Pak

This is exactly why new drivers need more than your traditional "driver's ed course". No offense to either you or the original poster, but driver's training does not teach defensive driving and accident avoidance techniques. You have to take a separate class to get that stuff, and it's best to do it in the car you'll be driving.

Glad to hear that the original poster is ok, as your safety is the number 1 priority. I do however suggest that you look into taking a local Safety Driving class such as ones that are offered by the local car clubs. I've been to my local BMW CC Safety School twice, and it's well worth the full day's activities. You learn a lot and have fun at the same time.

Good luck with the repairs and keep us posted.

BigRed

^that has helped me with one

ivory8

yeah there is a free class here in vegas called drivers edge, the 1 problem is that they don't hold the event often. (frequently but not often) and the wait is long...I was already signed up before the accident...theres just a waiting line.

mx193

Here's a good starter car.....



Paint it red and call it good...... j/k... You wont be able to flip this one.....

ivory8

haha yeah, that would actually be a cool project to restore

Redpit10

I didnt have time to read this whole thread (so if I repeat something just discard it), but I saw the part about you wanting to give money to your parents. Most insurance companies give you a 10% option to buy. In your case $2,700. Im sure you could part it out for much more. Engine and tranny alone equal the 10%. Plus you can learn a lot in the process. Better than a after school job.

jaimesix

That car is easily fixed....the insurance is buying it for 2700 dollars? Someone will buy it for 5000 and fix and sell it for 15000.
I would rather keep it than receiving 2700 dollars. Mazda enthusiasts would pay double that amount and more for the engine and 6 speed gear box only.
Imagine an RX3 or a 1st gen RX7 with that engine. Still, the best thing to do with that car is to repair it. No frame damage, just cosmetic stuff.

chetrickerman

shut up man, im trying to get the engine off of him

Earl the Pearl

Speaking from personal experience(I have had more than a few accidents) this does suck but it happens and the most important thing is you learn from it and that you are ok.

This time a few years ago a friend of mine was trying to avoid a guy running head on into him in the snow and went into a ditch. The accident was considered his fault even though the alternative would have been to run into the car coming his way. That is why they are called accidents.

I would also recommend taking driving courses as I plan to do at some point. Also in my opinion, I think the RX8 has actually improved my driving abilities because of how balanced it is. I wouldn't recommend a crap car and then jumping back into the 8. I think it is just best to learn how to drive the 8. Best of luck.

R Magic

He said 27k which is $27,000 not $2,700.

Beeotch

i cant see how all the damage couldve been done at 35mph, its gonna be really hard to repair that due to fitiment of the fender, door, rear door and ect. If the gaps between my panels are the slightest bit off I get really annoyed with it. Make sure when you get it repaired look at it from all angles so it looks even. The rims are pretty scuffed up too. sorry to hear about your loss. i guess u should put your stock rims back on and save up again for 2 more of those OZ rims. After a hit and run on my front bumper it motivated me to get the mazdaspeed front bumper, just a food for thought.

4me2

the age old question,,,,, should teens drive RX8's?

SideOfBacon

age isnt as much of a factor as experience. In this instance driving any other car the user would have probably had the same result. was cut off and didnt know how to handle the situation the BEST way possible. I was on crotch rockets the day I got my license and never had problems and those are much faster than any of the 8s on this board. but I was riding dirt bikes for YEARS before having a license, so I had experience on riding and handling situations that arise.

experience > age

R Magic

Ohhh, wow.. Did you even read this thread? He already said that he's getting a new 8.

RXLogic

I think defensive driving is best learned by experiencing how much it sucks to be in an accident -- whether it is your fault or not. It costs a lot more to learn that lesson in a new car.

RufusVonStorm

Bingo 100% true

mx193

I disagree, the more you run into **** the better you get at not doing it.... Just kidding anything would help....

Mystery

Well kid I'm dropping off another one for ya.

A.Mair

lol thats kinda funny

RotaryP7

About 1 month after I got the 8, I was driving home at around 3 am. I was maybe going around 80-85 mph.. I see this Integra or something on the other lane (left) right in front of me, just when I'm about to pass the car it freaking turns into the lane I'm at.. (This car was going about 55 mph btw); So I dodge it and turn onto the dirt and grass on the right side, I almost lose control but manage to keep the 8 steady. And yeh, I was scared.. I actually caught up to the Integra afterwards to see the retard driving.. It was some old lady who from the looks of it, could barely see 6 feet away..

