I head from a reliable source that (a jealous STi owner that thinks his 4 door box is a sports car) jealous sti owner said "once you take the piece of crap rotary engine to track you are going to blow the engine in 5 laps". Also oonce you hit 22,000- and above you engine will just blow" The sarcastic rx8 owner (that is me) "well i guess i should sell my car right now since i have 22,000 miles and where did you ever here about rotary engines blowing after 22,000 miles" and at the end of it all i said to him at least my car is a sports car and not a suped up 4 door box that could never be a sports car.

If I wonted a station wagon I would have bought one;)

Yeah, but the STi does come with a free ironing board mounted on back

Free ironing board? My girlfriend would love that :rolleyes:.

Yea hu, I was driving next to a STI and thats what my girl said. Whats with the Jet wing?
I told her thats how they are, like the EVO.

HEY! Everyone is complaining about the wing! I think they are useful guys!!! In fact, so useful.. that I'm contemplating putting one on my mother's wheelchair. She gets a bit heavy going up ramps, and I think it will help boost the aerodynamics!! :)

Also, just my opinion.. but I think of those big arse wings as 'the thing' for the millenium just as window louvers were in the '80s. HOPEFULLY in a few more years they will see that they are uglier than they actually help. :D

You guys just wait 'till Ike comes to settle your hash and set you straight!

You guys just wait 'till Ike comes to settle your hash and set you straight!
I await the 'naners :D :D

Of course... this is a biased forum. :) THANK GOSH for variety! I'm GLAD they have different cars in the world... what else would I have to make fun of ?? :D

You guys shouldn't be talking so much smack about the STI... it'll embarrass the RX8 in almost any type of competition. The 8 has more of a traditional sports car feel and is overall more fun as a daily driver IMHO, but show the STI the respect it deserves.

On a related note, Subaru has supposedly improved the STI's steering (which was my biggest complaint about it). That’s good news!

i will say the STI owners comment was dumb.. but bashing on the STI is stupid as well!! drive one and lets see how much bashin you can do! its a rally car and not a sports car! now is rally cross is a sport then well then it is a sports car.. so who cares!!! its just another car and like deslokc said.. it will embarras an RX8 in every possible catagory! except which has the kewler doors.

The sti is a great car but it is not a sports car. 1. Sports car, sport car -- (a small low car with a high-powered engine; usually seats two persons)
2. Sports car, ( a car that the cabin does not dominate the cars styling and has small proportions of the car)

Now yes the Rx8 is a sports car because its light, nibble, fast steering, amazing handling and strong engine.

Now the Sti is very fast but ether way you look at it its still a very fast sedan, with good handling, OK steering, good tranny but its heavy a lot heavier than a rx8.

Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day if you disable the all wheel drive you cant compare these cars.

Sti (Ps even the subaru website says 2005 Impreza STI Sedan

300 hp
2.5 boxer 4 turbo
all wheel drive
4 doors sporty sedan
curb weight 3298

Rx8

238 Hp
2 rotary wankel engine
no turbo (yet)
rear wheel drive
4 doors sports car
I weighed my rx8 at English town (raceway park NJ) NJ fully loaded rx8 Gt. with navi, full tank of gas, and me in at
3117 pounds i weigh 150 so do the math its a lot lighter than the Sti

I am not bashing the car it is a great car but you pay for what you get maybe to other people it is a sports car but to me its a beefed sedan. My question is if you get a 4 door civic and put a big engine in it and all other goodies is it a sports car....... No, its still a civic it might be nice but its a civic. Just like the Sti it is still a 4 door sedan end of story.

Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day if you disable the all wheel drive you cant compare these cars.
I'm not sure what you meant... was it this?
"Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day if you disable the all wheel drive. You cant compare these cars."

or this?
"Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day. If you disable the all wheel drive, you cant compare these cars."

Either way, part of the reason the STI weighs so much more is its AWD system, which is essential to the car's design. It's not like the older AWD econoboxes that were based on FWD platforms... if you're gonna take away the STI's AWD, you might as well take away the RX8's rotary.

My question is if you get a 4 door civic and put a big engine in it and all other goodies is it a sports car....... No, its still a civic it might be nice but its a civic. Just like the Sti it is still a 4 door sedan end of story.
I agree with you in a sense... the STI is based on an economy platform while the RX8 was designed from the ground-up to be a sports car. No amount of modifications can make the STI as agile as the RX8. But no one here is calling the STI a sports car and it's an impressive performer that shouldn't be dismissed as just another sedan.

