help with decision
 

Hey everyone, I'm currently in the process of trading in my 08 z for a new car. I'm looking at the genesis coupe, the g8, the 09 wrx and the rx8 of course. Right now I'm leaning towards the rx8, but can you guys tell me why I should choose it over the others? Also I'm worried about the shelf life of the current model as rumors of it's replacement are out there. Can anyone add some insight to this?

Thanks!

How's it going? What are you looking for in a car? Power? Handling dynamics? Interior volume? Looks? Affordability? Efficiency? Rarity? Do you want a purpose-built sports car or a fast sedan? Every owned a rotary car before? Why are you considering the cars you mentioned? What did you think about the Z/why trade so soon? Need to know what you're after before anyone can help you decide. The G8 is fairly new (at least to Americans) with no replacement in sight, the WRX design is about a year old, and the Genesis coupe is a brand new design so the RX-8 is the oldest design of the one's you mentioned and should get replaced first but that still probably wouldn't happen until 2012 or so which gives you a few more years. There's talk of a new RX-7 and new RX-8/9 but none of these would be in the near future. I recommend thorough test drives of the cars you are considering for best comparison but if you want my honest opinion I say the RX-8 is the one to go with, lol.

Without knowing many of the answers to Richter's questions I'll say that I'm really pleased with that I chose the 8. However, I've done quite a few mods to it and it's mostly for track purposes.

If you plan to haul more than yourself and one other person routinely and you need it as a daily then I would consider the new Evo.

I love my Z, I've just come to a point where I need a little more practicality (a back seat basically). I'm not trying to compromise performance either, I still want something that performs about the same as my Z.

While I'd obvoiusly like the better torque the z has as well as the better gas mileage, I chose the 8 because of the back seat. I don't have any kids so I essentially don't need a backseat for anything and never haul anything more than groceries around, but when car shopping in '04 it was always in the back of my mind that I'd end up regretting buying a two-seater for some reason. I guess I just like to know the room is there if I need it and I think it looks better than the z, and there's nothing else like it on the road. But since the intro of the 370, now it's Mazdas turn to step it up.

The only bad thing for you (and I hope you already know this) is that you are going to get bent over like you wouldn't believe if you try to trade in an '08 already. You are going to lose your ass bigtime. Your best bet would probably be to try a private sale but with the economy that probably won't be easy either because of the very small market for the z car.

Here are the rx-8 Pros and Cons, anyone can help me with this.

Rx8:

Pros
Back Seats that can hold 6foot people
Awesome 9k redline
Very Smooth power delivery
Handling (superior to the Z)
Low torque, good for winter
Class of Its own
LSD

Cons
Gas Mileage
Low torque
Adding Oil to the engine every 1-1.5k (Not really a con)
Low on power compared to others
Not a Good Power/cost Ratio unless you go FI

Verdict: A car that's in its own class.

the wrx, either sedan or hatch/wagon, is probably the most practical on your list. it's probably also the least exciting, and honestly i seriously consider the new redesign a huge failure. subaru pulling out of wrc also casts serious disappointment for me, so much that i don't even want to like their cars anymore. but it's restrained and decently fun and cheap and probably pretty reliable. the g8 is kind of an oddball there. it's a nice car but i guess i miss its point. on top of that quality & durability is a complete unknown; it's not uncommon for completely good and solid cars transplanted to overseas markets and turn lemon somehow. it runs on american motors so is probably not too terrible, and looking at the record of the last gto might give a pretty good indication for the g8. i don't really know anything about these cars. the genesis coupe i'm a fan of, and hyundai quality has improved quite a bit over the years. it also comes w/ 10-year warranty. but switching from a z to a genesis coupe might not be that big of a step up in terms of practicality. lastly the 8. switching from a z to an 8 would be a good step up in practicality, but since you're used to the z ('s motor), it'll take you a while to get used to the 8. the z is like a v8 mustang; the 8, a sports bike. it handles better than the z, is better balanced, and is probably more *fun* to drive and toss around. but i assume what you mean by *performance* is more like acceleration and raw power; if that's the case then you might want to consider the wrx (especially sti) or the g8 instead. even the genesis coupe comes w/ a 300hp v6. the only way to find out is to test drive them, more than once and extensively, if necessary

Depends how much practicality you need... RX-8 is right in the middle between the Z and a normal sedan. For me it is perfect because I only have parking for one car, and the 8 provides both the feel of a small couple and much more practacality than a 2-seater. However, if had kids or something I would probably get a normal sedan.