I went to the Mazda Rev-It-Up this weekend and it was awesome! I didn't get to do both of my practice runs before I drove the competition course, but I still got a 38.00 flat and 445 point. Not too bad for my first time ever on a road course like that. Actually I went back to the timed practice course after my two competition runs and pulled off a 24.3 when the pro time was 22.0 flat. :D Wish I had one more crack at the competition course after that.

Anyway, I saw the RX-8 there and of course it looked absolutely great, but surprisingly enough, I wasn't overly impressed with the interior. The seats felt ok, but I wasn't sure about the gratuitous use of plastic material in the cabin / seat backs and the overall interior quality wasn't what I expected either. I know this car probably had a lot of "use" on it and tried to put that inperspective, but still. The raised center tunnel also seemed a little intrusive both in front and rear. I also saw the "door shake" when closing the doors. The rep started it up for us and revved it so we could hear it. The sound wasn't what I was expecting either. It was more buzzy than a growl. Finally, the shifter action was very light and easy to get into the different gears, but felt a bit vague for my tastes. It should still be a fun car to drive, but not what I expected overall.

With that said, I will have to admit to doing what I said and thought I would never do. After a test drive and seeing it in person, I actually ended up buying a Platinum Silver Manual Subaru WRX. Yes, you read that right, a Subaru WRX! The WRX was an absolute hoot to drive. The AWD just claws you through the turns and the engine sounds and performs admirably. My biggest concern ended up not being a concern at all, the interior was actually at about the same quality level of the typical VW/Audi in most respects and seems to be very well thought out and put together. The doors have a light yet solid feel to them when you close them and the seats are absolutely awesome! I bought it with the factory short shifter installed and the shifting feels positive and deliberate with nice short throws. Overall with it being a true 4 door, being a powerful 2.0 turbo, and nice interior, the WRX ended up being a great buy for me, especially since I qualified for the Subaru VIP program which allowed me to buy a brand spanking new '04 for invoice!

It's been great having been on this board and I'll still be popping in from time to time. You all enjoy your RX-8s and I'll see you on the road!

I have a 2002 WRX wagon, first allotment. I was going to trade it for the RX8, but I cannot give it up. You will enjoy the WRX. nasioc.com is a great sight if you have not found it yet.

I agree (sort of). At the Houston Rev-It-Up VIP event I spent over 30 mins in the red RX-8. I haven't mentioned this before but I also thought the interior was way below par in terms of quality feel (worse than the Mazda 6 or my IS300 and way below the G35 which everyone berates for interior quality) - to the point where I wondered if I still wanted the car. The reason I never commented on it here is because I reminded myself the car was an abused thrown-together prototype, so I am hoping (actually expecting) the production cars will be much better. The other point I will make is that when you get to sit in a car that you are can't drive you become hyper-critical of the look and feel of the interior - if they let you drive the RX-8 then you will probably spend 30 secs checking the interior out before enjoying the car (as you got to do with the WRX).

Personally I will wait another 4-6 weeks and test drive a real production vehicle. The interior should be a lot better and the test drive should put it's importance into perspective (and if it doesn't we are lucky there are now some other great cars in the $25-35k range)...

Good luck on the WRX - it's hard to argue with the bargain you got (an '04 at invoice!). Why didn't you look at the STi?

One thing I will say about the driving event - it's incredible how fast you can improve given the chance. I went late on Friday afternoon when few people were there. Unfortunately I did the competition at the beginning (got a poor 400ish first and then middling 630 on my second attempt). However I then spent some time on the handling track (over 10 attempts in a row without exiting the car) - my first run was 25.x and my last was 21.6 (better than the pro at 22) - every lap I concentrated on fixing another flaw/corner and it worked. I then ran about 15 times through the slalom area with similar gradual improvements. Incredible fun - must try real autocrossing soon....

Originally posted by pelucidor
Good luck on the WRX - it's hard to argue with the bargain you got (an '04 at invoice!). Why didn't you look at the STi?