I'm not sure what you meant... was it this?
"Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day if you disable the all wheel drive. You cant compare these cars."

or this?
"Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day. If you disable the all wheel drive, you cant compare these cars."

Either way, part of the reason the STI weighs so much more is its AWD system, which is essential to the car's design. It's not like the older AWD econoboxes that were based on FWD platforms... if you're gonna take away the STI's AWD, you might as well take away the RX8's rotary.


I agree with you in a sense... the STI is based on an economy platform while the RX8 was designed from the ground-up to be a sports car. No amount of modifications can make the STI as agile as the RX8. But no one here is calling the STI a sports car and it's an impressive performer that shouldn't be dismissed as just another sedan.

What i meant is you cant compare the rx8, and STI. Not the same platform rear wheel drive verus all wheel drive.

To me the Sti is an ugly sedan. I am not saying it is not fast nor a good track car but subaru said themselves its a sporty sedan.

To give it respect for being fast but that is it i would never own one i buy car that is fun to drive and looks good :cool: Hence why i have a rx8

I can't really see how the STi isn't a sports car because it's a sedan. that logic is still lost on me- it's got a great amt of power and is pretty agile. Just because it has two extra doors doesn't make it any less of a performer.

the lighter weight in the rx8 just helps compensate for the lower hp- just like the higher hp of the bigger cars compensates for the weight

but then again, it's all relative

would I trade the 8 if I could take a STi- I don't know, it'd be a hard choice, really it would

I can't really see how the STi isn't a sports car because it's a sedan. that logic is still lost on me- it's got a great amt of power and is pretty agile. From my previous posts, it should be clear that I think highly of the STI. But compared to sports-cars, it has a mediocre shifter, poor steering feedback, and (most importantly) is *not* agile. That's why it's not a sports car.

I head from a reliable source that (a jealous STi owner that thinks his 4 door box is a sports car) jealous sti owner said "once you take the piece of crap rotary engine to track you are going to blow the engine in 5 laps"...

Lots of STIs and Evos are purchased by the "mine is bigger than yours" crowd. To them, balance and agility just don't matter. They simply need to know their car can "spank" your car. It's not about driving, it's not about being "one with the car," it's simply about having "more," and making themselves feel big by making you feel small.

Ignore them.

That's not say everyone who buys these rally cars feels this way. I've spoken with many Evo owners who "get it." The ones who do ooze as much passion for simply DRIVING their cars as we do for ours ;)

From my previous posts, it should be clear that I think highly of the STI. But compared to sports-cars, it has a mediocre shifter, poor steering feedback, and (most importantly) is *not* agile. That's why it's not a sports car.

I understood that. But I think if you compare it to other cars- it does quite well. in my mind there's 2 types of 'sports cars" (right or wrong) there's the highly agile "lower" power cars like the 8, and then the higher powered cars that do decently. Granted- I've never driven an STi competively, though I have driven a stock Evo competitively, I think it did quite well. Granted I also realize that the Evo is a lot tighter suspension wise than the STi, so maybe I'm just shooting off- I do that a lot anyway:D


eh- to each his own.

heel- I can see that.

Lots of STIs and Evos are purchased by the "mine is bigger than yours" crowd. To them, balance and agility just don't matter. They simply need to know their car can "spank" your car. It's not about driving, it's not about being "one with the car," it's simply about having "more," and making themselves feel big by making you feel small.

Ignore them.

That's not say everyone who buys these rally cars feels this way. I've spoken with many Evo owners who "get it." The ones who do ooze as much passion for simply DRIVING their cars as we do for ours ;)


That's pretty funny! A lot of the owners I had met varied in their reasons. Some do it simply to "spank" other cars! Some loved the WRC and have been following these 2 cars for some time before their arrival in the US. There are even some who knew of the cars that were available in Japan that we thought we would never get and along came this amazing opportunity to purchase one completely legally! When I think of where the competition with the Evo and STI owners was, it was aimed at each other more than any others. Evo is better than the STI or STI is better than the Evo was the main thing in the "mines bigger than yours" thing. Don't make the mistake of thinking they wont embarrass you if you challenge them! The fact is that most owners of those cars love them as much as RX-8 owners love their cars. If I said that I had more fun driving my Evo than I have ever had driving my RX-8 I think people would lose their minds in here, so I will just stop with what I have said already!

