I've pretty much owned sport's cars since day one......1st and 2nd gen 7's, 99 TA, Eagle Talon and I can tell you the only one that came close was a 1987 Porsche 944s that I owned. She was mint with only 40,000 km on her, it was practically new. I never thought I'd get in another car that handled as well and had similar driving characteristics as that Porsche. Well I was wrong for over all performance my 8 blows that Porsche out of the water. LOVE my 8!!

if you could put the 944s steering into a 96 mr2, without the snap oversteer...

there you go...


beers :beer:

What sold me was it drove like my '71 240Z. Lite and handled.

I've owned alot of cars way faster, and with better paint. The RX8 has to be the most fun to drive out of them all. The others were pretty strait line, while my RX can take turns like a dream and stop on a dime.

She stands alone. All my other cars were used and big bulky family sedans... and automatics. This is my first new car, first financed by myself, first rotary, first Japanese car, first manual, first sports coupe. There's a lot of firsts there, so she stands alone.

But I like to think of it as a re-birth of understanding and loving cars. Looking forward to what I'll be driving and buying the future.

michael

I've never had a new car that required a new Cat after 400 miles, got towed to the dealer twice in the first 20k, and got an entire new engine at 23K! Guess I've owned way too many Hondas?

I don't no my 8 is my life. I have almost died with her. I have fucked in her. I:rolleyes: have slept in her so basically..... I Love Her!

Someone on here stated that if you take away stability control of the 8 their old 944 was a better handling machine. I would lean toward that because the 8 does have a bit of a slosh feeling without it if your not an experienced driver. Of the other cars I owned, of which I'm too embarrased to mention, they would be in a ditch with the hazzard lights flashing.

What sold me was it drove like my '71 240Z. Lite and handled.

I had a friend in college that had a 240z, that was a nice car for it's time. I wish Nissan would of went back to that of car, lightweight, tossable and with a straight six engine. The 350z is not that type of car.

Altho i only had 4 cars in my life including the 8. I think it stands alone for now, Something about the way it drove, got to me......There something in the 8, dare i say passion that words cannot describe but one would have to drive to understand. I've come out of a camry, VW Jetta and GTI. The 8 altho not torquey....somehow begs you to push the envelope whereas i wouldn't dare push on the other cars i've had. For a first time sports car......i think its great. I really think it takes more driving skill to drive an 8 than all the other high powered vehicles out there. The 8 reminds of.......control the car, and you control its power. ...meaning if you find out what its capable of doing, you'll able to push it at the right time, at the right corner. Whereas other cars i've driven....the power seems to overwhelm the driver and the car sort of controls the driver.

Honestly? THe car feel almost exactly like my 1997 s14.5 240sx, but with an engine that runs on milk instead of gasoline. With a *smidge* more power. the interior reminds me of a 3/5 series for some reason. Maybe its the materials and redlighting.

i've had an 89 mazda 626, a 91 Bonneville, and a modded 96 Maxima. Not to mention i worked Valet for 2 years at an expensive spot with fancy cars. The 8 does feel like a porsche, just with less power. The engine response of the 8 i think is better but only when u get it spinning above 5K. the 8 also gets top mark for roominess. i have taken my 3 friends with 3 pairs of skis on a 3 day ski trip to vermont and the car swallowed everything. Fishing trips with a trolling motor and camping gear..no problem. By the way i now have a degree in trunk packing ergonomics. Overall the 8 is a perect car and knock on wood, i have had no problems with her so far...15K on the Odo. its an 05' manual VR stock

I would say stand alone. I have owned a wide variety of cars from compact to full size, muscle car to luxury sport and most were just after thoughts in terms of engineering. They would do one thing well but nothing else. The RX8 stands out as a balanced package where everything works together. The kind of thought and engineering you find in more expensive sports cars.

stands completely alone.

