no

 

Isn't that just a little rude Cody?

I mean... this forum MIGHT be full of people who want RX-8 sportscars... but then most of those people have day jobs.

I can't say that the image in your .sig worried me too much in the few posts you've made, but please don't be rude in here...

 

I agree, but with a new $30k sports car?
Pushing the limits is fun no doubt in that, but do you really want to learn oversteer corrections on the fly that might put you into a curb(or worse) on a rainy night? The experience you get, even from a racing school at 16, may make you a better driver, but have you been on the road enough to predict the morons who lane change and don't check their blindspot? Or pull out in front of you and you have to take evasive maneuvers(SUV drivers beware rollover-effect)? It may not necessarily be YOU and the skills you've learned, it's how to deal with real world situations, traffic and road conditions, and that only comes from experience.

BTW - Your siggy really should go. there's better siggies out there than that.(That's the "nice warning #1")

 

mine's the one you're seeing at the bottom of this post, I don't see anything wrong with it

were you referring to the Hitler fan? or was that warning really directed to me? ::a little confused::

T-RX, I think there's some consensus here, seriously consider changing the sig.

 

Hey, just for a laugh.... perhaps we should ask nicely for the admins at lamer.net where the image is sourced from to change it to somthing else...

Just a thought... LOL.

 

Easyroc16, no offense, but I have long been appalled at parents who buy teens new cars. The insurance company will find out and your parents will take a big hit in their rates--or else the company will refuse to cover you if you're in an accident and it wasn't aware you lived in the household and were driving the car. As a post above noted, the insurers know all the tricks. (As an aside, I have noticed many a time that those teens who are simply given cars don't take care of them, and I don't mean just driving recklessly. I'm referring to getting maintenance and repairs done as well. Decent cars will end up in a junkyard from poor care just as from poor driving--the process simply takes longer.)

To be blunt, I believe that the US should follow the lead of other Western countries and make the minimum driving age 18. The states are slowly working toward this anyway. Here in Virginia, the General Assembly recently increased the minimum age for a learner's permit and license by several months after several well publicized accidents involving 16- and 17-year-olds at the wheel. Kids were loading SUVs and sports cars with other kids and proceeding to flip them or run into trees on a regular basis. This is happening nationwide, and numerous states are instituting phased-in licenses with restrictions until a certain age.

Also, studies by Temple University have shown links between working after school and poor school performance and drug/alcohol use. No other industrialized country encourages youth in high school to work. The most common reason given for working is to pay for a car; those studies showed that little of the money earned is saved for college, for example. There seems to be a vicious circle something like this:
Q. Why are you working?
A. To pay for my car.
Q. Well, then, why do you have a car?
A. To get to work.

The Norfolk, Virginia, newspaper has run a series of articles and editorials about what high school teachers are seeing from students who work. Several teachers reported having to cut back or eliminate homework because working students simply don't have the time to do it, not to mention having to turn a blind eye to students sleeping in class because of working late the night before. At the same time, American students are coming in dead bottom or nearly so in international comparisons and competitions of school performance in all subjects. The difference is that education is the priority in other industrial countries. Here, it's working to get money for car expenses and cool clothes. This has led to dumbed-down schools and colleges, since over the years many colleges have had to make admissions standards and classes easier to match what the high schools are having to do.

My experience in high school matched the studies. I noticed that the students who worked and had a car were usually mediocre at best academically, and I know of a few who dropped out entirely because they had a job and a car and didn't see the need to bother with all that boring learning. Most of the honor students (I was one) walked or rode the bus. My brother drove to school several years later and was more concerned with his social life than with school, and his grades showed it. The school bus is the safest mode of transportation for students in primary and secondary school, according to recent publicity. We worry about guns in schools, but high school-age teens kill far more of themselves and others when behind the wheel. The best way to save lives for those 15-18 would be to eliminate student parking lots. But that might conflict with your ideas.

Having a cool car such as the RX-8 to drive to school and show off to all your friends may be what you think you want right now, Easyroc16. But there will be consequences. (And don't forget that the cool cars, such as the RX-8 will be, are also thief and vandal bait, not to mention cop bait as a post above warns.) Showing off to your buddies and having the kind of social life that a car will make possible may seem like the most important thing in the world to you, but they aren't. Get your education first, make it the priority, and the rest will follow naturally when you are better equipped to handle it properly.