One thing I will say about the driving event - it's incredible how fast you can improve given the chance. I went late on Friday afternoon when few people were there. Unfortunately I did the competition at the beginning (got a poor 400ish first and then middling 630 on my second attempt). However I then spent some time on the handling track (over 10 attempts in a row without exiting the car) - my first run was 25.x and my last was 21.6 (better than the pro at 22) - every lap I concentrated on fixing another flaw/corner and it worked. I then ran about 15 times through the slalom area with similar gradual improvements. Incredible fun - must try real autocrossing soon....

Thanks pelucidor / brownchiro. Actually I did consider the STi, but I couldn't justify paying $9K more after taxes since the STi does not qualify for the Subaru VIP Program (the only car that doesn't). Yes, the STi would have collector value and still be an "STi", but with a relatively small investment in my WRX, I can have the same or higher performance of an STI without the higher price tag. It will also be more of a sleeper as opposed to the attention getting STi (both good and bad attention if you know what I mean). I have seen an STi in person at a local car meet and it really impressive, but I'm still not overly crazy about the overly large wing and hoodscoop.

You got to run it that many times? Hey no fair pelucidor! ;) Congrats on the great score! I wish I would have had another chance. I know I would have improved my run again by at least two seconds. :)

Another great thing about buying the WRX is that you get a free one year membership to the SCCA which I definitely plan to take advantage of! The Rev-It-Up was my first time on a track other than a drag strip and I'm definitely sold on autocross / road course driving!

Too bad the WRX looks like a Neon. If they put all that cool guts into a car that has some imaginative design, they'd really have something.

I looked at the WRX and the Evo VIII before. They're the same, only that the WRX is uglier, especially with those bug eye headlights! I drove both and absolutely loved the performance and handling of both cars. Quality wise they are both crap, both suffering from dashboard rattles, doors not closing properly. And both had under 2000 miles on the clock. And at idle, both engines sputtered and coughed. To be honest I felt embarrassed to be seen in either one of them.

At the end of the day, they're both Toyota Corolla's with big fenders, airdams, holes in the bonnet and stupid looking wings on the back. The Corrollas styling can be compared to a kitchen appliance, and both these cars look it. Rubbish.

The only things I liked was the handling and the engine. But take any motor and any suspension and liven them up.

I suppose its each for their own.

Come on guys....now tell me how you really feel. LOL

In case you guys didn't know (which you obviously don't by the references you made to a Neon and bug-eyes), the WRX was redesigned for '04 and no longer has the "bug-eye" look. Don't worry guys. Either way you won't have to worry about looking at the front of the WRX regardless of what year it is because you'll only be seeing tail lights. Don't think you'll get away in the twisites either. ;)

Only time will tell about rattles and what not, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that my WRX exhibits none of those qualities. The doors close quite solidly and no sqeaks, rattles, or sounds of any kind except for the beautiful roar of the boxer engine and the whine of the turbo.

You also forget that the car is specifically designed to stand up to rally abuse and even has the highest safety rating in its class. You can't compare a WRX to a Corolla from any angle or viewpoint. To do so is pure nonsense. Time will tell about the true overall quality of the WRX, but it is definitely well above average if not the class leader. Check out Consumer Reports if you want to verify this.

You do mention the performance of the WRX, but sounds to me like you guys are after more of an "image" car. Besides, if you like a car and how it performs than who the hell cares what anyone else thinks? I know that's my philosophy. :D

Here...take a look.....you might be surprised....

http://impreza.subaru.com/microsites/impreza/wrx/wrx.jsp

But hey, I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. Make up your own minds and live with your decisions. Different strokes for different folks!

Interesting this because I was at a motor show in London today where the Scooby and the RX-8 both appeared. I thought the Mazda's interior was worse than I expected (it was the cloth interior and I favour leather so I'm biased but it still looked plasticky) and the Scooby's interior was better than I expected - looked really nice. Shame about that rear wing though... ;) Hope you love it Dtech!

Don't forget we have yet to see the production materials used in the interior.

Originally posted by Renesis08
Don't forget we have yet to see the production materials used in the interior.

Sorry but the car I saw today was a low power Japanese production model.

I always considered the WRW a great deal if it is what you are looking for. The styling was fine for me and wouldn't keep me from buying the car if it was the only deciding factor. The new redisign makes it look even better. I am not saying it is a work of art (like the RX8), just it has got a interesting look to it.

