Moment of truth: I traded a gaming PC for a Mazda RX8… and now I’m in full “learn as I go” project car mode. In this video I’m doing basic maintenance (well, at least buying the stuff for it), swapping a beat shift knob, and figuring out what this RX8 actually needs to stop acting up. I’m new to working on cars, so you’re getting the real-time mechanical journey—no fake “I’ve done this 100 times” energy. I hit AutoZone for oil/coolant type basics, talk about the ticking noise (spark plugs soon), and why rotary life is different—these things burn oil and if you don’t stay on top of maintenance, it’ll literally fail on you. Back at the house I jack the car up, start knocking out the oil change (yeah… that oil was black-black), and I try to mess with the coolant situation and end up getting sprayed—classic. I also pull the starter and swap in a new 2kW starter, which was a W… until I got too hyped and had a dumb lesson learned with jack stands/first gear/cinder blocks. I also show the cosmetic to-do list (bumper, rust, side skirt, lights) and basically set the stage for the next RX8 episodes while I chase 10K subs before 2026 and the future PC giveaway.