 

Good post, ekrampitzjr.

Why would you want a supernice car anyways? Can't drive it to school because it'll get keyed, kicked, egged or worse. Can't leave it in the lot while at a movie or concert with your girl either. If you hang out where other teens hang out, you'll be checking on it every few minutes, or sitting next to a window. Take it to the illegals? Yeah right. There's a bit of paranoia owning a unique and new car. Punks following you home to "case" your garage? You could get a 68 rusted El Dorado convertible with a dragging bumper and still be the cool kid with that beastly car. Get the nice stuff after graduation or after college, when the insurance rates drop.

 

yeah LOL too bad i own the domain...anyway i took off my sig just because of you few whiny *** people...but thats ok i guess some people just dont have one ounce of a sense of humor in their body. I hope you are happy.

Easyroc: don't listen to any of 'em. They're just jealous that they couldn't have a car as sweet as this when they were that young. Personally, I think you SHOULD wait for the RX-8, it will be worth it. They're telling you that you will have to worry about it 24-7, but hey, does it make a difference how old you are to worry about your nice *** car? please. O God please do not get an RSX. there is WAY too many of them on the road already. Wait for the RX-8 and when you do get it, enjoy the car and enjoy your youth, responsibly.

 

Yeah, I'm happy. It's too bad we couldn't come to this conclusion more amicably, which is one of the reasons I thought a 19 year-old like you deserved diplomacy. Guess I'm lacking in humor what you lack in decency.

Thanks anyways

 

The only people I know who had a new car as their first car came off badly I think... I mean, you don't want to risk a lot of money, because like it or not you are at a high risk of being involved in an accident...

With that little money, you can have some tiny runabout that won't teach you about driving a proper car..... or an old car, which if chosen correctly can teach you more about driving AND car maintainance. LOL.

I argue for somthing big, because it'll teach you how to handle a car properly, a little car is so easy to drive that you might not learn some important skills. Plus, if it's bigger it'll offer more protection should you hit somthing.

I had one of these:-

http://www.hawkinge.com/Triumph2000r...fpics/iow3.JPG

And it served me well... never broke and was eventualy killed by one of my student friends who drove his "Small Car" into the back of it at great speed after completely failing to control his breaking in the wet.... I had been on the border of skidding when the truck backed out infront of us as it was wet and slipery... and we were traveling a little faster than we possibly should have been but I held it because that car had schooled me well... being rear wheel drive and well balanced.

What I had failed to realise when driving just inside the limits of my ability was that somone with not nearly as much experience was gonna take it upon themselves to follow me as closely as they could manage. That was the last lesson that car had for me, but it cost me a total of about £900 to buy and keep it on the road for 2 years... obviously there was insurance and tax and stuff... but I'd call that reasonably cheap motoring.

 

I like the point that you made there t-rx. The other post about car gettin keyed. That kinda stuff doesnt happen around my town. Believe me, there are a lot nicer cars in the parking lot of my high school then the rx-8. Again i wanna state that my parents arent paying for the whole thing. I will be paying for half the car. I do want a nice looking car even though I will be using it go to college and stuff. The car will be kind of a graduation gift to me. ekrampitzjr I do like your post but I do have more common sense then that. Yes i will be gettin a job to pay for the car but I know when to stop if my education is in jeapordy. You wouldnt be saying that stuff you said in your post if you were my age. You were probably just as anxious as i am to get your license and to get a car.

 

I hope you didn't/don't think I was being really negative.... I mean I surely know the fact you've been waiting and it's a liberation to have transport etc... but mabe I'm just cynical in thinking that you might be better to have somthing that is a little less likley to bite you.... At least for the first year or so until you have a bit of experience.... I might be wrong and you might have no problems, although I stand by the comment that you're likley to be a little more volatile at your age than later in life and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing... it will be if you aren't aware of it... and in control of it.

As for buying a cheap car, hey... mabe you're environment is different than mine, but the most expensive car in my college car park was a fifth of the cost of an RX-8.

