BladerCutter

Im gunna be buying a mazda soon but i dunno which one to go for RX-8 6 Speed or the RX-8 4 Speed Sport AT i mean money is not a worry but i dunno what to go for i live in Florida where there alot of cars and my old car was stick and theres alot of bumper to bumper traffic but i just need input this is a stupid question but owell...

Thxs

English

stick w/ the stick

scottmhr1

Yea, bit of a duh, question. If you buy this car the 6M is much more fun. If you only drive in traffic jams daily buy a civic. If you want fun, go for the 6m.

Old Rotor

How will you be driveing the car? Just geting around or will you be wanting to be wring it out most of the time. If it is alot of stop ang go and you dont want to be botherd? If you have to have max-power then the stick is for you. They both have good handleing. You have to make the call.....

RA-Eight

iTrader: (6)

Since you have your heart set on a Mazda, what about the Mazda3? I heard they're great on gas, something to consider with the gas prices skyrocketing.

BladerCutter

Thxs for ur input helped me out :D
im leaning toward the 6 Speed Shinka because i want the max-power of the RX-8
Thxs

Krankor

I think it's a crime that they even make an 8 with a slush-box.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

loco-8

6mt, south florida here. bumper-to-bumper traffic sucks tremendously. to the point i have to drive my automatic pick up most times. if an rx-8, then a stick. if a stick, then drive to work earlier, and leave later. my 2/5 nickle

RedSheDevil

i vote stick. otherwise consider a diff car ... :D

KYLiquid

i spend about 6 hrs a week in trafic jams (stop/go) and have a 6spd. I have driven the auto, and the few hours i spend in traffic isnt enough to make me get tired of the car. Plus my last car (miata) was a 5spd and had a 6 puck clutch with lightweight flywheel and HEAVY pressure plate...the RX8 clutch feels like AIR in comparison.

Tigster

I am in Florida too get the stick, alot of people here have gotten the auto then they trade it for the stick. So just get the stick shift.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

rx8's clutch is really easy to use, everyone should be driving stick if they have functional left foot :D

Kewl

8's get terrible gas mileage in bumper-to-bumper traffic - manual or auto. Think twice about an 8 if that's what you will spend most of your travel time in..

Gambit

I'm not sure if I interpreted this right, but the Shinka doesn't add any power. Just suspension and some other aesthetics.

PS get the stick. I'm in traffic all the time, it's nto bad

beachdog

That's right. Haven't seen a single 8 mt ower trade for an auto.

legokcen

6 spd. Please don't buy an automatic sportscar.

Psylence

Either get a 6speed, or get another car.

Redfusion3

iTrader: (2)

I had an auto for a year and a half, the egnine had major problems...To make a long story short, they bought my car back.

I got a stick this time and I have never driven one before..Trust me, get the stick or you will regret it everyday.

IT SO MUCH FREAKIN FUN!

Like everyone else said if your going to get the car in an automatic, your going to have less power...and its not as fun to drive...trust me

Blaaz

If you do lean toward the auto, you may want to wait till the 2006 models come out.

Apophis

I live in LA and spend a lot of time in stop & go traffic and I actually prefer the stick in bumper to bumper traffic as well as the open road. I like to be able to modulate speed with either foot, engine brake and so on. I also like the fact that I'm using both feet. When I drive auto, my right foot always feels so tired.

tlniec

Different people have different needs, and there is absolutely nothing stupid about buying an RX-8 with the automatic. Yes, it will have less peak horsepower and a narrower RPM band versus the 6-speed. And yes, you will have fewer forward gears. But you'll still have a wonderful car -- same chassis/suspension, same exterior, same interior, still has the allure of the 'mysterious' Wankel rotary engine.
I'm inclined to say that in daily driving (unless you're a hard-core canyon carver or stoplight racer), the performance difference between the 6-speed and auto is probably minimal. I'll qualify that by stating I haven't yet driven a 6-speed RX-8, so maybe I'm missing something -- does someone who has driven both versions in a 'normal' manner (as opposed to *****-out wringing of the car) care to comment?

RedSheDevil

I'd say the main difference would be that I consider a manual tranny more fun to drive. There's a feeling of more control and a lively spirit. I'm not in any way bashing an automatic; it's just VERY different. You almost become part of the car w a 6spd. And I'll be totally honest -- in stop and go traffic a 6spd can be more work. But to me, it is worth it 50x over!

Take it with a grain of salt ... I never even considered getting this can in an automatic, so I may be permanently biased.

dwynne

I can understand if you face a long daily crawl or stop and go commute - having a manual is just no fun. If you have to get an auto, then wait and get an 06 when you get 2 more gears and a little more power (but not as much as the 6mt).

I love manual cars and don't own any autos (and have not since 1979 when I gave my $300 Vega away), but I don't face the kind of commute that others do.

Dennis

fredw1

I agree. Buy the car that YOU want (and need), and not the car that everyone else wants you to get. I drove several automatics before getting the MT. The drive was acceptable, and even fun at times. You will not have as much control over shifting. Even with the "manumatic", there are limits and overrides where the car will upshift (well before redline) or downshift on its own.

When people ask me how many speeds I have, and I respond with "6", they say, "wow". It sounds impressive. Many MT members will say that they rarely use 5th gear. I usually go straight from 4th to 6th. In reality, I have only one more useful gear than the automatic, so the difference between the AT and the MT in number of gears in highly overrated IMO.

There are people out there who won't buy a sports car unless it's an MT. Others won't buy one unless it's a convertible, others won't buy one unless it's red, others won't buy one unless the MT has 6 speeds. and still others won't buy one unless it has a certain wheel size, a certain brake size, or a certain type of suspension. We all have our "sports car" requirements.

Decide what yours are and go for it.

Nubo

You said you already had a stick, so you know what it's all about. For me, sports care are all about manual shifting. Maybe not for everyone. That's why they make an auto. That being said, I always get the feeling that automatics in sports cars are afterthoughts as far as the engineers are concerned. So that's another reason I'd think twice, just as I'd think twice about getting a MT Town Car, if there even is such a thing. Go with the cars strengths. Don't order fish at a steakhouse.