Zio

I give him a week before he crashes.

GiN

While you may have driven harder (taken hairpin curves at 90mph, outran a civic/integra/mustang/corvette/motorcycle/cop while weaving around on the freeway, ran a few reds, went 0-60 in less than 7 seconds, ran the 1/8th and 1/4 mile on the weekend, busted some donuts, etc.etc.etc.) how many times have you parallel parked / avoided road debris / came to a screeching halt behind a stalled car / missed pedestrians / executed a turn blind / regained control after hydroplaning / got cut off / avoided an accident / etc.etc.etc. The more experience you have doing those types of everyday activities makes you a better driver, not whatever you've learned from years of playing Gran Turismo and watching every season of Initial D. Traffic school will emphasize the concept of "defensive driving" in this sense - thus "driving hard" is really the complete opposite in this case. So the guy who has been driving X amount of years more than you and living through those types of traffic situations will have just that much more experience, and henceforth a right to say so.

Anyone offended by this statement is probably thinking "I'll outrun you any day"...

shimm57

ive had it for 6 months, not a scratch on it

actually i hav 2 scratches on the rims but w/e

AaronElCampeon

I have to interject here, just because you don't know of any 16 year old that has made 30 K, doesn't mean there aren't any. I know several 16 year olds that have made a few thousand working a low wage job since 14.


With a few wise stock investments, a 16 year old, or anyone, could turn a few thousand into 30 thousand or much more.

rotarymagic

That was my reply above...

I have to interject here, just because you don't know of any 16 year old that has made 30 K, doesn't mean there aren't any. I know several 16 year olds that have made a few thousand working a low wage job since 14.


With a few wise stock investments, a 16 year old, or anyone, could turn a few thousand into 30 thousand or much more.

rx8daniel

dang, I should get a 16 y/o to run my 401(k) and IRAs for me. Now a few thousand is enough to buy a 30K car. I could have 100 mil by the time I retire with that math. Seriously, the point could/should be that no 16 y/o can compare a brand new car, even our beloved RX-8, to more than a hand full of cars. That it is one of the best sports cars, esp for the money, on the market can be easily learned from reading almost any publication that has printed even a 5 line paragraph about the car, from Consumer Reports ['mileage disappoints] to Ebony to the most respected car mags that most of us read. The point has become should a 16 y/o drive a 30K car. The answer should be no. But some will. I can't imagine there are more than 2% of us that are over 25 here that would argue they now know less about driving and avoiding accidents much less use more common sense to avoid situations like what shimm57 helps prove is the result of too much youth, too much arrogance, too much adrenaline and too little restraint that comes with being a teenager. Just because you can drive like 'Racer X' at an autocross, at an SCCA event, or even at the 24 hours of Daytona, or God forbid, on your local sreets - does not make you smart or a good driver when it comes to insurance liability or killing yourself and/or passengers of your or other cars that you involve in your learning process. Having worked a BMW autocross with a mature, probably around 40 y/o lady who later got killed on a test drive of a M roadster I think it's safe to say it's stupid for a father or a salesperson (and wise not to mention the name of the salesperson or dealership in public) to let any teen test drive an RX-8 - much less a non-licensed one. You should, though, be glad you survived it, didn't cause an accident, etc (speaking to the founder of this thread) - and if you do get the 8 - please be cautious and use the DSC until and if you learn to handle the car anywhere close to it's limits and do the learning off the street. Use restraint on the street. I don't want to read about any deaths of forum members, 16 y/o or not. One of my favorite 'jokes' - "When I die I want to go silently in my sleep. Not screaming in terror like his passengers."
p.s. pay attention in spelling class. Puh-leaze.

shimm57

first of all, when i say i have driven harder, that was in response to someone on this thread who said that a 16 yr old cannot utilize this car to its maximum capabilities..

second, im not gona say that ive had as much experience as most of the 30+ yr old rx-8 owners on this forum. i knwo tahts not true but i dont think anyone has the right to say that a 16 yr old shouldnt hav an rx8 because of lack of experience..experience may be important, but responsibility in my opinion is of more importance. if you drive liek an idiot, you dont deserve an rx8. i see plenty of drivers in my school in their souped up integras, civics, stangs, and camaros peeling out of the school, which is a little weird seeing as there is a police station across the street. I, on the other hand, value my life and my car and drive safely without sacrificing this car's capabilities. Ive been in plenty of close calls and i knwo im in for more but i still dont think all 16yr olds should be judged by a stereotype that many people have for them.
sure the average 16 yr old gets into an accident within the first 3 months of driving, but many 16 yr olds are above average so they shoudl not be criticized for having nice cars at a yong age. the average american teenager also uses drugs and alcohol before graduating high school. does this mean all teenagers should be compared to those kids??

i know 2 kids who got extremely nice cars as 16 yr olds. one got a camaro ss and one drives a bmw m3. they race pretty much on a daily basis and hav done crazier things than you could imagine. they just hav a knack for driving. they hav had their cars for 2 years and not once been stopped by the police or had an accident. experience was not much of a factor for them.

i am not saying that experience isnt important at all because it is. i drove my moms volvo s80 for about 6 months b4 getting my rx8. thats not much and i never really got in any major trouble with her car but i gained some experience and confidence in my driving.

in conclusion, the type of 16 yr old that gets an rx8 is a smart and responsible one that can be trusted with a 30k car and should not be compared with the stereotypical 16 yr old driver.