 

Unfortunately easyroc16 common sense won’t save you in a difficult situation. Experience and practice will, and you obviously lack both. 250hp, rear wheel drive and inexperienced driver are a very bad combination. I am not going to tell you not to get a car, even an expensive one. But IMHO you need to have prior RWD experience before getting a car like the RX8. Take KayakDaddy’s accident for example. I am sure he thought he knew his limitations, but you only get to know your limits by reaching or even crossing them. And this may only come with years of driving experience.
You can accelerate the learning procedure by practicing in safe environments (preferably a track). If you like speed why not get a go-kart along with an underpowered rwd car? You’ll be safer on the streets learning the basics, and enjoying yourself on the track. One or two years later you will have more experience than any of us.
Use that common sense of yours and get a more reasonable first car. 2-3 years later you’ll be more comfortable driving and enjoying an RX8.
Good luck!

 

Yup... couldn't agree more... I LOVED my Triumph... at about 120Bhp it was never gonna be a rocket... but that nice 2 Litre 6 sounded lovely and made up for a lack of REAL speed a million times over... especially since it cost me next to nothing and was a solid car...

Only problem is that I was SO disapointed when I got my first front wheel drive car that I had to get rid of it and find another RWD... and they are getting rare now.

If you were in the UK, I'd suggest a spitfire, or somthing... plenty of cred, RWD etc.... but perhaps it's a bit long in the tooth now. TR6's are getting expensive too...

 

While it's true that those who agree with ekrampitzjr and Diver aren't 16, some of us aren't much older. I'm 26 and couldn't agree more. Also, all of us *were* 16, and knew lots of others who were in the same situation when they were 16. I know nothing I say will change your mind, but I have to agree wholheartedly that IMHO, it's a horrible idea for anyone in their teens to have a high powered sports car. I also agree that it's a bad idea for parents to help someone out with a $15,000 graduation gift. The odds are in your favor that nothing too bad will happen to you, but they're much more against you than they would be in a cheap, underpowered car.

Also, Blueadept, I don't understand what you're saying about the benefits of a heavy car. True, they will be better at saving your bacon in a crash with another car, but they are not any better at teaching you how to drive. Just as one example, the Miata is one of the best RWD cars for learning the fun and danger that RWD can get you into (and out of). Balance and communication are what teach you about at-the-limit driving, not weight.

 

Heavy isn't necessarily what I meant...

I said large, but what I really mean is....

a. Somthing big enough that you have to think about where you put it on the road.... You have to be thinking ahead in a small sportscar later because undoubtedly you'll be traveling faster...

b. Avoid those horrible FWD micro crap things... that everyone at my school had... Nissan Micra, Vauxhall Nova etc...

But, I'll also point out that in the UK, that 2 Litre saloon weighing approximately 2000Kg is concidered large... it was definitely not a boat if that's what you think, I pushed it to, and on one occasion past the limit regulary... I think I had it in the air a few times too.... What do YOU concider to be a big car, because I'm sure there are lots of "Big" cars in the US that could teach you nothing about driving unless you're about to command an aircraft carrier.

I probably didn't explain it well, and I can't give good examples of US cars... but perhaps somthing like that Mazda 6... Although I DID give examples like the Triumph spitfire which I suppose is much like the Mazda MX-5... These are in the right proportion to give an understanding of a "real" sportscar without so much danger...

 

I have been driving my parents chevy tahoe for about a year now. I think that is big enough.

 

That's potentially a lot of experience... also remember that here you can't even legally drive under supervision until you are 17 (gonna be 18 soon too!).

HOWEVER, I would say that driving under supervision isn't the same... driving your parents car isn't the same and all of that... driving your parents car you might not do a lot of the things you might learn from... I used to deliberatly drive to a deserted carpark in the snow to practice controlling skids and learned a lot, as well as had a great deal of fun.... it was my car so noone would tell me I shouldn't...

WE, as in the people in this discussion don't know you, or your circumstances so we are generalising a lot...... but basically we are giving advice from our own experience... which may not be great,... I hope we're not trying to discourage you out of any other reason than concearn... which MAY be mis-placed.. I don't know... but I would love to hear your comments on a lot of the points made here... mine especially...

Suffice to say that if you don't crash in your first year or so after driving on your own a reasonable distance, then the chances you will are hugely reduced... it just seems logical to me that you take that risk into account when you make your decision...

If you're telling us that you've been driving a car for a year and done say 5-10 thousand miles in it... then we're writing advice which might not even apply to you completely... but if you're telling us that you've driven it a few miles round a carpark on the odd sunday then that's different isn't it!

