The SRT-4 goes can reach 60mph in 5.9 seconds and it costs ONLY $20,000 which is a lot cheaper than the RX-8. It can also reach speeds up to 150mph and its the fastest domestic car you can get for only $20,000.

I have a very hard time deciding. To me the RX-8 looks way better but the SRT-4 has everything but the looks.

What should I get??

:)

are you purposely looking to get flamed? do a search on srt-4 and there's a million comments on it. good luck.

The 8 is the wrong car for you - get the srt-4.

You have to be kidding. The fact that you even ask this question makes me think the SRT-4 is for you.

get the SRT-4

Ummm must not know a whole lot ....

NEON with a PT Cruiser engine .... do I need to say more?

(Need Engine Overhauled Nightly = NEON)

Originally posted by ZoomZoom
The 8 is the wrong car for you - get the srt-4. Uh, yeah. More bang for the buck than even the Viper! Whoa!
Anybody wanna buy my 8?
Hey ZoomZoom, what's that "slider"?

Get a motorcycle. You'll find great 0-60 times and top speed for less $.

Originally posted by Racer X-8

Hey ZoomZoom, what's that "slider"?

slider = moonroof ;)

I started reading this thread thinking I'd be the only one to shoo this guy away and tell him to get the SRT-4... Guess I was a bit late :D

Anyhoo... if you are comparing the RX-8 to the SRT-4, you obviously have not enough will nor aptitude to learn what makes the RX-8 great.

Do yourself (and us) a favor and stay the hell away from it -- you'll never appreciate it.

I don't know if you guys have noticed but Mazda's reputation with cars has really gone up dramatically in the last 4-5 years.

Miatas have been arguably the most reliable cars ever made. The New Protege's have been good too.

I would think, and you can tell, the Mazda6 and the RX-8 seem to have quality and craftsmanship written all over them.

The SRT-4 seems to be quick no doubt, but seriously considering all of the boost and power that Dodge is pulling out the the SRT-4, even though it is a somewhat cool car, I can't think that they are going to last very long.

Call it an SRT-4, call it a Neon, call it whatever you want....it's still a Neon. Even if it only cost $10 - I wouldn't buy it.

Here you guys go again... sure the original poster seemed a bit misguided and I'm guessing it's just a young kid. The SRT-4 is a hell of a car for the money, I don't see any need for all the hate. Respect both cars for what they are.

Ike

[QUOTE]Originally posted by IkeWRX
Here you guys go again... sure the original poster seemed a bit misguided and I'm guessing it's just a young kid. The SRT-4 is a hell of a car for the money, I don't see any need for all the hate. Respect both cars for what they are.

Ike [/QUOT

Yeah what up with all the hating lately. It seems the poster just wants our opinion. I think the SRT-4 was nice but its not my type of car.

[/B][/QUOT

Yeah what up with all the hating lately. It seems the poster just wants our opinion. I think the SRT-4 was nice but its not my type of car. [/B][/QUOTE]

Agreed. I really like all cars, even cheap ass Chevys and the dodge is alot more car than that. It's an old American ethic that cars are ALL about straight line performance, which tht Dodge has in spades.

However, the eight is the old European ethic that a GREAT sports car is about balance. A balance of acceleration, top speed, braking, steering and road holding. It's the kind of car that I can liken only to an older Alfa Romeo for handling and feel.

The thing about top speed is that you can get anything to go fast. Drop the right engine into it, and it'll fly, and having driven a severely under-suspended car at above 130MPH (88 Jetta GLI), I can tell you that "fly" is probably going to be off the road flipping over and over.

Besides, in my opinion, 99% of the owners of these cars will never see hyde nor hair of plus 120MPH. That's a scary world of speed.

It's a matter of being honest with yourself about what you want. Some people want the power to blow the doors off of most of what's out there. I want the balance of a sports car. Both are great cars just for different people.

-H

Nicely put Haze!

Yeah Right on Haze.

I have owned a Chrysler, my brother owned one and all had transmissions problems within 2 years and my brother's car needed a tranny 3 times in three years! Yikes! Chrysler/Dodge same thing. Reliability is horrible, I don't care how fast you go. A souped up Neon compared to the RX-8.......try again! Yea, maybe you should get the SRT-4! Sorry, just does not even compare!

You act like Mazda has a history of great reliabilty and that you know for a fact the RX-8 will be reliable. It's just to early to tell.

Ike

did anyone notice the person that started this thread has not posted on this thread again since mostly everyone told him to get lost

Actually I own a Mazda now....2 years 2 months.....no problems what so ever. I know the history of the Dodge and Chryslers for quite some time.....it's been bad forever....like jaguars. I don't know how the Rx 8 will be....never had a rotary engine. I hope and think it will fair better than any Dodge or Chrysler. I love the look of Chrysler vehicles....to me they make the best looking cars but I will never own one unless I have money to burn. If you like the SRT 4 then get it......whose to say if it will be any less reliable. A matter of taste and stuff I suppose. To me the RX 8 is a classier looking car that is sporty and fun.....the SRT 4 says young at heart and pure speed. You do what feels right!