GiN

Good for you, buddy!
I know of enough people who have had nice sporty cars (300ZX, Supras, RX-7's, Integras, M3s, Camaros, Mustangs, whatnot) as their first car during high school or immediately afterwards, who have not gotten tickets or accidents and have been involved in chases and races. I also knew a few who have gotten injured or KILLED.
Now, once again you proclaim that having the ability to race and not get caught / crash is synonymous with having a knack for driving. With that attitude, anyone wanting to show off their knack for driving will go out and RACE. Would you not agree it's more likely that some teenager would exhibit this type of behavior? hpoi43wjwepb9-uj2tindsvojkasd

We could go on and on about this and you would still see otherwise. Give it a few more years and you'll find yourself in the same situation as here - you're going to hear about some 16 year old driving a brand new RX-12 or whatever is out at the time, and you'll be thinking "inexperienced teenagers shouldn't be driving brand new sports cars like that..."

rossle

sheesh, power to you for getting behind the wheel of one. i personally thought it was a little off for a dealer to "turn a blind eye" to a 16 year old without a licence and let you handle one.

i mean its not like he's turning a blind eye on something small. he's letting you behind the wheel of a brand new rx8 and letting you hoon around at 7500? cmon.

hate to sound like an old person (i AM 21...) but i mean if something'd happed, all parties wouldve been considerably screwed.

ross

guy321

It seems that you aren't even responsible enough to check your spelling and grammar. You may think that it's a trivial matter. However, when trying to argue a point, it is very important to communicate effectively to the reader. Spelling and simple grammar mistakes drown out the seriousness of your message and has the tendancy of making the reader even further annoyed.

flatso

I am enjoying the heck out of these posts because each new argument just seems to clarify why a 16 yo should not have a car like this. Amasing(sic) indeed.

PS Your sig mentions the high cost of insurance...can you try to guess why that is for a young person?

restob

At 16 and getting a 2005 RX-8? My first car at 16 was a 1976 Nova Lemon. In my opinion, your first car at that age shouldn't be a 30k car. Young men and women make a lot of mistakes with their first cars. Hitting curbs, hitting other cars, leaving the car unlock, etc. But hey, do your thing and get your 8. There is only one way to find out if your are ready for the awesome responsibility of owning a 30k+ driving machine. Good luck.

m477

Do you have any idea why insurance for a 16-year-old driving a sports car is so ludicrously high? No, it's not because the insurance companies are a bunch of big meanies that delight in spoiling your fun. It's because statistically it's losing proposition for everyone involved. Of course, every high schooler on every message board just happens to be the exception that will get in a high-powered sports car and always drive the speed limit...

alphapenguin

does it matter who buys his car, how old he is? I am sure you've all seen a 16 year old drive around a M3, or some car 10k more expensive than an RX-8.

Lets try to be positive here.
If you get an 8 (however old you are) more power to you. Just dont wreck it or do anything illegal.

rossle

i think jealousy is a big issue that fuels a lot of the flaming...

some people have it easy. some people... are not as fortunate. deal with it.

ross

Hercules

Nothing to do with it.

If I encourage this 16 year old, it's likely that I'm going to have a nice dent or something in my car, because some idiot kid doesn't pay attention when he's driving.

It's a responsibility, and you graduate to driving the RX-8 or any car like it. As a first car... I'd say any parent to do that for their kids are total idiots and irresponsible.

picosrx8

For my 15th Bday my dad bought me a beat up 68 stang with a straight six in it for $1000. Did I want a 427 Cobra Jet? Hell yeah. But my Dad knew I would kill myself with it. I spent every free minute I had restoring that car for a year till my sixteenth Bday. The blood,sweat, and tears I put into her made me love that car more than any high school girlfriend. Guess what? I still did such stupid stuff that I lost control of it several times on city streets. Luckily, I never hit anyone or anything. But I was EXTREMELY lucky. I still have my stang today. But if i had wrapped it around a tree....it was still only a couple thousand bucks invested. I said good luck to you earlier...I really mean it. I hope all you young drivers are as lucky as I have been. Things can change in an instant on the road. Generally with age and experience do you start to understand that.