yea I can compare...the 8 wins in almost all the comparisons though

:icon_no2: from a 1966 sunbeam alpine(4cyl.)1966 dodge cornet(318)1969 road runner(440)1978 dodge diplomat(340 rat motor)1987 honda accord(first f&fbefore the movie)1991 accord wagon(winter beater)and all the other cars i've ever owned and driven(even the RR silver shadow to the dodge viper) no car not even the porsche can touch the control of driver and car hand in hand wheel to ground feeling of control with feeling damm near untouchable in the curves that puts it in a total class of TRUE SPORTS CAR!the fact you can take a couple of passengers is a plus to the ace of a great design and slightly underpowered car that well take a long time for the others to catch up to.(YAH !it's my thoughts and i'm keeping them!)on the real side if you have time check them out for yourself and see.i did and made my mind up three years ago and still feeling the rush everyday since!:rolleyes:

I've pretty much owned sport's cars since day one......1st and 2nd gen 7's, 99 TA, Eagle Talon and I can tell you the only one that came close was a 1987 Porsche 944s that I owned. She was mint with only 40,000 km on her, it was practically new. I never thought I'd get in another car that handled as well and had similar driving characteristics as that Porsche. Well I was wrong for over all performance my 8 blows that Porsche out of the water. LOVE my 8!!

I feel that the RX-8 is very similar to my old Porsche '87 944 Turbo. The handling feel and the overall performance was the same - similar 0-60 and pretty much the same horsepower.

VW Rabbit, Fiat X1/9, VW GTI 337 and three different Miatas. Yup, the 8 is the most different—mostly because of the engine.

1987 buick century, 1994 Honda Civic, 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS. Take a guess what I think about the 8........

I had an '86 '944 and agree - handling is very similar, although I think the Porsche was softer. I think if I could put 18" wheels on my old '944 with P245/40-18 tires manufactured in 2004, that I think they'd handle the same.

Straight-line, it doesn't perform like anything I've had - I had a 1985 RX-7 and it pulled beautifully but that was an old 12A with a carb - still had an 8000 RPM redline.

I also had a 1995 Acura Integra GSR that had had some tweaks including a chip that raised the redline to 9000 RPM, and it had a similar feel of power and pull, although the RX-8 clearly has more HP than that car did.

Noting really like it - it's faster than my old 944 and more comfortable and doesn't have that characteristic "heavy" german feel like the Porsches do. And it obviously handles WAY better than my Acura ever did as it's a rear-driver (although that GSR was the best handling front driver I've ever driven).

This is it for sports cars for me for awhile - it goes off lease about the same time as my son gets his driver's license - I'll be getting a Mercedes C300 Sport next - fun, but decidedly a sedan.

Stew

Stand Alone.

I had a 1983 Mitsubishi Starion that was a blast to drive. Id say that the Starion was actually the most fun to drive car i've ever driven. Don't get me wrong the 8 is a close second, but you always love your first car. Plus that car was so ahead of its time it was ridiculous. It had the largest production 4 cylinder ever built, at that time, it was a 2.6 liter and on top of that it was turbo charged and fairly light. I someday would like to restore one.

interesting to see that some of you also owned 944's but compared to the 8 she was definately underpowered though they both handled almost identical. The Porsche was stiffer on the turns with virtually no body roll where as the 8 has a little more roll but no under steer (as far as I can tell) with the same attributes. Not so much "Porsche there is no substitute" beleiver anymore!

I used to own a BWM Z4 3.0i ( I say used to own so no flames :D: ). While it had a little more low-end torque for faster take-offs, my 8 compares extremely close. In fact I would say that the RX-8 seems to have more moving power once you have the engine up to a nice RPM. Both are pretty close on cornering but the RX-8 has a little more body roll. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my RX-8; it has the practicality of a small sedan but all of the fun of a coupe. The Z4, while nice, does cost about $20K more but IMHO doesn't deliver $20K more worth of fun.

Cheers

I've owned quite a few cars in my life and my 8 is definitely the standout car of the bunch. It's the best handling and most powerful car I've ever owned. Only the '85 RX-7 (base 12A) I owned in the mid to late '80's comes even remotely close.

