OK I pretty much posted this same thing on the GTO forum. At the end of this summer I plan on getting a second car that has a back seat and a trunk of some sort because my 350Z has neither. I had narrowed my choice down to the '04 GTO or RX-8. I leaning towards the RX-8 because I can get it cheaper than the GTO and it's an import.

But anyways... I wanted to know is how hard the the RX-8 to drive as a first stick shift car? I already knew the basic principle of driving a manual from riding my motorcycle and then recently one of my buddies took me out and taught me in a 6spd Accord. I know all of the basics when it comes to manual it all came pretty naturally so I would just need to practice with the car that I get to fine tune everything. I pretty much know how to avoid burning the clutch and putting excess ear on it etc. So what to do guys think?

BTW can the clutch pedal on the RX-8 be adjusted where it changes the friction zone?

 

my rx8 was my first stick car.. imo it was pretty easy to drive. i've only had practice in a gti (very very easy to drive) and a speed6 (very heavy clutch hard to drive imo) i dont think the clutch pedal can be adjusted to change the friction zone.

 

Learn to drive manual on your friends car, so see if you enjoy it. That's what i did. This was my first car, and it's manual. I practiced for a few days and i was fine. It comes natural after two weeks or so.

 

He taught me already and I definitely enjoyed it but I know every car isn't the same thats why I wanted more opinions on it.

 

The RX8 is a very easy car to drive. It is much easier than my old '95 Accord.

One bad part about it though is that in stop and go traffic you can get stuck in a "dead zone" of like 10-20mph where 2nd gear has about the same amount of torque as a lawnmower but you can't really downshift into first since that would be 4000+ rpm. Try downshifting into first at above 10mph and you can hear the synchros crying in protest at the abuse you are sending down.

You could just stick around in first but then people will look at you and wonder why you are the jackass that needs to race his engine at 15mph while going nowhere

 

Low torque and early clutch friction make it a little more difficult than others, but not a hard car to learn on imho.

I learned on a e39 M5 :-o

 

I learned on my dad's 98 Boxster before getting this car and let me tell you it is a lot easier than that car (the clutch was a workout and very springy).

 

My current RX-8 is my first stick as well. Very easy, forget the pontiac get the 8!

 

There are worse cars to learn on, and there are better cars too. Since you've driven stick before on a friends car you should be fine. It's all about building up the muscle memory for the bite point of the clutch

 

shift shift Beep beep - very easy to drive hands down

 

I learned to drive stick on a 350Z (my car was in the shop at one point, and I was planning on selling my AT and getting an MT at that point anyways, so I was looking around). All in all, I drove a few different sports cars... the 350Z was one of the tougher ones, and the RX-8 was among the easier ones. Probably the easiest one I found was a Mini-Cooper S, and the RX-8 was about on par with an S2000. Almost any car will give you fits for a couple days, but just like everybody has said you'll build that memory soon enough about the friction point, and it will be second nature to you.

Heck, I've only driven MT for a few weeks now, and already when I hop into an automatic, I'm looking for the clutch to start, and trying to press the clutch every time I approach a stop sign.

 

I've driven my friends 04 GTO 6-speed and my rx-8 6-speed

The 8's shifter and clutch is so much nicer, the GTO has grunt but shifts like a pickup

 

I learned stick on this car. Wasn't hard at all, and a hell of a lot of fun!

I'll never go back now muhaha :D

 

It wasn't the first manual car I drove, seeing that every Malaysian learns to drive on manual. However, it was my first RWD.

As a basic manual car, it drives just fine. Pretty easy in fact, when the clutch feels like it's not there, and the throttle feels so linear (drive by wire). However, the engine revs fast, and loses revs really fast too, so downshifting (with rev matching) may be a bit tough.

 

My first clutch car was my 1988 RX-7. I had no clue how to drive stick when I got there to pick it up.

Amazingly, two years later, the clutch died. And it wasn't because of my dumb driving mainly, he put it in wrong, so it was failing like mad.

 

this auto matic thing i keep hearign about.. .what is it?

 

uh...the gto is an import too

 

Wow...I remember when I learned how to drive a M/T for the first time. My buddy (Chrism) has had his 8 since like 04. Back then he wanted me to buy an 8 i didnt and bought - dare I say - a Scion TC instead (dumb move) Althought i built it up pretty cool it wasnt up to my expectations. So this past january I tell him dude im gonna trade in the TC for an 8 he was thrilled and excited. Then i told him Im buying it in M/T and he was it is very forgiving to learn. And quess what after a couple of hours in Giants stadium and driving in his 8 (see his sig) i picked it up. 1/15 i traded in my a/t TC and got an 08 8 M/T...and now i love it more than anything.

The 8 is deff easy to learn on.

GET THE 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i learned on my 8 with no prior experience and picked up pretty quick... within 2 days i was shifting like no body's business...jus some minor jerkyness and might hold onto the clutch too long to get a wiff of that sweet smell of burning clutch...within a week i had no problems....btw i managed to only stall once and that was on an incline at a taco bell DT, there was a dick behind me who made me nervous by pullin up right on my bumper and i damn near couldnt even let off the brake and push the gas because the car instantly rolled back, i tried side stepping it (bad idea for a novice) and i ended up peeling out and shooting forward at which point i pressed the brake and forgot to hold the clutch down...lol anyway....the 8 is a great learners car. it has a great shifter thats crisp and it snaps into the next gear so you wont have to worry about bein in the wrong gear.

btw the goat is aussie born and is an absolute blast, if my maxima didnt die on me i woulda def been in an 05 6speed GTO, but i didnt have enough for the DP so i got the 8 instead...im not mad cause i really enjoy the 8...in a couple years i may be switching this 8 for another 8....the G8....that is if they do a GXP 6speed ;-)

 

my god I love your sig..

 

I really want to thank you all for the replies, didn't get this type of turnout on the other forums. I think I'm gonna go with the 8 for sure now. As a matter of fact the 8 was my other choice when I bought my 350 so I'm gonna go for it this time. I especially too like how the 8 has those 2 back doors so it'll be much easier for passengers.

 

RX-8 was my first stick car but I also spent a lot of time on dirt bikes. I drove the car off the lot and had it down well within a week.

Before you buy the pontiac check the insurance cost on them. Pretty much every other sports car but the 8 would of been $3000 a year for me. The 8 is only $1500, my 8 year old 4 cylinder s10 is like $1200.

 

Yeah thats another thing that concerned me with the GTO. Right now I pay 1200 every 6 mo full coverage for my Z with Allstate. Do insurance sompaines typically give pretty good discounts when adding a second car to a policy?

 

Yeah usually they are pretty good about it. I found the 8 to be pretty cheap to insure as well compared to similar vehicals

 

Everybody needs some countersteer lovin some time.