your raincoat on" ... Yeah, that's the proper euphimism!

Seriously, the power and rush in the manny tranny -8 will bubble your brain cells!

My son turns 16 in 3 years and 10 months. My RX-8 goes away (off lease) in exactly 4 years from right now. I'll teach him to drive on the -8 so he learns a manual transmission, and then buy him a good used manual trans econobox to tool around in. My parents had a manual transmission car for me when I was in high school (Yikes, it was a Chevy Chevette! YIKES!), and I'm convinced that a youthful driver is a better driver with a manual. More to do, less opportunity to not pay attention to your driving.

I can't tell you the number of times these days I see the spoiled brats in my town in their expensive cars (Ok, bring on the flames but I think you all know how I feel about this by now) yapping on their damn cell phones or half-turned around in the driver's seat to talk to the kid in the back seat. Manual is clearly the way to go in that regard.

 

ok ok i stopped after the first page of people complaining about AT being better than MT for bumper to bumper...frankly after 2 months of driving stick you wont even notice yourself shifting, its no longer a conscious decision...even in traffic.

ive never driven automatic (for more than 10 minutes) so i guess im uninformed there, but cmon driving in traffic is not a chore in a MT by any length. Learning stick is not hard either its all about being calm instead of excitable and worried...if you slow down and think about it you'll get it, and as you get more experienced you'll speed up the process and what was originally a slow but meticulous process will be a very fast but equally meticulous shift that becomes as natural as walking.

edit: frankly i think we americans should take a page from the europeans and everyone should know how to drive stick and most cars should be stick. Drivers need to be in total control and you cant have that with AT

 

This was basically the first manual tranny car I'd ever had. I don't regret the decision. Unless there are other circumstances such as constant bumper to bumper traffic, a wife who refuses to learn stick, or you tend to injure your left leg often then I would get the MT and learn to drive it.

 

the stick is the ultimate phallic symbol, that alone is enough to learn it

 

That one always kills me... people who make such a major decision on a vehicle because their wife/husband/GF/whatever doesn't know how to drive stick. In that case, you always get the manual- if they're too lazy to learn, you get more seat time... what's better than that? :D

That being said, back in college my girlfriend (now wife of 13 years) found a killer deal on a Jeep Wrangler for her first car, but didn't know how to drive stick. I talked her into buying it, and spent a couple of hours in an empty parking lot that night teaching her. She's always thanked me for forcing her to learn by making her spend $12k on something she didn't know how to drive... since then I've bought her MT's where appropriate, and she loves to drive my 8 now.