1.3L

interesting to see that some of you also owned 944's but compared to the 8 she was definately underpowered though they both handled almost identical. The Porsche was stiffer on the turns with virtually no body roll where as the 8 has a little more roll but no under steer (as far as I can tell) with the same attributes. Not so much "Porsche there is no substitute" beleiver anymore!

I had a 1989 944S2. It had the 3.0 L inline 4 and the brakes and suspension of the 944 Turbo. It was about as quick as the 8, albeit more responsive at lower revs. The Porsche had better brake feel but dynamically the 8 betters it in every other way. But not by much. I always think that the 2 cars have very similar personalities: neutral yet adjustable, willing to rotate yet forgiving, great control feel...I love how you can trust the seat of your pants when driving hard in either of these cars.

The difference is in quality. My '89 was admittedly babied by its previous owners, but still looked and felt like new. My early build RX-8, as much as I love it, is quite the rattletrap.

<- always had a FWD.

<- now has a RWD.


conclusion: RX-8 stands alone.

I had an '86 '944 and agree - handling is very similar, although I think the Porsche was softer.

I had the M030 suspension upgrades along with Koni yellows set to hard in the rear for auto-x (would have liked to turn them down for the street but you can't adjust the rears without dropping the suspension). That 944 wasn't soft.

I had a 1989 944S2.

The difference is in quality. My '89 was admittedly babied by its previous owners, but still looked and felt like new. My early build RX-8, as much as I love it, is quite the rattletrap.

I think the biggest difference is in age. My 944T despite being babied and looked after was showing it's age. The rubber bits were all going or gone, interior trim was aging, plastics starting to crack and sag. I was spending more and more time underneath the car rather than driving it.

I bought my 944 brand new in 1986, had it for just under two years - it was a box-stock 944. 1985 was the year they improved the interior, added the "bean hole" wheels and a few other tweaks. Mine had leather, power seats on both sides, a up-market stereo, sunroof and a few other goodies, but all factory stuff. No mods like Koni's. The tires, as I recall, were something like 205/60-15s - so big soft donuts - my minivan has more aggressive tires on it now.

Now remember I"m mining the hard drive 21 years back here to remember what my 24-year-old butt-o-meter has stored, versus my 45 year old ass now. But with all that said, I do remember the 944 to have a softer ride, and more "cush" in the handling compared to my RX-8 now. Agree though that my 944 cornered absolutely flat.

I think the biggest difference is in age. My 944T despite being babied and looked after was showing it's age. The rubber bits were all going or gone, interior trim was aging, plastics starting to crack and sag. I was spending more and more time underneath the car rather than driving it.

Same here, I had a '89 944T that I ended up selling. IMO the RX-8 handles better as a daily driver but the Porsche might have been better on the track. Can't say with any certainty as my 944T really needed new shocks/springs/bushings etc... The car looked great but was still showing its age.

No..

RX8 = Sports Car
Lincoln LS = Luxury

Despite being 35 years old, I don't have a lot of cars I've owned to compare it to. For the last 8 years or so I've been driving my wife's old '93 Nissan Altima (4 cyl) MT. Prior to that I had an '89 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2-door AT. But prior to that I had a car that, to this day, I still miss: A '91 yellow Toyota MR2 MT. It wasn't the turbo model, but it handled (in dry weather, anyway) wonderfully and I got it up to about 135MPH on the highway on a couple of occasions. The speed/acceleration wasn't its selling point, of course, being that it wasn't the turbo, though it was light enough that it still felt plenty quick.

It was way too long ago for me to accurately compare to my RX-8. And just like someone has fond memories of a movie or food (or whatever) they experienced as a kid, only to later experience it again and decide that it wasn't as good as they remembered, it's possible that I remember it as being better than it was. But based on those fond memories, I'd have to say that I enjoyed it a bit more than I currently enjoy my RX-8. The RX-8 has it beat on power (which is funny when I think about how the RX-8 is dissed for it's lack of power compared to some of its current-day competitors), but I think the MR2's smaller size and (as I recall) lower seating position, resulted in me feeling more in tune with the road and more in control of a nimble little vehicle. Again, though, that's all based on my foggy memory of a car I owned 14 years ago, so take it for what it's worth.