As for the interior, I have no problems with it. The seats are comfortable and thats all that matter. Sure it may be a little heavy on the plastic side, but none of that matters when your flogging it through the twisties.

Anyways, congratulations on your purchase and enjoy it.:)

WRX SUX

No, really, a tin box with a hood scoop? No thanx! I don't care HOW fast the little piece of...

Nuf said.

Whoa D-TECH.. didnt see that coming...

Honestly I'm gonna hold judgement on the car until I can see the actual finished production product sitting in my dealer and ready for me to crack open the door on.

I dunno how much different the final cars will be from these show's RX-8s, but I do hope there is more refinement. The one and only show 8 I saw was banged up and looked as though it wasnt of a final build quality. However I just assumed it was like that because it was for show and all 8 were still pre-pro..

But who knows.. if and when the 8 hits my dealer and it looks like the show one did.. aaaaah I dunno what my decision will be.

Come on guys, grow up just a little bit!

DTECH,
That sounds like a great deal. I think the new headlights look great on the 04 models. I'm going for the EVO, but the WRX would certainly be more livable (cruise control would be nice!) and still have quite a bit of punch. Its a great time to be a buyer for a rally-type car, with three excellent choices available.

I think the rally-inspired cars are subjected to more prejudged condemnation than any other class of cars I've ever seen. That's ok, us enlightened ones know what a true four door sports car is :p (just kidding folks...no flames please!)

Originally posted by Racer X-8
WRX SUX

No, really, a tin box with a hood scoop? No thanx! I don't care HOW fast the little piece of...

Nuf said.

Yet another brilliant argument! I can't imagine why people are so hateful. Then again people many times fear (or hate) what they don't understand.

Nuf said. :P

I forgot to ask, so what did you get in the WRX and for how much?

If you don't want an WRX, don't buy it. However, since DTECH will be driving it, it's up to him. There is no need to act like a jerk just because you don't like it.

Thanks all for the support! :)

I'm already enjoying it even if it will take me another couple of weeks to get it broken in. It's a great car that's a very nice bang for your buck deal. I've already ordered a set of OZ Racing Superleggeras in the Bright Silver finish along with some nice Yokohama AVS ES100 225/45/17 tires. Will have them on by the end of the week!

I'm going to keep my stock wheels and tires so I can use them for autocrossing or whenever I don't want to beat up my nice rims. I also have some future plans to add some nice upgrades in the performance department. I don't want to void the warranty too soon, especially since it's got good power stock.

I hope the RX-8 turns out to be what a lot of you expect it to be for you. Again, I think the exterior of the RX-8 is one of the nicest car designs I have ever seen and continue to like it. I just found something that suited me more.

This should be a really interesting year for the automotive industry with all the nice cars that are either out or coming!

Originally posted by RX-Nut
I forgot to ask, so what did you get in the WRX and for how much?

My WRX is an '04 Platinum Silver Sedan with:

Security System Upgrade
Air Filtration
Rear Spoiler
Short Shifter

It comes standard with a 6 disc in-dash CD changer, Recaro style one piece seats, Momo steering wheel, etc. quite a nice package!

Sorry....I got my '04 for INVOICE (~$23700) through the Subaru VIP program because I have an IMBA membership (International Mountain Bike Association). You have to be a member for at least 6 months before you can take part, but I've been a member for two years.

How much did you get it for?

See previous post edit..... :)

Wow.. solid price! Good going DTECH.. have fun.

Have fun with your new car DTECH! I did take the '04 WRX for a test drive and it's a wonderful car! I love that feeling when I get when the turbo kicks in!:eek:

Congrat DTECH on the purchase ;)
love that POTATO-POTATO-POTATO-POTATO sound coming from that boxer engine.

Am yet to see the RX-8 in person, very surprised to hear feedback that the interior quality is not as expected, from all pictures I've seen the interior SCREAM quality. Including those pics posted by our fellow member EASTMOON san, Yukhi, JSG, etc

I certainly not fancy the door shake when closing :D and I do aware and sampled the blender like engine noise, sounds ok to me if not tame :p (individual preference) i guess.

