ok so this is an unbelievable dealer/car experience story. As a preface, i just want to day that i am 16 and due to some legal reasons (cough, cough) i dont have a permit or license yet. Now... today, my dad and i went to testdrive an rx-8 at the other dealership in my area... the one we havent harassed before. At any rate, we got the nicest salesman ive ever dealt with. So after afew minutes of talking, he goes and pulls around a beautiful black RX-8 6spd GT w/ navi. My dad starts driving it and we get into how i have been practicing driving a stick with my dads car. Eventually, the salesman said that he would "be willing to close his eyes if i wanted." I immeadiatley had my dad pull over and i switched with him. Now keep in mind that it was raining today, i had so much fun with that car. Its really amasing that with 3 grown people in the car, how well it accelerates and handles. So after driving it for around 10 minutes, most of which was spent above 7500rpm, i pull over and let my dad take over. This car is amasing. It handles well, accelerates well, and i was able to get all of my shifts almost perfect, even in the begining of driving a new car. I totally admire and look up to everyone who has one. Fortunatley, my dad's car is leased, and is over his yearly mileage by about 12000 miles. The plan is, even though i dont get a permit pending further legal action, we are going to pick up a new RX-8 this summer for my dad to drive until i'm legal. I just wanted to say that you rx-8 drivers are so lucky. Im not going to say in public who my dealer and salesman was, but if your in the NY area you can PM me and ill give you the information.

 

Good luck to you. I dont think any sixteen y/o deserves this car because it is impossible for you to appreciate a car of this caliber. Hopefully you are wise beyond you age and wont get into trouble with it.

 

thats not true at all, a car enthusiast is a car enthusiast, personally ive been reading about cars ever since i picked up my first car and driver way back when i was like 6, its true that most 16 year olds arent enthusiasts, but there are some kids out there that just love cars to death

 

Sorry but a 16 year old can't really judge, because of the limited driving experience he has had. It has taken me many years of driving to really differentiate what makes one car different, better or worse, than another.

 

thats a pretty predetermined jackass thing to say you dont even know this person his father could be a custom car builder for all you know and he could of built 12 cars by now and what makes you guys such car afficianados rather than you have 12 years on us unless ur working on the next lotus or jaguar you should shut your damn mouth. YEAh this car is nice but if u have drug problems/legal problems and u were my kid i wouldnt reward you with a 30 g car but i dont know your problem so never mind that last statement.

 

When a person can buy their own car with their own hard earned money, I think it inspires a little more respect.

One can be an enthusiast and not respect the machine. (or its limits)

However... If I were 16 and my dad offered me an RX-8.. of course I'd take it. Nosubstitutec4s sounds a little more mature than the avg. 16 year old on here.... at least he acknowledges how special the 8 is. Congrats on your pending car, be smart with it.

 

Some 16 year olds are not like other 16 year olds. Speaking for myself, when I was that age more years ago than I care to remember, I already had a thriving business doing tune-ups and repairs to the adult's cars in the neighborhood. Let's just say that tuning an MG with mechanical lifters and dual sidedraft carbs took some skill. I might not have been able to afford a Jaguar XKE, but I learned to appreciate fine automoblies at a young age.

Appreciate the fact that this young man knows a great car when he sees (and drives it). Whether he should be given one is a whole other story.

 

One word: POLAK

He's more mature and experienced than people twice his age.

 

well... i kinda feel like im getting flamed here. I will admit that im no expert. Ive never really done any major work to a real engine, and i have some very light experience with go-kart engines. And my dad is not a custom car mechanic, hes a dentist. I will say, however, that i view my self as a car "afficianado." i tend to know a thing or 2 about judging cars. I have been driving since i was very young (my grand-ma spoiled me in her ol' caddy). Ive been driving stick since i was 11 when my dad taught me on his car. I come from a family of performence cars, and i can appriceate one when i experience one.
Picosrx8: I definatley wont get into trouble with it... for a while. If i get a ticket while i have a permit (first 6 months, i could be wrong), i lose it till im 21... its just more waiting
Oh... and i definatley have no drug problems. Legal, thats another issue. That should have its own thread.

