SRT-4 Owner

Hey guys; please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dave; I live in Seattle and I'm a new member.

A little history, then my questions. In 03 I bought a brand new Corvette; then 6 months later lost my job. I sold the Corvette and decided to buy the fastest, loudest, most juvenile and cheapest car I could find.

I bought an 03 Dodge SRT-4; bright yellow, lowered, chrome wheels, tinted windows, huge-*** wing, and installed a Stage 1 Mopar Turbo kit upgrade.

I've always been a sports car enthusist (though I never stick with them very long) and in the past several years have owned a Mitsi 3000-VR4, a Mitsi Eclipse GXT, a BMW Z3 (worst car I've ever owned; a complete lemon), an Acura TL Type S (sweet car but too bland), the Vette and now the SRT-4. I also own a 65 Mustang that my Mom bought in 65; it's completely stock and runs like a dream.

Now that I'm employed again, I'm seriously thinking about the 8.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Dodge. Pros: very, very fast (5.3 to 60), a wonderful, burbling exhaust that kicks back like a motha during deacceleration, decent build quality, good handling (at least for a car with 240hp and 260 torque to the front wheels with no LSD); has been trouble-free for 5K miles, and I also dig the fact that I have never seen another one (at least like mine).

Cons: rides like a dump truck (the lowering was a serious mistake, at least on this car); cheap materials, no "prestige" factor, the seats are extremely bolstered and pinch your ***; very uncomfortable on long trips, and the COMPLETE LACK OF ANY CONVENIENCE / LUXURY FEATURES: no cruise, no sunroof, seats go back and forth and THAT'S IT; no adjustable lumbar support, weak audio system, and to save money, the real windows are MANUAL!! We have bad roads and lots of potholes in Seattle, and when I hit one, the car bottoms out with a BANG!, my teeth rattle, and the rearview mirror gets jolted out of place. I actually have to drive very cautiously, which isn't a lot of fun when you have a car with this type of performance.

I know some compromises have to be made to make a car this fast for under 20K, but I basically came to the conclusion that this car is an ENGINE, not a complete car.

I've researched sports cars extensively and have looked at the usual suspects--the Lexus I300, the S2000, the Z, etc--and have decided that the 8 offers the best combination of performance and creature comforts for the price.

Now my concerns. I know that it gets terrible gas mileage, and I've also read that, due to not a lot of torque, you have to constantly shift for power, much like the S2000. This concerns me a bit, as the SRT4 has a very flexible, torquey engine and power is available RIGHT NOW throughout the rev band.

I also read, several months ago, user reviews at MSN Carpoint that related MAJOR problems with the 8. Curiously, they aren't there anymore, and the current reviews are overwhelming enthusiastic.

What do you love or not love about the car? Is it a better car than its competitors? Is it reliable? Should I wait for the inevitable turbo?

Finally, I want black one with a manual and the Grand Touring Package. What did you guys pay for one like that?

I know you've been asked these questions a million times, but I do appreciate your responses. I'm test driving one this weekend and really want to be totally informed about what to look for.

PS--the guys at the SRT-4 forum are CONSTANTLY trashing the 8, and they had a field day over the horsepower flap. Forgive them, though--most of the owners are very young, broke, and the SRT-4 is really a perfect car for those looking for speed only. Me, I'm looking for performance, luxury and SOME comfort, which the SRT-4 has NONE. "Luxury features" like, say, CRUISE CONTROL which is standard in cars costing 10K.

Thanks guys!!! Awesome forum and glad to be a member.

Ike

Welcome to the forum. It's really hard to tell you if you should buy the car or not as I'm sure you know. Many of the cars you listed seem to indicate you're more a straightline guy than anything else. There's nothing wrong with that, but if that is in fact the case the RX-8 may not be a good fit for you. Your SRT-4 will feel like a rocketship compared to the 8, though the numbers at firsdt don't seem all that different, from a roll the SRT-4 would put many cars on an RX-8 MT on your average highway run.

However, it will outhandle the SRT-4 and you get the RWD dynamic. The interior and creature comforts (including ride comfort) will certainly be much better with the RX-8.