Oh well.. I just hope Mazda aware about all these issue and able to do somethin about it.

Car like RX-8 is long overdue from Mazda, after the RX-7.
just like to see it do great all over the world

pardon the ignorance.. can someone explain door shake?

The WRX is great, I took my friends out for an hour this past weekend. Handles great on the twisties in Colorado! Very stable at 100MPH+ as well....

D-san

Sorry, DTECH-RX and all of those who support you and the Subaru line. I was in a hurry to leave and just thought I would shake up the thread a little as I am not one for long goodbyes. I don't hate a thing. The fact that you are comparing the WRX to the RX-8 (aren't you?) was just a bit too laughable to take very seriously. The WRX belongs on dirt. That's what it's meant for, you know, rallies through the mountains? If that's your thing, then buy the WRX or another car in that class.

If you plan on keeping up with the RX-8 on-road, well, you better buy the optional boat anchor for when the high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn causes your "claws" to screeeeetch just a little more than the RX-8's that's purrrring past you.

If you want to put the WRX in the same class as the RX-8, then in what ways is it better? Don't go talking about all those aftermarket goodies you're buyinng for it, no fair.

Get off the "plastic" trip too. We're in the new millenium now. Plastic aint just plastic anymore in the first place and I'll bet there's a heck of a lot of it in the WRX too. What would you like in it's place? Tell the Mazda engineers what you think and I'll bet they'll bore you to death as to EXACTLY WHY each and every piece of "plastic" is the material of choice for that component and ecactly what polymer was selected for that particular useage. For instance (& I'm just guessing) did you notice how thin the seat backs are? The back of the seats are "plastic" because they probably provide a structural "backbone" in a way that no other material can provide, with the right combination of support and flexural "give", while minimizing seat back thickness in order to provide more room for the passengers. (Once again, that's how I saw that, it's just a guess!)

It's the AWD, isn't it? It's got to be. The car has that tin can look of a Corolla. And the interior? Jeez-o-man! It IS a '77 Corolla interior. Very functional. Very clean lines - they're all STRAIGHT.

No offense DTECH-RX & the others, but you asked for what we really thought & I told you what I thought, twice now, only this time I had the time to elaborate a bit more. You swapped car classes while still insisting that you didn't by writing such convincing posts. Well, I'm not buying it. Next thing, we'll have somebody trying to compare his friggin' brandie new SUV to the RX-8. SUV's are definitely cool too, mind you. I've had the crap scared out of me plenty of times by an SUV in rush hour traffic. I just don't prefer one of those for myself either.

Originally posted by DTECH-RX


Yet another brilliant argument! I can't imagine why people are so hateful. Then again people many times fear (or hate) what they don't understand.

Nuf said. :P

Couldn't have set it better than myself.

Seriously I was ready to get a '03 WRX. Took a Proline WRX for a spin in Irvine. I must say it's a fine machine. I go snowboarding a lot and this would be a better car to take to the mountains. However I couldn't resist getting anything over the eight :D.

Originally posted by LesPaul
Too bad the WRX looks like a Neon. If they put all that cool guts into a car that has some imaginative design, they'd really have something.

i heard they were making a high sped neon kind of like the mazdaspped protoge. are they really?

Originally posted by ibfubar2000


i heard they were making a high sped neon kind of like the mazdaspped protoge. are they really? It's been made already. SRT-4.

Originally posted by Racer X-8
Sorry, DTECH-RX and all of those who support you and the Subaru line. I was in a hurry to leave and just thought I would shake up the thread a little as I am not one for long goodbyes. I don't hate a thing. The fact that you are comparing the WRX to the RX-8 (aren't you?) was just a bit too laughable to take very seriously. The WRX belongs on dirt. That's what it's meant for, you know, rallies through the mountains? If that's your thing, then buy the WRX or another car in that class.

If you plan on keeping up with the RX-8 on-road, well, you better buy the optional boat anchor for when the high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn causes your "claws" to screeeeetch just a little more than the RX-8's that's purrrring past you.

If you want to put the WRX in the same class as the RX-8, then in what ways is it better? Don't go talking about all those aftermarket goodies you're buyinng for it, no fair.