The funny thing is, that old lady didn't even notice what happened to me.. I could of turned over the 8 and could of just died somehow and she would just go home and seem like nothing happened. But oh well.. That's life I guess.. And my great driving skills.. I have to thank those Gran Turismo games.. When your sliding right, turn the wheel to the right as well.

Dumi

Dang so how long before you wreck your 2nd 8? Really why not just get a beater while your still gaining some driving experience?

enforcer

You're not going to like what I'm posting here but I hope other parents and teenagers take a leaf out of this.

Speaking from my experience as a police officer with nearly 30 years experience of pulling people, including teenagers out of wrecks, an RX-8 is not the right vehicle for a newly licensed teenager.

This car is too much for any new driver, and before you get back behind the wheel I would also recommend taking an advanced driving course.

I'm not going to comment on the amount of damage and the speed you were travelling, but I will say you're very lucky no-one else got hurt.

All parents should leave their money in their wallet and apply some common sense before considering giving their child a high performance motor vehicle.

RXLogic

You're not the only one saying that. I think I've seen a half-dozen sixteen year olds come on this board in the last three years, and usually they are talking about the accidents they got in. Getting in accidents is what sixteen year olds do. Why throw gasoline on the fire?

enforcer

Its not about throwing gasoline onto the fire Jordan - you posted this thread for others to comment and I'm doing just that. My main point is about educating the parents to apply an informed decision when buying their son/daughter a motor car for the very first time.

My words are directed at ANY high performance motor vehicle. Debate over the move of high performance vehicles for first drivers is raging over here and, no matter how pushed parents are to get a fast car, there has to be a balance.

The bottom line is that 16 year-olds have the higher crash rates than any other driver of any other age. Teenager drivers represent nearly 7 percent of licensed drivers, but they account for more than 15 percent of all traffic deaths.

An experienced driver maintains an area around the vehicle to give time to react before a hazard or to react when another road user gets too close, and its that hazard perception that an experienced driver constantly looks out for that they can identify with for themselves or others. Its also a known fact that as young drivers gain driving experience, their risk of being involved in a crash declines considerably.

With over 120 teenagers killed in the US alone each week, time and again these issues are raised. The accident statistics for 16 year olds in the USA are horrific and they are not that far off than here in Australia....

UFGator12

alright, time for me to say what i think needs to be said. when i got my RX8 over 2 years ago, i was 16. i got it on my 16th bday. i have had no tickets, but about 2 months after getting the car i backed into someone on my driveway. i still think that it was partially his fault considering he parked his car right behind the garage where i pulled out of. so, i didn't look and just pulled out. felt like the biggest retard ever, but i got over it. i definetely have not had any wreck near what this guy just had.

but, i HATE it when people get on this website and generalize. i can honestly tell you that if my parents did not think i could handle a car like the 8, they would not have bought it for me. i have 2 of the most paranoid, conservative parents on the planet and i was extremely shocked when they actually did buy me the car of my dreams in the RX8. i thought i would be driving some huge lifted silverado or something. but, they trusted me with it and so far i have done great. plenty of my friends have SUVs and trucks and they get speeding tickets all the time and get in wrecks frequently. just because some kid like me drives this car does not mean that they cannot handle it. i admit, i sometimes drive this car like a granny, but i really don't care. i would also guess that i drive "better" or more conservatively than 90% of the people on here.

i agree that most teenage drivers lack experience, but that is never going to change no matter if you make the driving age up 30 years old. whenever someone just starts doing something, you aren't going to be as good at it as if you have been doing it everyday for 20+ years.

and for the people saying to take an advanced driving class... thats just an unrealistic suggestion in my opinion. i know this is hard to believe for some people on this board, but there are plenty of people in the world that did not go to the track to learn how to drive. i know thats surprising, but its the truth. the only thing that can fix this problem is more experience and that just comes with time.

don't hate on this kid. if your parents wanted to buy you a $25k car, you would not have objected, even if you knew you couldn't handle it. and its obvious this kid is no tool that was just asking for trouble. he could have been driving any car. he just happened to be in a sports car.