Today i went to the dealer for the first time and it was a very enjoyable experience. They only had 2 rx-8s in stock and he gave me the keys to let me hear the engine and even offered a test drive. I like the car even more now haha. Just wanted to talk about my day at the dealership thanks.

 

So are you planning on buying it or what? What did you like about it..etc...

 

I was expecting this story to be about a happy service experience ... but doubted that. So DID you test drive it? Which one?

 

So are you going to buy it now? Or did you just want to let us know the dealership let you test drive a car?

What did you like about the car?

 

I dont want to get flamed but i'm only 16...I plan on buying a used rx-8 but i just wanted to sit in a new one since the dealer is literally down the blcok from my house.
Anyway i love everything about the car. I am really interested in getting a manual and my dad seems liek he would definitely be willing to. So i went out to the manual rx-8 they had and the guy offered to let me turn it on and rev it. Then he offered the test drive. My dad goes "he only has his permit" and the guy was like oooo its arite haha, but unfortuanltely my dad didn't let me.
Hopefully i will get this car because it looks awesome..thankss


Also, the manual seemed awesome..how do you guys think it woudl be to learn manual for a first car??

 

I'm close to your age, and this was my first manual car. I drove it home from the dealer (~25 miles, on Dale Mabry for Tampa folk) only stalling a few times Hehe, but in general I've found it be easy to learn the basics but quite difficult to make the gear transitions perfectly smooth at this point. I attribute it to how much the revs vary between gears, and how sensitive the pedals are.
What year is the car you are looking at?

 

so you want to get the car because it looks awesome?

 

I remember when I first posted threads like this. I myself am young [15 1/2] and have only my permit and I haven't driven a manual transmission too. I hope I can own an RX-8 sometime soon[noflamingplease]. At first all I knew about the 8 was that it uses a rotary motor and that it had freestyle/suicide doors. Nothing else. But after hanging around the forum for a month I learned a lot more about this car. Like the maintence, fuel economy, how a rotary works, and a lot of other things.
I say learn more about the car before deciding to buy it. Look at different threads in here and see what you can learn. I barely found out a few days ago that the 8 uses a modified tranny from a miata . Look at different cars too. Like maybe a honda or toyota. Something other than a sports car. I still can't decide what car i want. But I'm leaning towards an 8. I've learned wayyyyyy too much about this car to just get something else[though i wont mind]. The only thing bugging me is learning MT and the mpgs of this car. But that's what you get for a sports/performance car. lol. Blahblahblah. I can go on forever.

Learn more about the car first besides that it "looks awesome"

 

I have been lurking this forum for over a year now so I think I know a lot about this car. I know about the car using excessive oil, gas mileage, redlining it, etc.
I am most likely going to buy an 04 even though I know there were some problems with them bc they are pretty similar to the 06, 07,08.
Also the shifter felt really solid with short throws.

 

well good, then you may have read the other threads of 16 year olds getting 8's. if you havent, please do. btw, it doesnt use excessive oil, just a 1/2 quart to a full one every 3,000 miles. and the shifter feels short, cause i though the same thing, but once you get used to it, they sort of feel long. for learning how to drive stick, i will give you two pointers. first, put the rpms to 2-3000 and clutch slow, let it out slow when you start in first gear or reverse. second, dont use the 8 to learn how to drive stick. you dont want to take the chance on damaging the car you are about to buy. just go to another dealership, look around the lot, and find a manual car.

 

ok thanks a lot for the tips. By the way, they were offering the 07 MT for 22k that's a pretty decent deal right

 

yea, i almost bought an 07 gt mt for 32,000, so yea, thats a great deal

 

Oh i wish... I Wish..
anyhow my first car caust ME $1500 that was a lot of lawn mowing and hay bailing and feeding cows.. but for some people a 22K first car is ok.
as for learning to drive a man. have some one take you to a parking lot. and let the clutch out without giving it gas. you will need to learn the "friction zone" of the clutch. at that point when you can get the car rolling with no gas then you can start driving better. then go to a hill. and get used to starting up a hill. i was tought on a tractor and an old 77 chevy. very low geared but it helped. the 8 doesn't have a lot of low end torque, but it has enough. seat time is the best thing you can have.

HR

 

Great that your dad is supportive of you getting the manual. He can teach you, right? You'll get the hang of it pretty quick. And the fact that you are looking at getting a great car that requires some TLC means you will develop good maintenance habits for anything you drive in the future.

Good luck.