Get off the "plastic" trip too. We're in the new millenium now. Plastic aint just plastic anymore in the first place and I'll bet there's a heck of a lot of it in the WRX too. What would you like in it's place? Tell the Mazda engineers what you think and I'll bet they'll bore you to death as to EXACTLY WHY each and every piece of "plastic" is the material of choice for that component and ecactly what polymer was selected for that particular useage. For instance (& I'm just guessing) did you notice how thin the seat backs are? The back of the seats are "plastic" because they probably provide a structural "backbone" in a way that no other material can provide, with the right combination of support and flexural "give", while minimizing seat back thickness in order to provide more room for the passengers. (Once again, that's how I saw that, it's just a guess!)

It's the AWD, isn't it? It's got to be. The car has that tin can look of a Corolla. And the interior? Jeez-o-man! It IS a '77 Corolla interior. Very functional. Very clean lines - they're all STRAIGHT.

No offense DTECH-RX & the others, but you asked for what we really thought & I told you what I thought, twice now, only this time I had the time to elaborate a bit more. You swapped car classes while still insisting that you didn't by writing such convincing posts. Well, I'm not buying it. Next thing, we'll have somebody trying to compare his friggin' brandie new SUV to the RX-8. SUV's are definitely cool too, mind you. I've had the crap scared out of me plenty of times by an SUV in rush hour traffic. I just don't prefer one of those for myself either.


Obviously you've never driven a WRX or an RX-8. How can you formulate opinions on cars you've never driven? Stop wasting bandwidth...

D-san

Originally posted by Racer X-8
Sorry, DTECH-RX and all of those who support you and the Subaru line. I was in a hurry to leave and just thought I would shake up the thread a little as I am not one for long goodbyes. I don't hate a thing. The fact that you are comparing the WRX to the RX-8 (aren't you?) was just a bit too laughable to take very seriously. The WRX belongs on dirt. That's what it's meant for, you know, rallies through the mountains? If that's your thing, then buy the WRX or another car in that class.

If you plan on keeping up with the RX-8 on-road, well, you better buy the optional boat anchor for when the high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn causes your "claws" to screeeeetch just a little more than the RX-8's that's purrrring past you.

If you want to put the WRX in the same class as the RX-8, then in what ways is it better? Don't go talking about all those aftermarket goodies you're buyinng for it, no fair.

Get off the "plastic" trip too. We're in the new millenium now. Plastic aint just plastic anymore in the first place and I'll bet there's a heck of a lot of it in the WRX too. What would you like in it's place? Tell the Mazda engineers what you think and I'll bet they'll bore you to death as to EXACTLY WHY each and every piece of "plastic" is the material of choice for that component and ecactly what polymer was selected for that particular useage. For instance (& I'm just guessing) did you notice how thin the seat backs are? The back of the seats are "plastic" because they probably provide a structural "backbone" in a way that no other material can provide, with the right combination of support and flexural "give", while minimizing seat back thickness in order to provide more room for the passengers. (Once again, that's how I saw that, it's just a guess!)

It's the AWD, isn't it? It's got to be. The car has that tin can look of a Corolla. And the interior? Jeez-o-man! It IS a '77 Corolla interior. Very functional. Very clean lines - they're all STRAIGHT.

No offense DTECH-RX & the others, but you asked for what we really thought & I told you what I thought, twice now, only this time I had the time to elaborate a bit more. You swapped car classes while still insisting that you didn't by writing such convincing posts. Well, I'm not buying it. Next thing, we'll have somebody trying to compare his friggin' brandie new SUV to the RX-8. SUV's are definitely cool too, mind you. I've had the crap scared out of me plenty of times by an SUV in rush hour traffic. I just don't prefer one of those for myself either.

I'm still going to be on and off of this forum since I still like talking about the RX-8 and most of the people on this forum, so this is hardly a goodbye.

I'm not quite so sure why you are so offended by what I've said. I've spoken MY opinion and experiences and have made it a point to emphasize that I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. It sounds like you just can't deal with someone having a differing opinion from your own.