 

oh one more thing.... im not being offered this car by either of my parents. I am paying for it with money i have earned. The only thing im not paying for is the navi, which is a present from them. Or the insurence, Because id like to have money to pay for college

 

in my POV, i dont think its fair to judge a 16 year-old boy/kid/whatever from only one short post; u dont even met him be4! is this the way for an "adult" to judge people? except the age, what do u no about him? cant u just treat him as a "normal" member? he is just trying to express his thought on the RX8. maybe if u guys can treat him as an adult, he can get more mature over time. furthmore, there are lots of "adults" DO NOT respect RX8. look at those street-racing-dudes; do they act like an adult? to be honest, i dont know how to define an adult. i know lots of people ,whose age are over 25, still act like a kid; being naive. adult is a just a word to me. i think he should be the one to judge himself.


P.S. this will be a nice memory to u, nosubstitutec4s. good luck!

 

well i think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If they think that i am just some inexperienced 16 year old punk, then they can go ahead and think that because i am secure in my own. and as a perk, in most conditions i probably drive as well as someone with many years experience, and i still have all my hair.

 

Well, I have more hair just about everywhere compared to when I was sixteen. Except on my head! Ear hair is a bitch.

The thing I'm surprised no one is commenting about is the fact that both the salesman and your father let you take the wheel without any kind of permit. I find it hard to believe a salesman would do that, knowing what is at stake. Both he and your father were taking a considerable risk and it is their maturity I am tending to question. And had you been truly wise beyond your years you would have refused the offer and been wiser than they, not to put them into jeopardy.

 

...I wish the best of luck to you on getting your car dude. I know when I was sixteen all I could think of was getting my hands on the RX-7 twin turbo, which was still brand new at the time. But, the legal working age was 16 years old and minimum wage at the time was roughly $4 an hour.
So the week after high school graduation I used what I had earned from part-time work and picked up a nice 87 RX-7 GXL, which I promptly crashed head-on in two weeks time. :D Since then, the RX series has been the bane of my existence, like a supermodel wife who wont give u any...

 

No 16 yo should be driving a car like this. As mentioned you could be the most mature person on this board but you do not have "driving experience". Curious what your legal problems are which perhaps show you do not have the maturity yet to own any car.

And lets look at Polak's "maturity" level from another post of his. I do think Polak is a good hardworking kid but show's the typical young man's thought pattern in his post below:

"I was driving alone on a permit around midnight, when I drive by a cop doing about 100 in a 65.

Ok so one I don't have anyone with 3 years driving experience in the car with me
And two I can't legal drive past 11pm on a permit.

So I have a choice to make stop and have to wait till 21 to get a license or floor it.

Yup I smoked his ***! We were up to 140 before he backed off and let me go.

I get home thinking whew scott free. Lay down fall asleep watching TV.
3am Knock on the door, the bloody cop lives down the street from me and has seen me driving my car! And says "think you could get away eh?"

I'm like what do you mean, he tells me that he was chasing a Titgrey RX-8 a couple of hours ago and says its me, I deny the whole thing and start reciting TV shows that are on at midnight on sat.

Then I ask him for my license plate number he has NADA!

He didn't even bother issuing me a ticket because he knew he couldn’t' win in court. "

 

This isn't a flame. Just be aware, when you're 16 and you're living at home, you may be writing the check for the car payment out of money you own but you are not really paying for the car. Your parents make it possible for you to do so with your own money by taking care of your basic needs. If you had to take care of your basic needs yourself you would not be able to afford the car.

It's good that you're working to pay for something you like/love. Just don't lose sight of why you're able to do it.

If you actually pay for ALL your own meals, clothes, full rent, insurance, medical bills, gas, utilities, etc.. then hats off to you, and can I have some $$ ?

Also, it's "amazing".

 

I'll call bullsh*t on that...

I don't know of any 16 year old that has made 30k to pay for a car and still have money enough left over to pay for college. Hell, I don't know of any 16 year old that made 30k period.

