Today I drove my wife's V6 Accord, which is identical to mine (except that her car is an AT). It was actually fun to punch it in traffic or on the interstate and not have to think, "What gear am I in?" or "Darn, I need to down shift". Can anyone that drives a MT all the time not tell me that they haven't once pulled out in traffic and been in too high of a hear? I use to own two 1st gen RX-7's, and drove them hard through canyon and mountain roads in Colorado. But now I'm stuck in the midwest, and in the city. When it comes time for me to pick out an RX-8, I plan on testing the AT. They both have their benefits.

 

AT Benefits

1.) No Shifting up and down in heavy traffic.

2.) Cheaper Insurance (Most Ins. Co. classify "Sport Car Rating" @ 230hp)

3.) HIGHER RESALE - More people can drive it, resale will be higher.

4.) Not as many AT out there so you will have one of the limited few .. also makes it worth more in the future.

5.) Optional shifting when you want to play with the paddles and shifter.

6.) Able to install Auto-Start for those cold icey days. You won't have to go outside to start and warm up your car like the MT owners do. Just push a button and ZOOM ZOOM -- get into a warm car with windows defrosted etc.. . Also works well in the summer too when HOT -- Walk out to your cool car!

 

You should no more wonder what gear you are in, than be wondering where your right arm is. You should be at one with the driving exeriance, and changing gear is just as a fundemantal part of pulling out as the steering is.

If this isn't for you or you are going a bit senile, get an automatic, and make it a diesel so you have lots of torque. Infact wouldn't you be happier on a bus

Cheers
---Dave

 

Going to have to disagree with #5, while it's true for most cars... A car like the RX-8 you're going to have a harder time finding a buyer for the AT than you would the MT if you were to try and sell it yourself.

#4 is only true because not nearly as many people want the AT, and it's not like it's going to be a rare collector because it's an AT.

Ike

 

Well on #4, maybe for now ...everyone will have to just wait for 20 to 25yrs and see.... No One actually knows yet .... Anything could happen. I can name few cars that are worth a lot now that no one thought they would be when they first came out .... so time will tell. ... maybe will maybe not....

As for resale .. it will be easier I think because there are many more people out there that do not know how to drive a MT. I know I just sold my Vette ... It would of sold like in 2 days if it was Auto ..... so many people called and asked if it was auto then said Oh! I can't drive a stick .... just going on what I think here.

Don't get me wrong I like MT's too .... either is fine with me. I would of bought a MT if the traffic wasn't so bad during my travels.

 

I recall seeing a stat somewhere that Chevy sells slighty more AT vettes each year than they do MTs something like 55% are AT which I thought was shocking. It's a crying shame as well. Keep in mind the performance numbers for the vette are about the same for the AT and the MT, they aren't even close for the RX-8. Vettes also have a strong midlife crisis, weekend cruiser, vert, and female fan base which I would imagine makes up a large part of the AT owners.

Ike

 

I like #6 above. Boy, that would be great to have an autostart in the summer. It would be like "kit" on Nightrider. It would just need a flashing light in the front. :D

 

That's because GM manufactures wayyyyy more auto than manual. Shame realy, such a powerfull car with an inferior transmission....

 

Installing an automatic starter is doable on a manual.

So basically all but one of your points that you mentioned are completely invalid in relation to an automatic. Sorry pal.

 

I agree Asp. I have a starter installed on my old Saturn 5-spd. and the old beast runs just fine. There is just a few more steps to auto-starting a standard when compared to an auto.

 

Sure we do - just look at Miatas. The original ones are 14 years old now, and they are sports cars similar to the RX-8, and the auto trans version also has less hp than the manual trans version like the RX-8. Maybe 10% of Miata sales were auto trans, so the auto trans is much more rare. Similar case, right?

The result - the auto trans cars sell for much less than an otherwise identical manual trans Miata. Few people want an auto trans sports car. The rarity is because few people wanted them to start with, and that doesn't change when it's used. Some people actually buy an auto trans car if it's in especially good condition and convert it to the manual trans. There certainly is no premium associated with the auto trans cars due to their "rarity". They're just worth quite a bit less.

Also, don't forget that the current RX-8 auto is a lame duck - within 2 years, Mazda will release a 5 speed auto trans for the RX-8 instead of the current 4 speed auto, and will also release a 6 speed SMG trans. Both of those will go on the high power engine with the full 9K redline rather than the current crippled 7K redline low-power engine. That means that, instantly when those transmissions are released, the early 4 speed auto RX-8s will suffer a big drop in value.

Regards,
Gordon

 

OK.. I have to throw in my .02 here. I have an auto 8 and love it. If I wanted the 6sp I could have gotten it, but since my 10th Anniversary Edition Miata has a 6sp, I can just jump in that car and shift to my hearts content. How can people come up with "auto's" will be worth less in the coming years when the car just came out?? People, get over the auto vs manual kick and just drive your 8!! GEESH!!