I've argued this with Ike before but it is a point worth making. Having driven an EVO, WRX, and an RX-8 on the track my opinion is that the EVO and WRX, while fun to drive and fast as hell, lack some sophistication in getting the job done. It is hard to hide those economy car roots when it comes to suspension and steering. For some, they can't feel it or don't care, to each their own, but I appreciate the effort Mazda put into engineering this car. It stands by itself, specifically built for it's drving purpose. That's what makes it a "Sports Car" as opposed to a hopped up Rally Racer.

I am not bashing the car it is a great car but you pay for what you get maybe to other people it is a sports car but to me its a beefed sedan. My question is if you get a 4 door civic and put a big engine in it and all other goodies is it a sports car....... No, its still a civic it might be nice but its a civic. Just like the Sti it is still a 4 door sedan end of story.

Bravo! it doesn't take much to make a car go like stink. You can beef up a Pinto for godsake. Theres alot more to purchasing an everyday driver than just speed. IMO the EVO and STi lack in the looks/sophistication dept. They may be great in performance, but quite frankly..... they look like suped of rice cars and theres no way I'm paying a relatively bigger price tag for a car that looks ricey! But again... thats just my opinion.

Ok, since people want to use the term sophistication please elaborate! Is it the way the power is delivered? More of a spike in power instead of linear? Is it the ride height? I personally know the Evo delivers excellent feedback (maybe too much at times)! I am genuinely curious!

Didnt we have this discussion what is a sports car.

BUT wud u consider Rally cross a sport.. if it is then the STi is a sports car. Simple!

Does anybody remember that the STI is at heart an Impreza? A decent car, but it's no Mercedez.

I liken the STI to the early years of American muscle cars. Take an inexpensive sedan, add a high horsepower motor and some other goodies. Bolt on some wings, scoops and fancy graphics and there you go. (Granted, the STI has allot more in the brake and suspension department that what they used to put in the GTO's or 442's).

Do I pretend that my 8 is going to out accelerate an STI? Of course not. The STI is a different kind of animal. I bought my 8 because of the following criteria....

1) Great looks. I am too old (37) to get some boy racer with a 2' high wing. + my wife absolutely cringes when she sees the WRX or STI.
2) 4 doors and a usable back seat.
3) Nimble handling and strong brakes.
4) Decent acceleration. I do not race the car! (I'm a lifelong Formula 1 fan and don't get the drag racing or racing with only left turns thing).
5) The price is reasonable. Ideally, I'd get an M3 and even though we can afford it, my wife and I can't justify spending that much on a car.

In response to the STI owner, let him talk out of his a_$. I'd be more worried about an STI with it's high pressure turbos blowing up than the 8.

I think Ike has been too busy lately to stop in. It's been a while since I have seen any of his posts... We miss you Ike. :D

The STi owner clearly has been misinformed about RX-8s and rotary engines.
Car classification:
RX-8: Sedan (4 doors, 4 seats=sedan by insurance company)
What it really is: Sports Car=Looks good, handles well, fun to drive

STi: Sedan (4 doors, 5 seats=sedan by insurance company)
What it really is: Rally Car=Looks don't count, goes fast, handles well, fun to drive

Now I bet you the rx8 will out handle STI any day if you disable the all wheel drive you cant compare these cars.

A few things wrong here. First of all, the STi is a Subaru. What do ALL Subarus have? AWD. The car is made for it, it's not some FWD car with a rear differential slapped onto the drive train. The STi is a great car, not just for going in a straight line although it has enough power to do so. True, it doesn't have 50/50 weight distribution, but it handles well for a 3300 lb box. The RX-8 and STi are completely different cars. The RX-8 is a sports car that has style, 50/50 weight distribution and a 9k redline, the STi is about 300hp, 300ft-lbs, and AWD.

If an STi had RWD instead of AWD, it'd be a Ford Mustang SVT Cobra.
If an STi had FWD instead of AWD, it'd be a Dodge Neon SRT-4.
Good thing it's a Subaru. :D



Golden rule of car bashing: Don't bash cars.
The STi owner was an ignorant fool. Don't hold his car responsible for his knowledge.