hey all,
back in february I had my heart set on a new car and was contemplating three in particular. the rx8, 350z, and the STi. I think the prices were 28K, 30K, and 32K respectively. Having had 2 maximas and a pathfinder i considered myself a nissan guy and was seriously considering the Z, it is a beautiful car with performance (287hp), but everyone around here has one. The 8 is also a beautiful car and cheaper but i didnt know much about it. finally the STi was the best bang for the buck(300hp AWD) so i decided to go with it and am very happy, but i was just wondering what prompted people on this board to go with the rx8. Style, power, price, etc.
bill

 

go drive them all and see which one"fits" the best.....

 

I also considered the STI. What swayed me is the luxury appointments ( I bought a GT with Nav) and the fact that I might like the STI now, but when i'm 35 (in 5 years) I wasn't so sure i'd still like it.

Either way, it was a difficult decision. The Z was out due to the fact that I needed seating for 4 (might have kids in the next couple of years)
Otherwise, I would have bought an MS Miata.

 

the z being a 2 seater was also a drawback i couldnt overcome. So if we take the z out of the equation and compare the STi and RX8 side by side, what drew you to the 8. brand loyalty, rotary engine?

 

For me, it came down to styling and comfort. I'm a little too mature (read: old) for the STi, and the 350Z rode much too harshly for my tastes.

Bill

 

Over just the STi? Interior appointements, looks, handling/ride balance, RWD (no need for AWD here in FL plus I just prefer the way RWD cars handle), shifter feel, and price were probably the biggest factors for me.

 

i never considered the wrx/sti as option when i was looking (~3 weeks ago). awd is too much like fwd, and it really isn't needed here in georgia except for maybe 1 or 2 days a year (in atlanta anyways).

i was considering the 350z and the g35 though. g35 was just too much, so that eliminated it. i like the design of the 350z, but it didn't come with side curtains standard (~$650).

the 8 is cheaper, and the side curtains standard. i really like the styling of the 8, the fact that it seats 4. but i was still very much considering both. so i was going to test drive them, and i ended up testing the 8 first...bought it right after the test drive, never even made it to the 350z.

the 8 is just so smooth, and it is the best handling car I've ever driven, including the 2005 vette i drove the weekend before (it was a short test, but still...). basically, i drove the 8 and fell in love it it.

 

a few people have said interior. ive never really peeked inside of one. Do they have leather or standard navigation? The comfort thing makes sense too. The ride in the STi is horrendous but i think subaru went for the raw power, at one with the road kind of thing. How about reliability, Im sure the 350Z will last forever, how do the mazdas hold up?

 

Handling. Drive the 2 cars up a curvy mountain road, and the RX8 just feels more fun and more sportscar-like to me.
Styling was a plus, and the final selling point was the 04 clearance price.

And I should add, I already had another awd car for wintertime driving here. If I didn't the decision would've been alot harder.

One other thing, the warranty on the RX-8 is a little broader than for the STi.

 

i haven't been in a sti, but i have put driving time in on a wrx (i helped brake in a friends wrx...insanely long brake in period...5k miles i think). it was fast, but i wasn't all that impressed with the interior or the handling.

on the 8, leather and navigation are options. i also consider the seats in the 8 among the most comfortable that i've been in.

 

I was fascinated by all the technology the car has, even though other cars have similar advancements, no other car has an engine with 3-4 moving parts that produces over 200hp in NA form. Plus the styling, the car has all the right lines in all the right places, i think with some it's a love it or hate it thing, I love how it all "fits". It's very hard to look at an 8 and think, "what were they thinking?" (ex: look at the Z's door handles...ugh) There is the price thing too, there is the cool shifter paddles for the auto, there is the seemingly infinite redline, there is the rotary heritage, there is just a lot of stuff to like, even if folks find a lot to bitch about at times too, but name one car where that's not the case. That's what did it for me, plus i love my bright *** yellow color too

 

You contemplated the RX8 but I think you missed something when you did not even test drive one let alone sit in a GT packaged one.

Power isn't everything for me. I don't go fast from stoplight to stoplight. I don't track (although the 8is now slouch) and the 8 satisifies my speed thirst. I was definately thinking long term and the 8 is a well balanced package. Also, the rotary engine is so smooth and it's hypnotizing. I love this engine amidst its quirks. The road feel and steering are superb with an interior that fits you like a glove. Not to mention how sexy this car looks. Mazdas have a great reliability reputation slightly behind Toyota/Honda.

 

Bill, you from Toms River? Lived right next to the police station there. The cops there (and Jersey in general) are all over the place. The 8 with snow tires is great on snow from many many members' experience on the board here.

 

FYI: Yeah czr, but Subaru's reliability is better than all of the above.

 

STI was not a consideration...I don't like the boy racer look (too old) and I always thought the interior felt cheap. I also didn't like the cheap sound when you shut the doors. That being said a friend has a new Legacy and the interior is much improved. The price is also stupid on those cars here.


350z - 2 seats...I need 4

G35 - Liked the car..nice power, ride was better than the z...but the interior screamed "grandpa". I got in a lokked around and felt like I was in a Camary. ...its also about 5k more for the same options.


RX8 - loved the outside. I like a car that's a little different looking. Loved the interior - got the 2 tone rd/blk.
The brakes, the handleing both very nice. Power wasn't an issue for me. I've gone through my "need to race everybody" phase long ago. I just want something that allows me to have my way in traffic.