You won't have to constantly shift as much as you will have to constantly keep the revs up for spirited driving which will require a little more shifting.

As for major problems... the only major one that seems to keep showing up is the engine coolant leak. It could be as many as a few hundred engines that have been replaced but no one really knows for sure and that's still a small % of the total amount of cars on the roads. It's really too early to tell if the car will be reliable of not or if any other serious problems arise. Also, I wouldn't count on Mazda releasing a turbo model any time in the near future, perhaps not ever after what they went through with the FD. Some also feel that the Renesis may not even be a good candidate for a turbo, but again it's too early to tell for sure.

I don't own the car, and only test drove it twice. I like it quite a bit but I just need something faster and more tuneable. I get bored by the acceleration of cars I own after a little bit. The RX-8 I was bored with almost instantly so it was easy for me to not even consider one. This is certainly subjective and I had just gotten out of a low to mid 13 second when I testdrove it so many people will certainly not feel this way. Others that drive faster cars such as yourself may not care that it's a little slower and feel the other things outweigh the lose of umph.

The only way you will know is to drive it which I see you will be doing this weekend. Enjoy the ride and let us know what you decide.


Ike

P.S. I know what you mean about the SRT forums, I go read them for a good laugh. Some of those forums are certainly some of the armpits of the internet car communities. But I've also met some really great SRT-4 owners, so you RX-8 owners don't judge everyone by those forums.

zoom44

I also read, several months ago, user reviews at MSN Carpoint that related MAJOR problems with the 8. Curiously, they aren't there anymore, and the current reviews are overwhelming enthusiastic.

yeah they were having a problem with one or two peopel who were using severaal different names and spamming the hell out of that site with bad reviews. some of them didn't even make sense. things like "i have had the car for 6 months and it's been nothing but trouble" when in fact the car had only been out 2 months. one even said the timing belt broke! pathetic. some of them might have been posted by IKE.

just kidding IKE. glad you decided to stick around. nice post.

nf9648

I think the RX8 is a great car with plenty of potential for whatever you might want to do with it. Im still debating if I should buy one or not, not because of reliability or performance reasons but financial reasons. Its got room for the wife and a baby seat, so it works a lot better than what I drive now, but I was paying $270 a month for full coverage on a 98 escort zx2 before I paid it off, I cant imagine how bad insurance will be with a RX8, along with the monthly payments. Im planning on throwing down roughly $10k for the car, and financing for 60 months, but the insurance thing still scares me and I dont want to put myself in a fwd "family car" either.

RX8by

I had a 97 Honda Accord 4cyl and my insurance went down. The RX8 has very good safety features and is classified as a 4 dr with a 1.3 L engine. They haven't figured it out that it is a sports car yet. Check with your insurance agent first. I have seen some pictures of very bad crashes and the passenger compartment seems to stay in tack and every one walks away.

Pirate Rex

Call your agent. The RX-8 is surprisingly low to insure. I called and asked for comparisons (all the cars I am considering) and the RX-8 has the lowest rate of the entire crop. The crop consists of the Acura TL, Saab 9.3 Aero, BMW 325 Ci, Lexus IS300, Cadillac CTS, 350Z, Infinity G35, etc. State Farm has the Rx-8 rates lower than all of these cars.

In fact, the RX-8 would be a full $200 x year cheaper than my Mustang GT.

Also, as a lifelong Mustang owner (started at 16 with a '79 302 equipped Indy Pace Car and progressed on through the years) I am positive that the RX-8 will make me happy through the length of my lease. I have test driven 2 RX-8s in different conditions. One was rather spirited (still smiling after that) and the other was a highway cruise. This is a great car that you can thrash around in, but it is also very comfortable and easy to commute in.

Get the Rex, you'll be very happy.

MMGDC

Ike's post was pretty good as far as driving dynamics. With currently available mods you can probably get the 8's performance close to your current ride, but it's not a great car for straight line acceleration.