Sorry to burst your "elitest" bubble, but the WRX can and will be compared to the RX-8 because they address a similar target demographic, price range, and performance level.

I preferred the WRX for the reasons already mentioned. I'm not about to make another "grocery list" just for you as again, I'm not try to convince you or anyone else, not to mention they were quite clear to most everyone else. I like the styling of the RX-8 and some other qualities as well, but it did not measure up to what I needed and wanted in a few key areas. I couldn't ignore the inherent value of the WRX either, especially at the price I was able to buy it for.

Oh, and aftermarket parts are not a necessity on the WRX, just the icing on the cake given the wide availability of parts, the robustness of the engine, and the wide range of uses the WRX can be set up for.

BTW...Considering the two cars you currently own in your sig, I would hardly be criticizing anyone elses tastes in car styling. :p

But again.....different strokes for different folks.....;)

Originally posted by Racer X-8
Sorry, DTECH-RX and all of those who support you and the Subaru line. I was in a hurry to leave and just thought I would shake up the thread a little as I am not one for long goodbyes. I don't hate a thing. The fact that you are comparing the WRX to the RX-8 (aren't you?) was just a bit too laughable to take very seriously. The WRX belongs on dirt. That's what it's meant for, you know, rallies through the mountains? If that's your thing, then buy the WRX or another car in that class.

If you plan on keeping up with the RX-8 on-road, well, you better buy the optional boat anchor for when the high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn causes your "claws" to screeeeetch just a little more than the RX-8's that's purrrring past you.

If you want to put the WRX in the same class as the RX-8, then in what ways is it better? Don't go talking about all those aftermarket goodies you're buyinng for it, no fair.

Get off the "plastic" trip too. We're in the new millenium now. Plastic aint just plastic anymore in the first place and I'll bet there's a heck of a lot of it in the WRX too. What would you like in it's place? Tell the Mazda engineers what you think and I'll bet they'll bore you to death as to EXACTLY WHY each and every piece of "plastic" is the material of choice for that component and ecactly what polymer was selected for that particular useage. For instance (& I'm just guessing) did you notice how thin the seat backs are? The back of the seats are "plastic" because they probably provide a structural "backbone" in a way that no other material can provide, with the right combination of support and flexural "give", while minimizing seat back thickness in order to provide more room for the passengers. (Once again, that's how I saw that, it's just a guess!)

It's the AWD, isn't it? It's got to be. The car has that tin can look of a Corolla. And the interior? Jeez-o-man! It IS a '77 Corolla interior. Very functional. Very clean lines - they're all STRAIGHT.

No offense DTECH-RX & the others, but you asked for what we really thought & I told you what I thought, twice now, only this time I had the time to elaborate a bit more. You swapped car classes while still insisting that you didn't by writing such convincing posts. Well, I'm not buying it. Next thing, we'll have somebody trying to compare his friggin' brandie new SUV to the RX-8. SUV's are definitely cool too, mind you. I've had the crap scared out of me plenty of times by an SUV in rush hour traffic. I just don't prefer one of those for myself either. Racer - its great to have a strong opinion for a car you've never driven, but why attack DTECH for his choice - the guy got a great deal on a car he loved to drive, most people would applaud that. Yes the WRX is not perfect, but don't think the RX-8 will be either, or any car for that matter. I have previously suggested the EVO and STi were 'appliances for speed', and that the RX-8 should be more well-rounded (more luxury, content, balance, smoothness etc) but I can certainly see the attraction for those other vehicles.

There are people on this site that are probably FAR more passionate and knowledgeable about the RX-8 than you are, but they can see other people's perspectives too. I would hate this forum to automatically dislike all other vehicles as it would be much more fun to encourage coherent and polite comparisons with other cars like the EVO (AbusiveWombat), WRX (DTECH), BMW 3 series (East Moon who actually owns an RX-8), G35 (DonG35Miata), S2000 (JSG who actually owns an RX-8) etc. That way it is easy to see how the strengths and weaknesses of the RX-8 compare to other cars and so help prospective buyers decide if the RX-8 is suitable for them. Personally I will be test driving various cars I have no intention of buying just before picking up my RX-8 - cars like the EVO, STi, G35 Sedan 6MT, BMW 330i etc because to me $33k is a lot of money and I want to be sure there is nothing better for my needs and budget out there (very unlikely, but I have been surprised before)...

