Hey all,

Not an owner (yet) but been searching the market for quite some time for the right one. Just a little skeptical of my abilities to handle it as it'll be my first manual and RWD car. I'm sure there are a ton of threads leading to the same topic so I decided it's worth signing up and asking questions if I have any.

 

Hey there!

I am pretty sure you'll love it and will handle well. I came from an 09 si (still have it) to the S and I noticed a difference in driving but nothing out of the ordinary. I did take a few weeks to get used to it before pushing it hard and now I am confident driving it.
Once you get it, you will love it.

 

 

 

Where do you locate?

 

It was my first manual though I owned a crappy pickup truck that was RWD before (hardly a comparison to the S). The S is a car that if you respect it and have some common sense you'll be fine. The manual is the S is fantastic so getting used to that isn't hard. The RWD part make sure you have good tires and don't do stupid things like hitting Vtec while making a turn in the rain because YOLO Race Car Bro. I will say later models will be more forgiving in this regard but there is no protection against an idiot driver. Good luck in your search!

 

I grew up driving manual rear wheel drive vehicles. When front wheel drive vehicles came along, I found them to be quite good in snow, (almost as good as a 4 wheel drive), because you can turn the driving wheels. But, in any driving environment where traction is good, I found the front wheel drive vehicles very unsettling. I always feel like I have less control over the rear end of the car rotating. So, to me, rear wheel drive is normal. Front wheel drive is odd feeling and vaguely unsettling to me.

I think the S is a bit of a handful, but not because it is a manual rear wheel drive car. For me the qualities that make it both a handful, and at the same time pure joy to drive, are the extremely responsive throttle, the amazing gear box, and sharp steering and handling, and the power. The more I drive it, the more it becomes a completely intuitive experience. Hardly any conscious thought involved. It is like an extension of my entire being, mentally and physically. What a great car.

 

I would strongly suggest buying the 2006-2009 model if your budget allows. VSA will help you greatly, especially in bad weather. You can always turn off the traction control when you feel more comfortable with the S.

 

Yeah, I'm going to second that. I've owned a LOT of manual trans front and rear drive cars. The S2ki is superb and the limits are very high. This is all good until you exceed them. Oh, and those limits are snakebites in the rain, snap oversteer has probably killed more of the breed than anything else. Post above is exactly right, part of why my first was an '07 with VSA. I turn it off occasionally but it helps protect you from stupid mistakes too. If you eventually do get an AP2, I cannot stress enough that once you lean to drive a stick properly, swap out that vastly overweight AP2 flywheel for an AP1 or any number of aftermarket lightweight ones. It transforms the car well and truly.