What I like about the car is the feel... it's incredibly smooth, both the steering and the engine. It feels very refined for a car that can be had for well under $30K. It'll certainly address all of your points in the CON: section. It's luxurious enough to work as a GT cruiser/everyday driver, but performs well enough so you won't forget it's a sports car. It has the best brakes I've ever experienced on a production car. It's definitely the type of car you should test drive... some people "feel" it and others don't.

For the kind of car you're interested in, you can probably expect to pay in the neighborhood of $29,500, give or take a few hundred, assuming you don't get any options other than the GT Package.

Mr M

In response to the question "Should I buy an 8", the answer is :

Yes.

You only live once...

Red Devil

If you decide on the car, don't wait for a turbo from Mazda. The aftermarket rotary tuners, there are several great ones out there, will offer everything better than the factory. For the long term, it's just a better option.

And since the Renesis has no port overlap, reputable tuners like Pineapple Racing have indicated how much better they believe the engine will be for forced induction as compared to the last 13B-REW. (not trying to pick a fight IKE, just offering a counterpoint)

JD32

Went from a 2001 Galant GTZ to the 8 and insurance dropped $3 a month.

JimW

It seems you were fortunate it enough to experience performance car ownership firsthand! I too, was interested in the SRT-4, due to it's great performance to value ratio and unlike what the majority of SRT-4 forum members say about us, I like the srt-4, it's a great car for the money! I bought the RX8 for the very reason you state, although not quite as quick in a straight line, it does every thing else better, ride comfort, handling, shifting, asthetics, build quality, rear wheel drive ect. I also could not get used to the mufferless exhaust note on the srt-4, but if I had to live with it, I would! considering your ownership experience, you will love all the RX8 has to offer and let's not forget this car does not yet have what alot of the other cars have, forced induction! So in time, with more testing and reliable and safe performance parts, the RX8 will have great straight line acceleration as well including all the other creature comforts it already has. Good luck!

Hammy

srt-owner first off welcome,

I was much like you (kind of on the fence)
before I drove the rx-8--which I bought.

I was a diehard chevy fan (ehh who am I kidding I still am) but after much research on where imports have gone in the last 3 years I had to take notice and even *bitting my lip* show a little respect .

I own a 63 truck all steel that ran low 13's all day and a 63 nova that ran mid 11's but they were and still are upratical.

I am not a spoiled brat with some huge bank account but rather a 28 year old who father is a great at teaching how to work on old cars.

Due to the industry that I work in
I cnc machined back in the 90's 1/4 scale foam mock-ups for nissan design
in san diego, one of those cars was a "Z".
So after knowing the z was coming
I had my heart set on buying one but
the fit and quality that the full sized prototype z had did not transfer to the production cars (refering to the interior).

Fast forward to the present. I looked into what I call the big three mitsu--nissan--suba-- and drove all three. Here's my take on them:

The subi= is wicked fast handles aggresively and a little bone jarring an man im sorry but IMHO I only want to use the wing to iron my dickies. *sigh* I dont like the styling or design of the body. If I could just get in the car and just drive it with out ever looking at it yes I buy the subi.

The mitsu= *ditto*
but I will give it that Its more refined than the subi ,and the seats are more comfortable.

The nissan= whoa mama this girls got
punch ! BUT the interior is very poor,
the fit and quality is second rate for such a car in its price range.
I also did not like the lack of visablilty inside the car the rear window is almost as much of a joke as the crossfires is.

Then there's the rx-8=
Yes its not as fast as the others.
Yes it 's so-so on the gas thing.
Yes it needs oil added ocassionally.
Yes you can possible flood the car.
---But for me those things do not matter!!!
Reason being the rx-8 for me is quick, the motor is saaaammmmoooooothh
and later down the road I know the after market will give the rx-8 the extra punch it deserves.

As fas gas consumtion ppppththt:p
its a sport's car and for me cars are a hobbie not just transportation.

As far as the oil consumtion for me --who cares, my dirt bike need oil added the the gas and i never ever heard a dirtbike rider complain about that. Its just part of mataining the car.