Originally posted by Lensman


Sorry but the car I saw today was a low power Japanese production model.

I highly doubt that. The J-Spec hasn't yet been out a month, and it would take longer than that to ship the car from Japan to Europe.

Originally posted by Racer X-8
Sorry, DTECH-RX and all of those who support you and the Subaru line. I was in a hurry to leave and just thought I would shake up the thread a little as I am not one for long goodbyes. I don't hate a thing. The fact that you are comparing the WRX to the RX-8 (aren't you?) was just a bit too laughable to take very seriously. The WRX belongs on dirt. That's what it's meant for, you know, rallies through the mountains? If that's your thing, then buy the WRX or another car in that class.

If you plan on keeping up with the RX-8 on-road, well, you better buy the optional boat anchor for when the high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn causes your "claws" to screeeeetch just a little more than the RX-8's that's purrrring past you.

If you want to put the WRX in the same class as the RX-8, then in what ways is it better? Don't go talking about all those aftermarket goodies you're buyinng for it, no fair.

Get off the "plastic" trip too. We're in the new millenium now. Plastic aint just plastic anymore in the first place and I'll bet there's a heck of a lot of it in the WRX too. What would you like in it's place? Tell the Mazda engineers what you think and I'll bet they'll bore you to death as to EXACTLY WHY each and every piece of "plastic" is the material of choice for that component and ecactly what polymer was selected for that particular useage. For instance (& I'm just guessing) did you notice how thin the seat backs are? The back of the seats are "plastic" because they probably provide a structural "backbone" in a way that no other material can provide, with the right combination of support and flexural "give", while minimizing seat back thickness in order to provide more room for the passengers. (Once again, that's how I saw that, it's just a guess!)

It's the AWD, isn't it? It's got to be. The car has that tin can look of a Corolla. And the interior? Jeez-o-man! It IS a '77 Corolla interior. Very functional. Very clean lines - they're all STRAIGHT.

No offense DTECH-RX & the others, but you asked for what we really thought & I told you what I thought, twice now, only this time I had the time to elaborate a bit more. You swapped car classes while still insisting that you didn't by writing such convincing posts. Well, I'm not buying it. Next thing, we'll have somebody trying to compare his friggin' brandie new SUV to the RX-8. SUV's are definitely cool too, mind you. I've had the crap scared out of me plenty of times by an SUV in rush hour traffic. I just don't prefer one of those for myself either.

Just a little insecure aren't we? I tell you what, when I get my EVO
with its "high CG, poor polar moment of inertia, uneven weight distribution and perhaps an unexpected turbo boost when accelerating out of a high G turn" I will run with you on any road you want, straight, twisty or whatever and see if I can "keep up." The RX8 and WRX are pretty close in overall performance (albeit with different strengths and weaknesses) so I think they'd be pretty close on a twisty road, with perhaps the WRX having a slight edge perhaps due to being a bit easier to drive (i.e. less reving, etc.).

The bottom line is that this is all pretty stupid. The person should pick the car, which they find more fun and enjoyable (and in some cases cost factors in).

The bottom line is that this is all pretty stupid. The person should pick the car, which they find more fun and enjoyable (and in some cases cost factors in).


Duh, I'm with you Revhappy. Buy the car you want or need and end of story. I'm not buying an 8 for any reason someone else has offered but my own. If I love it when I see it and drive it I'll buy it, no matter what anyone else's opinion is. Kind of like movie critics their a dime a dozen and until you see the movie who knows if you'll like it?:D

Originally posted by DTECH-RX
Thanks all for the support! :)

I'm already enjoying it even if it will take me another couple of weeks to get it broken in. It's a great car that's a very nice bang for your buck deal. I've already ordered a set of OZ Racing Superleggeras in the Bright Silver finish along with some nice Yokohama AVS ES100 225/45/17 tires. Will have them on by the end of the week!