I've driven lots of cars, but when I buy an RX-8 it will be my first new car, and the most powerful I have driven (Just)... but even with that experience, I am concious of the fact that I will need to be careful to learn it's handling characteristics and become confident in it before I drive it fast... and I'm sure you have enough common sense to know that you will need to do that too...

 

See... I had to look on google to find out what a Chevy Tahoe was... but I will say that while you'll undoubtedly have learned to be concious of the space occupied by a vehicle.... it's not somthing you can really get sideways in a powerslide ... especially not by accident!... LOL.

I have a 4x4 at the moment too...

http://www.frars.org.uk/sessionconte...wer_loaded.jpg

as I decided to stop compromising with really practical cars and get a proper sports car as well as somthing that I could throw rubble in a tow rediculous antenna masts with in peace!

 

Less weight is always better IMHO.

 

What the....

Hang on... you guys in the US have it all wrong... when I said big I didn't realise that you list the Protege as "Sub compact" and the 626 as "Compact"... the 626 is not a "Compact car".. .

When I read sub compact, I'm talking about a "Smart"

http://class.ee.iastate.edu/rmander/...mart%20Car.JPG

When I read compact, we're talking about an Astra

http://www.autointell.com/news-2000/...2000/Astra.jpg

Now the 626 is a mid sized family saloon, at least it is IMHO.. so when I say a "Large" car... would be better to learn in, I'm thinking of somthing the size of a 626 and rear wheel drive... Look at the photo of the Smart, and tell me how much you could REALLY learn about driving in one of those...

 

Kinda funny, this one. It starts off a little off topic, but then swerves back on, so bear with me:
I've mentioned elsewhere in this forum that I already gave away my '98 Wrangler to make room (in the budget) for my RX-8. Basically, promised it before the production slipped back, so I went ahead and gave it, figuring I'd get some POS to drive to work for a few months.
So, I just returned from OEF a couple of weeks ago, and I go back to work on Monday. I wasn't looking too hard for a car, but it was starting to get down to the wire. After looking at a blue '91 Prelude with four donut spares, 2 bad CV joints, a busted A/C ****-shaft (I live in FL, people), and flourescent green-painted interior trim, I got it in my head that I wanted something fun for my Interim Car.
Today I bought a dark blue, 1993 Nissan 240SX for $1850. It's a little rough around the nose, but drives like a champ. A little (okay, a LOT) of power steering fluid, and it even runs pretty quiet and smooth. I have had it for a total of 10 hours so far, and have been having an absolute blast. It's not quite as much fun as my RX-7 was, but definitely more fun than the Jeep.
I got thinking that this will be a perfect first car for some new driver in the neighborhood once my RX-8 arives. Seriously. Rear-wheel drive, decent power and torque (for a '90s NA Japanese car), and needing a little bit of work to make her perfect. A new driver can learn so much from this car, about driving AND maintenance, and even a little DIY auto repair. Pretty much a rock bottom price, too. Funny, I'm 28 years old, and I today I feel like I just got my first car.

 

See.... I agree with him....

We're just separated by a common language LOL.

 

Ahhh, now I see what you're talking about, Blue. According to this site, the US EPA classifies a Jaguar XK8 convertible as a "minicompact", the BMW 540i, as a "compact", and the BMW 330ci as a "subcompact".

I don't know which smiley will best express my thoughts, so I'll use a couple:

 

Honestly... not really too sure where to start on this one but here goes:

My first car was a POS '84 Chevy Celebrity and drove that for 2 years when it just got too old and flat out just stopped starting (too much to fix). So I got my 2nd car (01 Civic Coupe) 1/2 paid by parents 1/2 paid by savings bonds that were supposed to go to college. That was a year ago and I'm nearly 20 now.

I fully understand your need for style and speed. I'm currently doing minor mods to my civic. I'm waiting for the RX-8 to come out and will trade in my civic in 4 years when I graduate college. If I were you and since going for a new car... IMO go for the RSX (either one). I'm not going to flame you, but at least take care of the car and yourself while driving. I see too many people that just got their lisences and think they are cool **** cause they can drive. Also the RSX will be more practical for you now. It has 4 seats, is currently available, and will cause less drainage in the wallete (yours and the parents).
Also I am a rather safe driver (IMVHO) and many times I've kept myself from hitting various stuff because my civic isn't power hungery.
Hope this helped out a little bit-