Originally posted by mikeb
did anyone notice the person that started this thread has not posted on this thread again since mostly everyone told him to get lost

Yeah, I noticed that too, and it's pretty sad since he's just an eighteen year old kid looking for information, and said pretty much up front that he didn't know anything. It seems to me that this forum assumes that new people who post know everything that has been said before.

I also remember that at that age, I had no idea what a well suspended car felt like or what would happen if you had a badly suspended one, and unlike him, I had been driving for two years and working on cars for about one year.

Well, I hope that he wasn't totally scared off and is just bein' a ghost.

-H

Originally posted by cruzdreamer
Actually I own a Mazda now....2 years 2 months.....no problems what so ever. I know the history of the Dodge and Chryslers for quite some time.....it's been bad forever....like jaguars.

In JD Powers reports for new car quality, Chrysler scored well above Volswagen yet the perception is that VW is a better company for reliability. Not really true from my experience. Chrysler has a perception problem.

As for Jaguar, they scored quite highly in new car reliability in the most recent polls, and number one an 1999. My mother bought an S-Type in 2000. It has about 50,000 miles on it and has been far more reliable than her '90 mercedes was at that age. I find it to be a very good car.

Just because a car company used to be bad doesn't mean that they still are. As for Dodge, I have no particular experience with them, but you've got to figure that a car which has an engine as powerful as the SRT-4 and is as cheap as it is, used more than a few cut rate parts. However, so did the 1970 Dodge Coronet with the 440 hemi engine and that car was about as hot as a poor man's rocket could get. Just depends on what you want from a car.

-H

For new car reliability Hyundai ranked the same as Honda in the most recent consumer reports survey. Times change, and really compared to 10 or 15 years ago all cars as a whole are far more reliable, especilly american cars. My father owned a Dodge Intrepid for 6 years and never once had it in the shop for anything other than scheduled maintenance after over 120k miles.
Does that make Chryslers reliable cars as awhole, not really, and just because someone owned a mazda for 2 1/2 years without a problem doesn't make Mazda reliable. It often comes down to the particular car, and as a whole just about any new car bought from major manufacturers can be expected to be pretty reliable.

Ike

I noticed this forum is full of RX-8 SNOBS...

jeezus... The slightest suggestion that the RX is less than gold would result in a complete uproar.. it's friggin' pathetic..

I just got my yellow RX-8 this weekend and was excited to share my experience with this forum, but after reading this crap for the past two weeks,

FORGET IT..

just depends on what you want and what your budget is. If you want a RX8 and want to mod it later to hang with the big boys on the streets you are still gonna need alot of money.

You will however be able to get as fast as your neon or other cars out there with a certian ammount of rectangular dollars....

The neon you can get to destroy most cars out there with just the mopar kit alone. Unlike our car neons hp was underrated. But it is butt ugly and ive seen 3 of em on the side of the road and one being towed away during rush hour i dunno why......

Its supposed to be a more reliable engine than the older neons but whatever...... I dont know if I buy it.

If you are planning to get another car soon after or you are ona budget get the neon.

If you are planning to keep the car for a while and you really want to stand for something later on Get the 8. Sure you wont be able to mod the car all to hell right away. But why the hell would you do that anyway.

I got the 8 because sure although its kinda in the middle of the pack performance (TQ, HP)wise atm.......just wait and we will be kicking arse and looking good at the same time.

The neon on the other hand ..........sure you might beat a NSX but it doesnt matter its just a neon ( please take no offence but i have never heard of anyone loving the car for anything other than being a rocket).

Just my opnion not ment to be a flame but oh well im being completely objective.

PS if you want speed and awd get the sti! Beautiful car just awsome.

I was waiting for the just wait til we have mods and we'll kick everyones ass comment :p

Originally posted by Squidward
I noticed this forum is full of RX-8 SNOBS...

jeezus... The slightest suggestion that the RX is less than gold would result in a complete uproar.. it's friggin' pathetic..

I just got my yellow RX-8 this weekend and was excited to share my experience with this forum, but after reading this crap for the past two weeks,

FORGET IT..

how are we snobs, we told him to get the srt. if we were snobs we would of told him to screw the srt and get the rx8. so once again i ask the question, how are we snobs?

I don't know if Tribal is legit, but I agree with him somewhat. There are a lot of nice people on this board, but there is also a lot of uncalled for snobbery and people bashing other cars for no good reason. Then those same people go around calling other people trolls if they have anything but praise for the 8. It's not just in this post but can be found in many others, and I don't think the people that were telling him to get the SRT-4 were doing so to be helpful or friendly and give him good advice. You're smart enough to realize that I hope.

Ike

I hope you understood my post Ike with any car if you put enough money into it you can make it fast. The Rx8 will need more money including base cost of the car than most.

But if you are planning to keep the car for a long time why not get something with beautiful style and build from the ground up from there. (I know beauty is subjective but its imho)

If you are planning to not keep this car for very long then do as you will or if on a budget just be smart!