I'm going to keep my stock wheels and tires so I can use them for autocrossing or whenever I don't want to beat up my nice rims. I also have some future plans to add some nice upgrades in the performance department. I don't want to void the warranty too soon, especially since it's got good power stock.

I hope the RX-8 turns out to be what a lot of you expect it to be for you. Again, I think the exterior of the RX-8 is one of the nicest car designs I have ever seen and continue to like it. I just found something that suited me more.

This should be a really interesting year for the automotive industry with all the nice cars that are either out or coming!



Congrats man. My buddy has a 2002 WRX all worked up with those rims in gold. You have to get the HKS Blow off valve pppssssssstttt it sounds awesome. Look into a HKS exhaust also. It will sound even better and eliminate the turbo lag. My friends interior is still very quiet and the doors close tight so I do not know what these people are talking about. I guess they are all just haters. PM me so we could get together at tower shops one of these Fridays.

Enjoy

Yes the 04 gets the Subby look back somewhat have yet to see one on the road. Congrats and enjoy. Personally I think Mazda has to offer incentives to make the RX8 viable SP? or else it very well may end up being a flash fire sale type vehicle. As its main competetors well very well go this route.

One question whats the Torque split to the F/B 35/65 40/60

I know the Evo has a 35/65% split between the front and rear wheels.

Wow DTECH-RX, I just found your "What other cars are you considering?" thread. Your recent discoveries must have really been profound to have changed your opinions in a span of less than three months. That settles it for me, I'm not gonna pre-order. I might just change my mind too after I meet an RX-8 in person. My salesman's been waiting for my earnest money for 18 days now, each day I've struggled with the decision. Shouldn't be a very long wait now anyway.
For those who are in the dark, such as I was until now, click here (http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2953) . Sorry I've been coming across like some kind of (insecure?!) jerk here. No doubt, I would have been more accepted by you and your following in the other thread. I was writing not to you, but to the forum. As Spock would say, "The needs of the many outweighs the needs of one, or of the few." Enjoy your new steed!:)

No problem Racer. :) We can all be passionate about the cars we like or think we like. Nothing wrong with that. We just need to keep things in perspective when other people share their experiences and opinions. As you noted, I was REALLY gung ho about the RX-8 until I test drove the WRX and saw the interior and experienced the car in person. Then when I saw the RX-8 in person I knew I had made the right decision for me.

I don't think the interior of the RX-8 is overly cheap, or anything, just that the feel of the plastics and materials they used on the interior, especially the front seat backs could have been a little better / more solid, or even not have the plastic seat backs, just IMHO. The rear seat is somewhat easy to get in an out of depending on where the front seat is, but I still prefer the traditional 4 door for my needs. And there were a few other things that made me go with the WRX as I mentioned before.

Anyway, good luck with the RX-8 everyone. I'll be around.... ;)

Originally posted by Spining Ncnratr
Yes the 04 gets the Subby look back somewhat have yet to see one on the road. Congrats and enjoy. Personally I think Mazda has to offer incentives to make the RX8 viable SP? or else it very well may end up being a flash fire sale type vehicle. As its main competetors well very well go this route.

One question whats the Torque split to the F/B 35/65 40/60

I know the Evo has a 35/65% split between the front and rear wheels.

I posted the SCC article here (http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26367)

Originally posted by Spining Ncnratr
Yes the 04 gets the Subby look back somewhat have yet to see one on the road. Congrats and enjoy. Personally I think Mazda has to offer incentives to make the RX8 viable SP? or else it very well may end up being a flash fire sale type vehicle. As its main competetors well very well go this route.

One question whats the Torque split to the F/B 35/65 40/60

I know the Evo has a 35/65% split between the front and rear wheels.

The torque split on the WRX is 50/50 with an open diff in the front, a limited slip diff in the rear, and a center viscous coupling center diff. It tries to maintain a 50/50 torque split but adjusts to varying traction and acceleration conditions both front to rear and side to side through the rear limited slip diff..

Direct from Sport Compact Car:

"torque is split 50/50 front/rear with the new WRX. Splitting that torque is a standard bevel-gear differential and viscous limited slip built into the transmission case. The viscous coupling sends torque to whichever end is spinning faster, adjusting torque split according to grip."