As far as flooding well I have'nt yet
but all I can say is read you're owner's manual well. The manual has good advice and as with any investment one should always read up on how to operate it .

lastly the reason's why I got the rx-8:

It handles great the motor is wonderfully fun ,I enjoy shifting gears ,
and from an indstrial design stand point
it fits well both inside and out.The rx-8
is true driver's car you just have to drive
it for you're self.

--btw test drve everything else then drive the rx-8 then see how big the rx-8 fault's are

best regards
Hammy

bluesunlion

One thing you'll probably notice on your test drive is that the 8 is so smooth, almost disconcertingly so. I was a little ho-hum on my test drive, until I looked at the speedo and realized i was doing 30 mph more than I though I was. Try to take your test drive somewhere where you can really take some curves and some corners.

Blue87Sport

SRT-4,

My name is Dave and I also live in Seattle (suburbs). I drive an RX-8. I have a colleague, also named Dave, who drives an RX-8. So join the trend.

All cars are compromises between cost, performance and comfort. It sounds like you're not happy with the trade-offs made in the SRT-4 to get the *****-to-the-wall performance. The RX-8 has, IMO, a great balance of comfort and performance. The ride is very quiet and smooth and interior quality and features are great. The performance is better than 99% of the cars on the road. It corners like an S2000 and is fast enough for anything except stoplight racing. Ask anyone on this forum how much fun this car is to drive.

Cost wise, the RX-8 can be had for around invoice so check sites like Edmunds for the options you want. Gas mileage isn't that bad. I've got around 19 mpg in mixed driving. Also remember that you can run on 87 octane.

In the end, only you can decide if the combination of cost, performance and comfort is right for you. Take a test drive and see if you don't walk out with a big fat grin on your face.

rx8fanatic

Motortrend compared the 350Z, the S2000, and the RX8 in the latest issue. The RX8 came in 1st overall. I think you should read the article and go drive one. My opinion is the RX8 is a complete package . . . fun to drive, decent enough performance, and it looks kick ***.

Good luck with your decision.

sean

the 8 might be an awsome car, and it is since i've drove one multiple times on test drives. But the one thing that keeps me from buying one is the gas milage issue and the flooding issue. If im going to buy a new car, i dont want to have to worry about technicalities in my ownership of it. So im waiting on another car that is due out this year, and by that time we should have word on the 05 model of the rx8 to see if these issues were resolved.

But if you want the car for the car, then yeah i would grab it, but definately research the many issues its having with the owners on this forum.

BillK

If you're going to worry about mileage, don't buy any sports car.

Perhaps a sporty coupe is a better match for you... (no insult intended, just the honest truth.)

SRT-4 Owner

Guys, thanks for all of your GREAT responses.

I don't worry about gas mileage per say. It just strikes me as sorta weird that my SRT-4 will smoke the 8 and still gets an average of 24 mpg; my previous 03 Corvette got 30mph freeway driving!

I'm pretty sure my SRT4 and Corvette and Mitsi 3000Vr4 and Bimmer Z3 qualify as sports cars, so thanks, but I'm a sports car guy, not a "sporty kinda" car guy.

SRT-4 Owner

I'm gonna test drive the RX8 tomorrow, and with all of the great things you guys say about it, I can't wait!!!

Full report to follow!

Elara

Good luck- hope you like it- yes, the gas mileage can suck, but the car is just so much fun to drive...

bubble

You had a VR4 & a GS-T but you aren't considering the Evolution? Weird. Here's my unbiased opinion
Lexus IS 300 - best $30,000 car with $20,000 car performance
RX8 - Most innovative. Most supercar styled, Renesis, weight distribution
S2000 - ***** to the wall. Superior handling. go used
350z - pretty, 300s have so much more potential
You've had some of the meanest cars in the price range; the VR4 & SRT were the fastest cars in their price range compromising handling. Maybe you should consider the SVT. You mentioned performance so I mentioned the Evolution & Cobra. They are the performers for the price.

SRT-4 Owner

Right on; totally agree with your assessments.

My problems with the 2 cars you suggested:

The Evo is just too gooddamned plain. Besides, with my SRT-4, I think I've had it with turbo'd 4 buzzboxes; plus, it has none of the creature comforts I'm looking for either.