I cant say im a fan of the SRT 4 but they do have my respect. I can say however that i do agree with you about the snobbery tho on this forum. Its to be expected tho just theres a little more than normal on here. More of a condensending aura when it comes to other cars. Some people dont have the experience of many of the members here and ya the visitors should use the search button but most people are really really new to this kinda stuff. So i dont flame em I just take what i can from the post and disregard the rest.

I really like the vibe on rx7 forum its really awsome. This board just needs some time to settle i think. Theres lots of cool peeps here.

This is why I state my opnion and also give pros for the neon as well. Its cheap, fast, cheap to mod, and truely the best bang for the buck. I just feel that it could never be a long term car for me and if it was i dont feel that it could ever make me feel the way my 8 feels to me.

When you feel this good about a car, you develop a plan and carefully mod it from there what else could you want? You have a awsome looking ass kicking car. I think thats what everyone wants right?

I don't know if people are being snobs. For example, in my posts I told him to get his SRT 4 and said people have different tastes,etc and I said who is to say which car will be more reliable. Every car is different and every car in any make could be great or problematic. Consumer Reports gives you a good history not just of the newest models for reliability etc. I own a Mazda but I also said I don't really know Mazda's history, only what I have experienced in the last two years as stated. I hope you did not feel I was in the snob catergory....if so, oh well. I think sometimes the "tones" on forums and email are misunderstood and sound more negative than intended. We all have our opinions and favorite cars....let's just be nice and respect eachother...no one is really wrong, justv different!:)

Originally posted by FluffyBunnyFeet from another thread
Hello,

I'm 18 years old and I will be getting my Driver's License soon and I'm thinking of getting a Mazda RX-8 with a manual transmission.

I have driven about 50 minutes my entire life but I learn quick. 6 hours more and I should have automatic down. Yep, I'm a newb to driving.

I just want to know if it's easy to navigate the controls of a manual transmission inside an RX-8, since I have never drove a car with manual tranmission before. How long did it take you guys/girls to learn stick shifting?

Can you give me any helpful advice/tips?

Any help will be appreciated, thanks.

:) :(
You're right guys, the boy seems legit here. Call it shell shock, but I thought for sure he was gonna start another one of those trollish threads that I personally am sick and tired of.
Secondly, many other threads got excessively long in trying to talk a youngster out of buying an RX-8 for safety & monetary reasons. This boy was simply leaning in the right direction to begin with. (I'm not sure about the safety part of this decision however.)
Thirdly, it was kind of funny, I thought, how it was going. Here we are in the RX-8 forum, actually telling someone that he found a better car to buy. He he. A bit of dry humor.
Reading back at it, yeah, y'all are right. It reads more mean than funny, so I'm personally gonna appologize to fuzzybunnyfeet here.
Come on & talk fuzzyguy. We're done playing mean grupps now (at least I am).

I learned stick when I first got my drivers license some 22 years ago and I learned on a Chevy Chevette....what is that you ask? Yep, a little box of a car but I gotta say it was my first car and I loved it. My Dad took me in areas that had weird turns and one ways I had no clue about, in traffic.....it was crazy but I learned real quick. I am female and I have had a few stickshift cars. It's not hard to learn at all. It will come natural after a few trys. You will enjoy the RX 8 much more in stick so....go for it!

Originally posted by FluffyBunnyFeet
The SRT-4 goes can reach 60mph in 5.9 seconds and it costs ONLY $20,000 which is a lot cheaper than the RX-8. It can also reach speeds up to 150mph and its the fastest domestic car you can get for only $20,000.

I have a very hard time deciding. To me the RX-8 looks way better but the SRT-4 has everything but the looks.

What should I get??

:)

Hi FluffyBunnyFeet,

There are many things to consider in your choice. At your age, I would think that cost would be one of the most important. The SRT-4 is a good bang for the buck car but I'm not sure how much insurance costs would be for an 18 year old.

I would think that the "chick magnet" quotient might also be another important factor in your decision? If I were in your shoes, I would use your dilemna as an opportunity to ask some girls for thier "honest opinion". :) I'm sure you could find some girls that wouldn't refuse test drives in some new cars huh?

Than again, with a name like FluffyBunnyFeet... ;)

Brian

Originally posted by Buger
Than again, with a name like FluffyBunnyFeet...Anyone who's a fan of Hot Shots can't be all bad. :)

There is a huge price difference between the two cars (approx $10k). Test drive both of them a few times each - if you cannot see/feel where the extra money was spent on the RX-8 then go with the cheaper car.

Uhh . . . folks, you might as well stop replying.

If you notice, Fluffybunnyfeet has posted three posts total on this board. I believe that all three were made on the first day whereupon he was soundly insulted, trashed, and made to feel very unwelcome. My theory here is that he isn't coming back, and I think that we made his decision much easier by showing RX 8 owners to be the sorts of people that he will never want to associate with. Nice job on all our parts there.

Just an observation -

H

good observation Haze....guess I would not come back either!!
Hopefully we can all respond a little nicer next time!