Zeffy94
Senior Member
- First Name
- Matt
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2017
- Threads
- 77
- Messages
- 1,850
- Reaction score
- 1,487
- Location
- Doylestown, PA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2017 Mazda3 GT Hatch 6AT, 2018 Honda Civic Type R (traded in)
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
I was bored one day and decided to see if Edmunds had any CTRs for sale. I had this pipe dream of buying and driving one, as when the car was announced I was hooked instantly. So I asked for a few quotes. To my surprise they had three dealers, and of that only two were showing the model I wanted (the Type R). So the first dealers I dealt with all wanted ADM - as in, 10K - so I basically said no thanks. Another dealer wanted $5k ADM, and I said I would think about it. They were pressuring me but I honestly wasn’t really feeling it.
The last dealer tried to call me but the quote I got was for a sport hatchback- close, but not quite. I almost didn’t answer the call but I decided to. Glad I did, because he ended up telling me they were getting one and what colors I preferred. I gave him red and white, with gray as a third, and he said there was a white one that would be being built in the near future. He asked if I wanted to put a deposit in it, so I did.
The weeks leading up to the delivery were filled with tons of watching YouTube videos on how to drive a stick - so I could have a basic understanding of what to do. I also found a driving school that offered lessons so I took one, and thought I did OKish.
The estimate was originally for April, so when I was told it’s gonna be mid March instead I was thrilled and couldn’t wait. However I was still worried about being able to drive it. When the day arrived the process was smooth - I ended up getting lower than I thought for my trade (a 17 coupe touring) but I decided it was still worth it. It didn’t take very long to get through the F&I stuff and then it was time to go home. By then the stress and anxiety levels were off the charts.
Well, that part didn’t go the greatest. Somehow I got it going on the first try, but like a cruel joke being misled into a false pretense, I would stall shortly after. Then again in traffic. And again. So forth. Was not a good time going home. After I got home my mind panicked and thought what I just did - if I couldn’t drive it, what was I gonna do?
I held off on driving it to work, instead taking my dads personal car (an ILX) until he helped me get the basics down in a parking lot after work. Eventually I mustered the courage to bring it to work and did so. The next two months I would slowly begin to grasp the concepts better and improve. By the third month I wasn’t stalling. Six months I had gotten relatively smoother shifts. 10 months I continued to improve, and now I am also improving still. There’s still more to work on, but I can say I can drive this car pretty good.
I can easily say this was an experience, and I am glad to take the plunge. I found a lot of appreciation for the manual transmission, and although I do not appreciate it in very heavy traffic, I live in an area which usually does not experience it that often, so I am perfectly fine with it. And I finally found a car that I want to keep with me, just because it has a special place in my heart.
The last dealer tried to call me but the quote I got was for a sport hatchback- close, but not quite. I almost didn’t answer the call but I decided to. Glad I did, because he ended up telling me they were getting one and what colors I preferred. I gave him red and white, with gray as a third, and he said there was a white one that would be being built in the near future. He asked if I wanted to put a deposit in it, so I did.
The weeks leading up to the delivery were filled with tons of watching YouTube videos on how to drive a stick - so I could have a basic understanding of what to do. I also found a driving school that offered lessons so I took one, and thought I did OKish.
The estimate was originally for April, so when I was told it’s gonna be mid March instead I was thrilled and couldn’t wait. However I was still worried about being able to drive it. When the day arrived the process was smooth - I ended up getting lower than I thought for my trade (a 17 coupe touring) but I decided it was still worth it. It didn’t take very long to get through the F&I stuff and then it was time to go home. By then the stress and anxiety levels were off the charts.
Well, that part didn’t go the greatest. Somehow I got it going on the first try, but like a cruel joke being misled into a false pretense, I would stall shortly after. Then again in traffic. And again. So forth. Was not a good time going home. After I got home my mind panicked and thought what I just did - if I couldn’t drive it, what was I gonna do?
I held off on driving it to work, instead taking my dads personal car (an ILX) until he helped me get the basics down in a parking lot after work. Eventually I mustered the courage to bring it to work and did so. The next two months I would slowly begin to grasp the concepts better and improve. By the third month I wasn’t stalling. Six months I had gotten relatively smoother shifts. 10 months I continued to improve, and now I am also improving still. There’s still more to work on, but I can say I can drive this car pretty good.
I can easily say this was an experience, and I am glad to take the plunge. I found a lot of appreciation for the manual transmission, and although I do not appreciate it in very heavy traffic, I live in an area which usually does not experience it that often, so I am perfectly fine with it. And I finally found a car that I want to keep with me, just because it has a special place in my heart.
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