As far as the Cobra goes, I'm considering it and have a weak spot for Mustangs, owning a '65, but I distrust the quality and reliability of an American car. I know that sounds harsh, and wish it weren't true, but the evidence backs it up.

Thanks for the suggestions!!!

SRT-4 Owner

PS to Bill--I'm not the only member to discuss the gas mileage of the 8. I just joined the forum and noticed it's a CONSTANT subject of discussion among you owners. If you read my original post, I just noted that the mileage and the lack of low end torque were concerns that I knew about and was wondering if there were any others. I didn't say that the milage issue was going to prevent me from buying the car; I just reiterated that I knew the mileage sucked from reading all of the posts here!

Peace out.

Squidward

10k miles worth of fuel economy tracking? see my crappy mileage log.

Japan8

I certainly don't dispute your comments on the build quality of the average American car. Speaking of which, how's the Dodge? Relatives and friends that took the Chrysler plunge all regretted it... they fell apart. So I just wonder how it's been for you.

As far as the 'Stang goes... it is likely one of two cars that will give you the least problems with the Ford nameplate on it. The other would be the trucks. My father had a '79 pace car (it was a POS), '83 GT and a '87 GT. I had a '90 5.0 LX, which is now my father's project car. Outside of the turbo 4 banger in the pace car, we've had few problems with the mustang. The 302 is just an overbored 289, which Ford had in the '64.5... so they've been building this engine long enough to have gotten the bugs out of it. Outside of that...well the fox platform is a POS... and pre-94 Mustangs had mad body flex in the hatchback...thus squeeks and rattles, but held up quite well (except for the heater core... expensive POS!). The '94 - '04 Mustangs... seem to be ok. Granted the '94... frankly had no ***** with the choked 302 in it. And the first couple years of the 4.6 modular engine was garbage too. But looking at a '03-'04 Cobra... great power, IRS, rated as the best Mustang Ford has ever produced. With some mods, it seems to handle pretty decently. I was surprised at how my '90 handled with minor mods... I expected much worse. So if you want purely bang for the buck... you can't be the Cobra with a stick.

But what if you want more? Well... from my test drive on tiny crappy Japanese roads... the RX-8 was lovely. My Familia handles damn well for a front drive car, and the RX-8 did it with less harshness. I find the Familia with the manual shift-able auto (the only trans available w/o getting AWD)... sucks. Especially since the engine is low on power... absolutely boring. That brief hop in the 8... it made my blood boil. The 'Stang has in the past and still does get me going...cheap and fun to fling around... to a point, after which it becomes an unbearable beast (although the Cobra is a bit easier to handle). The RX-8 was pure driving pleasure. The styling has me staring at my neighbor's every time I have a chance. So what if it isn't as fast as the Cobra. Pick the car up with the sport package, get aftermarket leather if you want leather, and spend the change on engine mods... get Canzoomer's Stage-2, high flow/high temp cat, a cat-back and in-time an intake (I'd wait for Racing Beat or Greddy). That'll be enough to give you some decent punch and you'll roll in at under $30k still. If it still isn't enough... well S/C and T/C kits are on the way. But ocnsidering you're also looking at the old M3 (slower than the European model) and the 330i... you don't seem as interested in 400hp ***** to the wall performance... so that might just be enough for you.

A note on the other cars mentioned... well the Evo isn't a design miracle... but it packs a lot punch for the money. BUt it's a Mitsubishi, and after their shady dealings and the problems my brother-in-law has with his Legnum... I'd steer clear of them. The WRX and WRX Sti are great cars... love the boxer engine. But the styling... I dunno. The Legacy... I've loved that car for awhile... was very sad the turbo didn't make it to the States in the last model, but is making a comback now. In Japan you see Legacy wagons and sedans everywhere. Great power and the AWD system can't be beat... many people take them to go skiing and that system has proven to be bullet-proof. So just may want to keep that on your list too... and it's got four doors and more space and luxury than the often mentioned Z and s2k.

For me... as much as I like the Legacy... love the 'Stang and look forward to the '05 'Stang...the RX-8 and the rotary engine (loved it since 1st gen) have got my heart...