Limited time, even more limited experience, and the fact you can't drive pretty much negate all possibilities that you have a real job where you make 30k.

I think his dad is buying it, he's here to show off (as 16 year olds do), and I think it's a bad idea for him to get it as a first car and irresponsible for his parents to do it for him.

I don't really care that he's been driving since he was 11, because until you are in traffic 7 days a week driving an hour or two a day, for several years.. then you simply don't have the experience behind the wheel. Knowing HOW to drive is different from knowing WHAT to do in different situations.

The odds are against you as well, that you'll get into an accident with this car as most first time drivers do. Even if it's not your fault.. with experience comes not only the means to not cause accidents, but to avoid them.

I'd just get a Civic, wait 3 years after you beat the crap out of it, and then get something nice. Every little kid I meet that I tell this to thinks I don't know how 'good a driver' they are, but frankly -- I do. I've seen these kids on the highway and on the street and I wouldn't trust them with anything more than a Yugo.

16 year olds are far more susceptible to getting into accidents when friends are egging them on to do something stupid in their car, and I've seen it far too often happen.

Get the experience, then get the right car. Your dad can go ahead and buy you the RX-8.. it's his money. But I still think that it is sheer irresponsibility and stupidity for a parent to get a car this fast for a kid this young.

 

I couldn't have said it any better, Hercules.

I used to drive since I was around 12. I was with an adult, but regardless it's quite different driving on a back street somewhere compared to what every day driving will force you to learn and how to drive.

It takes years to become a good driver, and there is no substitute for experience.

 

My first car was a 1977 Ford Grenada. When I was 16 a buddy of mine had a Dodge Diplomat that was a retired cop car. LIke the morons we were at that age we took the cars out and went racing in the warehouse district in the rain. I lost control of the car and went into a spin causing me to hit a curb sideways and this shattering the leaf springs on the car.

My next car was a 1973 Chevy Impala. We would toss 12 people in that car and do stupid things with it as well.

Next car was a 1966 Chevy Impala. No floor boards, big engine.... Stupidity ruled.

However... Learning how to drive those monsters and destroying a 300 dollar car does not hurt my feelings. Back then I did not worry about door dings, broken windows, etc...

$30K+ for a car when you are 16 (or even 18) is too damn much. I agree... it is going to get tore up and that is not a good thing.

Buy a beater and do just that.... I did. =) Now I have the cool toys. =)

 

Young man, I find your enthusiasm for such a fine car appropriate and admirable. If, by chance, you do get this car, I wish you the very best. There are 16yr olds with great maturity and self restraint just as there are many in their 50's who have never learned 'think before you do'. Statistics and experience show that the younger you are, the more of a $h*t magnet you are likely to be. Granted, while statistics are for groups and you are an individual, this is where all the negative responses are originating. Also, we were all 16 at one time and remember how self absorbed and blind to accountability beyond the moment.
It is my sincere hope that whatever the 'legal' problems you are/have been involved with has bolstered a higher level of personal and social responsibility in you, and your future actions speak from this basis.
Good luck in your quest and keep us informed.
*this spoken in my best Old Fart voice while squinting over bi-focals through pipe smoke and tugging at the gray in my beard*

Guys, back off. Remember, just because we were dipwads at 16, not everyone is/was. Give him a chance to prove himself one way or another. Also, even a Yugo will go fast enough to do something stupid in.

 

i believe that that particular post was made by Polak on APRIL FIRST or right around there. i could be wrong but i thought that was his fools joke post in the everbeen to jail thread.

 

im 16 with a 6 spd rx8. i dont think you guys can judge all 16 yr olds out there. id be willing to say that i have driven harder than half the rx8 owners on this forum. im not saying im the next canzoomer but i know what the car can do and i utilize all its capabilities regardless of having meager driving experience..

 

the last part that i highlighted with bold are what people are commenting about. it's not about the edge of the car's capabilities, it's about the edge of yours.

 

That's exactly what most of these people are talking about......

Harder is not smarter, btw..

 

thanks for proving our point very clearly. Is this a plant?