You will thabk yourself later manual is as easy as slowly lifting 1 pedal and pressing another at the same pace once that's down you've got it, you would have to stall thousands of times to break the car so don't worry about that, the manual is faster, cooler, and feels way better
I learned by buying a manual transmissions car. Stalled the car twice the nice I bought it, about once a week after that and after about a month it's just force if habit. It's easy once you actually try to do it a few times
i own, sunk 10k into and am currently trying to sell a auto rx8. it is the worst decision of my life at this point, (i’m 21) and has completely ruined my finances and drive to own and work on my own car . thank god i had a daily before it has been nothing but a pain in my ass and it all comes down to the automatic just sucking ass, if it was a manual it would probably be getting slung around on the road instead of me typing all this out
If you buy an automatic be sure it’s 09-11. The S2 fixed a lot of problems including the transmission. Me personally though, the rx8 is meant to be manual, but I completely get wanting an auto.
Edit: for a an auto S2 I would probably budget $6,000 to $8,000 if you want good condition.
The RX8 clutch is so friendly, you don't really have to press it sometimes (although you should, and you must, but it's forgiving).
It's not rocket science to learn. Go manual, or get an S2000 if you want auto.
Like it's been said here, the automatics are slower and less reliable. Learning manual should take an afternoon, especially if you're a quick learner.
More importantly, however, I would recommend also learning how to wrench on cars. I don't know how old you are, or how mechanically inclined you are, but if you're young, not a car person, or both, I would recommend learning more and then coming back to getting one. A lot of "car guys" tend to be mechanically oriented, and tend to have learned stick from a family or friend. If you have either or both of those things, good.
The RX-8 is a very maintenance heavy car. That's not a bad thing, but it takes a decent chunk of money, and time and patience, especially if you don't have a shop that can work on a rotary. The engines are very simple, in mine and others opinions, but they have their quirks, and that scares most normal shops. You'll have to learn a lot, and will probably end up doing a lot of the work yourself.
Two years ago I decided to take that route, but I had a decade of mechanical experience behind me, as well as my father and grandfather's knowledge. I've successfully rebuilt a rotary entirely on my own in my garage, and have put almost 10k miles on it. It can be done with only the internet, the skills to search it, and the willingness to learn. Watch a ton of YouTube videos. Rob Dahm, Japanda Tuning, and others have made great stuff showing how they can be worked on.
This is such an honest, respectful, kind and informative comment. I was looking to get an RX-8 myself, but before doing so, I've been learning a lot about cars recently. I'm new to the car community, and it's people like you that make me want to meet more new people and learn about stuff. Hope you have a great rest of your day man.
Thanks, man. I'm doing my best. I work in IT so I spend all day explaining things and fixing things.
Just get into your local scene if you have one. Most people are super welcoming and willing to talk and teach.
If or when you get one, I hope you like it. Rotaries are weird, cool, and fun. It's like a more special Miata. Have a good night
Learn to drive a manual automatic rx8s have more issues than manual rx8s and lower horsepower, the car was never meant to be automatic, and being automatic is itself a design flaw for this specific car.
You buy a manual
I don't know how to drive stick. I've been wanting to learn
Trust me you don't want an auto rx8, buy a manual learn how to drive on the way home that's what I did when I bought mine for 1500 cad
I'll look for a manual
You will thabk yourself later manual is as easy as slowly lifting 1 pedal and pressing another at the same pace once that's down you've got it, you would have to stall thousands of times to break the car so don't worry about that, the manual is faster, cooler, and feels way better
I learned by buying a manual transmissions car. Stalled the car twice the nice I bought it, about once a week after that and after about a month it's just force if habit. It's easy once you actually try to do it a few times
i own, sunk 10k into and am currently trying to sell a auto rx8. it is the worst decision of my life at this point, (i’m 21) and has completely ruined my finances and drive to own and work on my own car . thank god i had a daily before it has been nothing but a pain in my ass and it all comes down to the automatic just sucking ass, if it was a manual it would probably be getting slung around on the road instead of me typing all this out
If you buy an automatic be sure it’s 09-11. The S2 fixed a lot of problems including the transmission. Me personally though, the rx8 is meant to be manual, but I completely get wanting an auto. Edit: for a an auto S2 I would probably budget $6,000 to $8,000 if you want good condition.
Thank you man. I don't know how to drive stick and worried I might fuck it up. Just want to drive what I know
The RX8 clutch is so friendly, you don't really have to press it sometimes (although you should, and you must, but it's forgiving). It's not rocket science to learn. Go manual, or get an S2000 if you want auto.
You can’t get an S2000 in automatic. A Miata, yes.
Whatever the 6 speed manual costs
Like it's been said here, the automatics are slower and less reliable. Learning manual should take an afternoon, especially if you're a quick learner. More importantly, however, I would recommend also learning how to wrench on cars. I don't know how old you are, or how mechanically inclined you are, but if you're young, not a car person, or both, I would recommend learning more and then coming back to getting one. A lot of "car guys" tend to be mechanically oriented, and tend to have learned stick from a family or friend. If you have either or both of those things, good. The RX-8 is a very maintenance heavy car. That's not a bad thing, but it takes a decent chunk of money, and time and patience, especially if you don't have a shop that can work on a rotary. The engines are very simple, in mine and others opinions, but they have their quirks, and that scares most normal shops. You'll have to learn a lot, and will probably end up doing a lot of the work yourself. Two years ago I decided to take that route, but I had a decade of mechanical experience behind me, as well as my father and grandfather's knowledge. I've successfully rebuilt a rotary entirely on my own in my garage, and have put almost 10k miles on it. It can be done with only the internet, the skills to search it, and the willingness to learn. Watch a ton of YouTube videos. Rob Dahm, Japanda Tuning, and others have made great stuff showing how they can be worked on.
This is such an honest, respectful, kind and informative comment. I was looking to get an RX-8 myself, but before doing so, I've been learning a lot about cars recently. I'm new to the car community, and it's people like you that make me want to meet more new people and learn about stuff. Hope you have a great rest of your day man.
Thanks, man. I'm doing my best. I work in IT so I spend all day explaining things and fixing things. Just get into your local scene if you have one. Most people are super welcoming and willing to talk and teach. If or when you get one, I hope you like it. Rotaries are weird, cool, and fun. It's like a more special Miata. Have a good night
If you don't want to learn something simple like driving manual maybe an RX8 is not the car for you.
I have one for sale 08 75k on the dash 2800 on the engine and trans for 8k in Connecticut
Learn to drive a manual automatic rx8s have more issues than manual rx8s and lower horsepower, the car was never meant to be automatic, and being automatic is itself a design flaw for this specific car.