Oh, and that's not to say that I don't feel "in tune with the road" with my RX-8. In fact, when I first took a used '05 RX-8 for a test drive, I felt that old feeling again and I had a huge smile on my face, which my wife commented on. I distinctly remember thinking that day that it reminded me of driving that '91 MR2.

I've owned two trucks and two sports cars. My other car was a 91 Camaro RS with a 305 throttle-body V8. At the time this car was great. It accelerated decently, had a really long, aggressive, serious look to it, and the engine sounded amazing. But it also had no positraction, so my back right wheel always wanted to spin. Also if I ever turned to sharply, it would simply keep going straight. That was dandy.

The 8 is better in every possible way, and it really has opened up a new world of driving capabilities.. Though I suppose it should be expected being that one was 5k, the other being 18k....

I'd say mine compares pretty nicely to my first car which was a V6 Convertable Camaro.

Great car, thinking back on it now I loved it, but I gave my parents hell about it because at the time I was young and only wanted MOAR POWAH! So then I got a Trans Am, and that car was a nightmarish hell of a car.

I had to "empty" the tail lights out of all the water that would collect after it rained, only 1 Speaker worked in the car, it had a crazy oil leak no one could fix, the engine was misfiring, and the transmission went out on me.

The only other car I would drive than my 8 is probably a V6 Camaro is really good condition (even though they don't stay that way for long...stupid chevy's!)

Been through more than a dozen new cars and bikes in my 39 years...though some were for the significant other. My last car was a chipped and tuned 1.8T Passat, which replaced my Miata once I had child #2 to pick up. I actually connected to my gay little Miata, but I could never get into the VW. Reliability issues didn't help, I think I left a legacy in cyberspace complaining about it.

8 is my fav, no question, but I'd like a convertable again.

turbocharged b13 se-r with lots of mods, to me it was a good all around car untill i upgraded the turbo and was well over 300 whp then it got too scary to drive straight and i could never get traction, but i love what the 8 starts with

The Porsche 944's you're comparing your cars to are on an avarage 20 years old.
Kind of says something about a 20 year old Porsche.

The Porsche 944's you're comparing your cars to are on an avarage 20 years old.
Kind of says something about a 20 year old Porsche.

Good point, but my 944S2 cost US$45,000 in 1989...:Eyecrazy:

My 1st car was a '92 diamante, luxurious and comfortable as hell.
2nd car was a 94 celica GT, sexy hatch back weighing at 2600 pounds and it was planted as hell in corners
3rd car (and still own it) '02 jetta 1.8t, faster than the rx-8 (cause its not stock) but other than that nothing.

The 8 is like having all 3 of those cars wrap up in a nice sexy package. Good looks and curves like the celica (Chicks love both cars) handling better than the celica, Comfortable as hell just like my diamante, though my diamante had leather and power seats and my 8 doesnt (I'd rather have the cloth in the 8, it feels like it hugs better in corners) and the 8 is quick like my jetta is, in a straight line.

I have been through over 30 cars in my life. Mostly cheapy fixxer uppers.
I had a 85 gsl-se that had the rotary.
And my porsche 914 handled really well.
The Firebird Formula was fast. ( please don't hate me for owning one )
The Cosworth was a ton of fun.
The BMW 633csi was great.
Had an Audi quattro coupe, that thing held the road.
Buick Grand National was the fastest car I owned.
Even my VW bug had over 200hp ( till it blew up in a blaze of fire - VW's with power are like driving a hand grenade )


But the RX8 stands alone. The whole package is great. Everything works in harmony on this car.

I must say I liked my '02 Boxster better. Similar power output (delivered in totally different ways obviously), but that flat six sung a beautiful song, it really wailed from 6k-7200 rpm. Plus it had some torque (relatively speaking).