nosubstitutec4s

ok this thread has gone totally in the wrong direction. I didnt start this to get into the theories of wether or not a 16 year old should be getting a car of this caliber. I am fully aware of all the possible problems that one could have as far as issues of irresponsibility and wrecklessness with a car like this. I would never actually drive my own car at 7500 all day as i did the test drive car. I was merely testing the car. I was just trying to comment on how impressed i was with the cars performence. Wether or not it is irresponsibility of the sales man/ my father to let me drive the car is another issue. Yes, i agree that it was irresponsibe of the both of them to let me get behind the wheel, but they both made a decision to let me do it. Nothing happened, no accident, no harm, no foul. The only thing i got out of it was a memory for me to think about until i finally do take delievery (hopefully). Keeping that in mind, i am sorry to the people who responded to this thread and were upset with the idea of a 16 y/o with an rx-8. I dont remember who it was, but someone said in response to me that they dont want a dent in their car because they encourage a 16 y/o. Wether or not i get an 8 or a 76 nova lemon, i am still going to do my best not to hit your door when i park, or crash into you when im changing lanes. I will do my best to not hit curbs, and not to scuff up the side of my rims. I will always take the utmost care of my car, similarly to the way hercules felt close to his mustang. I am not sure how old he is, but i would like to follow him in keeping and maintaining my first car until i am well into adult hood. I will love this car as much as if i built it from the ground up from a 1k junk heap. Please, just appriceate the car for what it is. A performence masterpiece on wheels.

AltecLansing

after this post, those who are under 21, will most likely wont post their age again.

cueball

I think that a new driver is much better off in a car like the RX8 then say an old Fox Body 5 liter Mustang. An older Mustang can be had for only a few thousand dollars and is probably about the same speed as a RX8 in a straight line. It would be much easier to get yourself into trouble with a live axle Stang.

Say a young, inexperienced driver takes a sharp turn at double the speed limit. In an older live axle V8 like a Mustang, the end starts to come out and that driver would probably slam the brakes and be in deep trouble. If you took that same turn at the same speed in the RX8 the end might start to come out and the stability control kicks in and bring the tail end back around and the driver will come out a little wiser.

What I am trying to say is that kids will always do dumb things in cars, but I would much rather see a kid do it an RX8 which is forgiving at the limit as say a cheep Pony car that is twitchy as hell. An F-Body or Mustang is in the price range of many teenagers, but is much more dangerous, IMO, then and RX8.

As for dinging your car in a parking lot, etc. That can happen in any car.

shimm57

you all talk like every 16 yr old is the same. yes, 16yr olds are more likely to get into accidents than older drivers due to lack of experience but that doesnt mean every single 16 yr old in the country is a worse driver than say a 21 yr old. you can be a responsible driver at a young age. my insurance is high not because i drive liek an idiot, but because a majority of american 16 yr old boys do. because of them, my insurance rates are higher. even though im 16, im smarter and more mature than plenty of adults out there who choose to drink or do drugs and get into accidents but my rates will still be higher than theirs strictly because of my age.

BTW
i do refer to all high schoolers when i say that it is ok to drive an rx8 at 16 yrs of age. im simply saying that some of us are more mature than others and shouldnt be compared to all the other irresponsible teenage drivers out there. the type of person that gets an rx8 at 16 yrs of age isnt a wreckless driver. no parent would even consider buying their teenager an rx8 knowing they have problems driving. a 16 yr old with an rx8 is always going to be an intelligent and mature driver who shouldnt be criticize for having such a nice car at a young age.

shimm57

im sorry i cant spend lengthy amounts of time on my rx8club entries. im still a student, i have things to do. you have a problem? deal with it, stop bitching.

flatso

Spend a "lengthy amount of time" in English class because you need it. You would make a stronger argument if you could form a sentence correctly.

guy321

You can't spell simple words correctly the first time????

If it's important enough to say, it's important enough to say correctly. It's one thing if you are writing to a buddy, or being funny but if you're tring to make an intelligent argument you should take the time to make sure your words aren't a distraction for your ideas.

Some of the idea's that you've presented are good ones. However, bad sentance structure, spelling mistakes, and lack of clarity make it much more difficult for any reader to understand what you mean.

Also, if you find my mild and constructive criticisms an affront to all you are as a man, maybe you have the problems, not I.

Roaddemon

Your one lucky boy if you get an rx8 for your 1st car. You'll be spoiled for the rest of your life. Only wish they were being made when I was 16 in 1966. I would have bought one too. Of course it would be used with 100k on it. Only way I could afford it. Look out for the swarming ladies if you get one. Even if your a nerd the nerdetts will now love you.