 

I too took a long look at the RX8 and had "almost" taken it off my" potential purchase list" The reasons included; poor fuel milage,engine recalls,stalling issues,etc.. however I found the styling so compelling it deserved a closer look.(not to mention the many favorable automotive reviews) I was also intriqued by the Renesis rotary engine. When the test drive phase of my car search began I started with the 06 GTO ( a pontiac version of Holdens Monero) Loved the torque and power of the LS2 (Corvette C6 engine) Hated almost every thing else. Next it was off to the Ford dealership to test the much loved 07 Mustang GT (sorry to drag this out however there is a point if you hang with me) The Mustang looks great, sounds great, and drives.... well.....O.K.( poor interior, poor back seat ) The third and as it turns out the last car I tested was the RX8(never made it to the G35 which was my top pick atp)It took only about 5 minutes,maybe less to realize the RX was superior in almost every way. I said almost ( the tester was an auto) still it's superior handling and and refinement was evident. I had my new top pick. I subsequently found the model I wanted ( the GT 6 spd, fully loaded....literally) Made my best deal ($6,ooo off the MSRP) and joined the ranks of very satisfied owners.

 

Yeah my dad would help me learn to drive a manual. He keeps questioning whether or not I should get a MT though. He syas "yeah its fun and cool at first but becomes a little annoying later", but basically everyone on this forum recommends the MT and it comes with bigger rims, better suspension, etc. By the way, I am planning on buying a used one, not a new one mainly because it is my first car and you cna find used 04s for pretty cheap prcies

 

mt doesnt get annoying unless you are driving a shitty car, like a mazda 626

 

Oh lord, where's passtheapathy and jr67345 for this one!

Manual for a first car isn't so bad as long as you don't learn to drive it pretty quickly and easily.

You might butcher it a few times, but once you get the hang of it, it's really easy. And then after that you're set for any other car you have in your life.

Be careful about the 04's you buy though, they've had a lot of recalls on them, the 2004s were the test subjects to ge the rx-8's feet wet...So make sure the dealers has done all the recalls and recommended service, etc. If for some reason you get it and you feel a loss of power, or a strange idle, then take it in immediately.

Other than that, treat the car nice and it will treat you nice.

Good luck on the purchase, hope you get a great deal, and be sure to start practicing your grin/smile, my jaw got a little sore the first day I had my 8 because I wasn't prepared!

Be ready.

 

The only time it might get annoying is in traffic. Sometimes it's a PITA then. Or if you break a leg, or your right arm.

The MT is faster, for sure, but unless you plan on doing a lot of track days, or even drag racing (god forbid you do it in the 8), or worse, street racing, then you'll want to have the MT.

Other than that, if you're buying the RX-8 purely for the experience in the twisties every now and again, the stunning looks, and just an overall good reliable car, then getting an AT isn't going to kill you.

I've never driven the MT version of one so I don't really know what I'm missing out on, but either way you go you're still getting an 8, so does it REALLY matter what transmission you have?

 

You should try the MT version. You'd be truly amazed at what you're missing.

Yes, it matters.

Ken

 

Guess I'll be going out to some dealerships disguised as a buyer then

 

You can ignore shini and his rants on young people getting rx-8's. He gets all emotional and stuff! He just can't seem to let it go...gets all fired up. He keeps mentioning me in his posts, too...must have some sort of man-crush on me or something.

But to the point of your questions...dirving a manual has never gotten old for me, adn I've never owned an automatic car. Lived in LA with the terrible traffic, and it never really bothered me. After you've been driving them long enough, you don't even notice it.

 

Rants? Only a few times in two completely different threads. Emotional? Nah...Just bored

Let it go? Hmm...No one seemed to be ready to let the "I'm 16 with with an 8" whinefest go, so why should I stop?

Man-crush? Yes. It's just guy love, between two guys...

On topic: Maybe the manual is to die for, maybe not, I've never driven one, so I don't know what I'm missing out on, therefore I can't possibly care. AT suites my RX-8 needs.

I didn't want the car because I wanted a manual or automatic, I just wanted an RX-8

The AT I have just happend to be the best bang for your buck on the lot, so it's the one I chose. Sure I could have gotten a manual, but it would have cost more, and since my parents were buying it I felt they've already done enough for me but they insisted I get a new car so I picked the bargan buy. It had the packages I wanted, the color I wanted, the spoiler I wanted, the transmission I couldn't care less about, so I was happy, and still am to this day!

 

I vote for the MT, also. I drove stick shifts (one three-on-the-tree, one three-on-the floor -- ugh) in high school. Nothing as fun as an 8. Only if you have a longggg commute in stop-and-go traffice would I consider an AT.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm at least as old as your dad and probably older.

With all due respect from a fellow father of a teenager, he's dead wrong about the MT. They are annoying at first and cool and fun later.

I've been driving MT's exclusively since '74, and it's completely intuitive. Smooth, fast, and complete control over engine speed at any given road speed. Believe it or not, soon you don't need to look at the tach at all. You can become "one" with the engine and drivetrain.

I'm teaching my daughter to drive a manual. I was surprised that none of her friends who are learning to drive or have their license already can drive manuals except for two others. This was a shock because in the '70's, a first car with a MT was de rigeur. Everybody learned to use a 3, 4, or 5 speed. Times change I suppose.

Get the MT, learn it, you won't be sorry. Good luck, and please be careful no matter what car you drive. It is very easy to get into trouble in a hurry in an RX-8.