I didn't like that fact that it was a convertible, except for maybe like 15-20 days total out of the year.

My RX-8, even with 19s and Eibachs, is softer and more comfortable than my Boxster was, but the Boxster handled better (it had coilovers).

Also, the fit and finish of the Boxster was light-years ahead of the RX-8. Everything felt better and looked better.

I had an IS300 5 spd. that was nice...obviously not as sporty as the RX-8, but I liked it.

I had an Audi TT 225 Coupe Quattro 6spd. that I loved, strong engine, great interior, but even with Eibach springs and 19" BBS wheels, not a great handler--OK, but not great. Looked Fantastic though!

Honestly fellas, of this list of cars the RX-8 is my 3rd favorite, with the Boxster first and TT second.

the rx-8 stands alone overall for me

but performance wise, she feels like my dad's boxster, just slower

at least i have more room, thats always good

First rotary, although my first car was a Chrysler Conquest TSi before the motor blew, and then a Nissan NX2000. Loved the TSi, but the NX2000 was just basic transportation for me while I was earning my masters degree. Turned out to be a fun little car.

When I graduated I knew I had a job waiting for me, and had a little slip in sanity and test drove a Honda Accord. I wanted to kill myself after the test drive...

Glad I went with a 2005 RX8 6 speed as a daily driver. I love it, even in traffic.

I traded in my S2000 for the RX8 just this past weekend. For me the RX8 drove very simular to the S2000 but without all the road noise of the Vert. Basically I was sick of the Vert but wanted the same type of drive and the RX8 was the winner.

Not quite as fast and not quite the true sports car feel of the S2000, but man is it close. I'm very happy.

In 1988 I had a RX7 turbo, fun but uncomfortable. 2 seats sux. The 8 is very piratical and fun to drive.

First car (if you can call it that) that I drove while I was in high school was a '93 Ford Aerostar. You could fit more amps and speakers in the Aerostar, but that's all we'll say about that.

The first car (truck) that I owned was a '95 GMC Jimmy. It got me through college and looked pretty cool. If I'd had a sports car in college I don't know if I would have made it out alive.

After I'd been working for a while, I bought a 5-speed '01 VW GTI VR6. The car felt incredibly planted and solid (probably weighed 3500lbs or so). The interior felt like it was built to last forever and the seats were extremely comfortable. The shifter was crap and it wasn't terribly quick, but the motor sounded good and it definitely had some pep.

After a couple years (and some raises at work) this forum got me so excited about getting an RX-8 that I bought my first new car. It blew the GTI away in every category except interior quality (although I love the nav system).

Even though I've had a couple of issues with it, overall I couldn't be happier. I feel like I've been spoiled by the 8 to the point that I will have a hard time finding a better car without spending double the money or more. I can't even imagine downgrading to a Civic or something along those lines, but I have to admit that some days I fantasize about more torque.

Yea I like the RX-8 better than my 928 in many ways. Like all the little widgets work on the Madza. Handling in similair braking is close. Mileage the same Shifting the 8 is MUCH better, But grunt goes to the Porsche.
Mazda is New Porsche was used.
Let's hope the Mazda stays with me for 13 yrs like the 928 did.

I don't no my 8 is my life. I have almost died with her. I have fucked in her. I:rolleyes: have slept in her so basically..... I Love Her!

Word for Word Me 2.....

I've owned a lot of cars for only being 21 years old. I'm in the 944 group; I had an '86 and an '89 and I must admit that the 944's didn't feel as mushy going into the corners, not as much body roll...but the 8 definitely out-accelerates them (at least the NA models like I had). More recently I had an '02 S2000 and in all honesty the S2K handled a smidge better (its a few hundred lbs lighter after all) although acceleration/top speed basically the same. However, the 8 doesn't feel like its straining to go fast, where the honda would scream. IMO the S2K makes a better track car, but the 8 wins for a daily driver due to practicality and interior features.