Insurance was the cheapest of the bunch. My insurance company looks at the RX8 as a 4 door sedan. It has the same price as a Mazda 6.


Most of all, the RX8 felt right the moment I sat in it.

 

had a RX-7, got hooked to rotary engine, want new car, end of story

 

For me the Power was not too much and not too little. Just in the middle! I loved the High RPM's and the Handling on this car is ridiculous. But the thing that sold me even after test driving this car was how much I felt like the car and I were one. I never felt so connected to a car in my life. It's Great and never had regrets by buying the RX8. Well, I'm lying I had to trade in the Auto for the Manual about a year ago. NOW I have no regrets! :D

 

billfromtr, this is scary. I too have had 2 Maxima's, a Pathfinder, and also a '78 280Z that I drove for 18 years, so yeah, I was definately a Nissan guy. I thought that I would own a 350Z from the day it came out, but I now drive an '04 RX-8 6 speed. For me, it came down to ride quality and the practicality of 2 additional seats and a trunk. Never considered the STI. It was tough to pass up the Nissan V-6, but I ultimately thought the 8 was the better choice for me. It has been a blast so far, just hope it will be as reliable as my Nissans.

 

It's only 47K. You can option an 8 into the 50's.

 

I've owned a Miata since August of '93. Love it. The most reliable (except for the battery which is probably my fault) car I've ever owned.

I've been driving a Saab 9-3 Viggen for 4 years now. Leased it for 4 years. 2 years ago I started looking for a replacement. I don't usually get bored with things that quick, but this one I did.

I've pretty much been lusting for a MINI 24/7 for the past 18 months. Then all of a sudden about 4 weeks ago I started looking at the new Mustang GTs. I used to have a '65 289 some time ago, and the burble of the V8 has quite an allure. But, you can't even test drive a GT and they're going for MSRP plus.

Then last weekend I saw an RX8 on television -- "hey, honey, what do you think of that?" I ask the wife. Then I remember the visceral response I had to a video of it at the 2003(?) Chicago Auto Show.

I drove 2 this week -- an '05 Sport and an '04 GT. Gave them my deposit for the '04 today. Why?

Of my 3 choices:
1) It's the only one I could get for less than MSRP (a lot less, as a matter of fact!)
2) It was the only one where I could drive with someone behind me and have my seat all the way back without touching their legs! Believe it or not there's more room in the back behind a 6'2" driver in the RX8 than there is in the '05 Mustang.
3) It's in between the MINI and the Mustang in terms of handling.
4) It's in between the Mustang and the MINI in terms of horsepower.
5) It's in between the Mustang and the MINI in terms of trunk space.
6) Its refinement is way beyond the Mustang for less money.
7) The RX8 has xenons and the 'Stang doesn't
8) And, last but not least -- they actually have them on the lot ready to drive home!

Hunter

 

Not here....I saw a one year old STI in the paper for 48k
A loaded RX8 was going fo around 45k tops....all options and appearance package.


When I bought my car back in July the pricing wasn't even close....probably because there wasn't much stock out here (STI) and the dealers were jacking the price up. The Sub. dealers here aren't very big so I don't think they have much pull when it comes to the specialty cars.....unlike one of the Ford dealers here who has one of the highest sales volumes in Canada. They got the Ford GT, Saleen Mustang...etc.

 

I think the "Z" has quite a stigma with it, not a bad thing, but either you are a "Z" person or you are not (same with a Vette). I do not think I am a "Z" person, and after driving it I could not see myself owning it. I also did not like the interior. I can see how some one else could easily buy one.

The STI is fast econobox. At 47 years old I did not even see myself test driving one. It strikes me as a much younger persons car.

I sat in an 8 when they first came out and liked it. I had a 98 MB SLK at the time and when it came time for a new car I showed my wife the 8 and was given the immediate OK to drive one home after she drove it!!!

I have raised alot of eyebrows about going from a Benz to a Mazda, and I am not sure people understand that the 8 is faster, more comfortable, and handles way better than the SLK. I looked the new SLK however at $50k it was a little out of my price range. I ended up with a 3 month old Whitewater Pearl GT manual for under $27k.

I have learned not to check the gas milage (ignorance is bliss) and just drive it like it is made to be driven and I enjoy it more everyday. Now if it were only hardtop convertible!!!!!

 

Wrong. Looks like the STI is the car with the stigma attached to it.

 

In between? Which is better than the 8 for handling? Can't imagine the stang is, and the mini is front wheel drive....the best handling front wheel drive ever, but I don't think it can really hold up against a damn good handling rear wheel drive car.

As far as the original question...I never liked the looks of the STI...that big scoop and wing...no thanks. Though I did ride in one this last weekend and...HOLY SH*T that's FAST!! But I would still take my 8 over the STI for:

1. the looks
2. the refinement
3. the rotary
4. the interior (the interior on the STI seemed horribly cheap, econo plastic everywhere!!)

 

For one thing, an RX-8 with similar interior appointments to the STI (i.e, a base or Sport package) will be several thousand dollars cheaper. And insurance will be WAY cheaper. For my purposes, I didn't really consider them to be in the same category in terms of money. I was fine with going without the leather and power seats, but I didn't want to spend more than $25,000. STI was totally out, I had to consider the regular WRX instead. And $8,000 buys a lot of other fun stuff in life. The STI seems like a very serious, kind of hairy car. The RX-8 is more balanced and, you might say, carefree. More "fun" rather than really exhilerating.