Alchemy

Thanks to everyone who replied and made reccomendations. I posted this same thing on stangnet and several of those guys reccomended I get the 8, while several folks on here said I should get the stang. I'm really impressed that both communities have a healthy respect the other's vehicle of choice.

I tried to see if I could test drive an IS 300 at the local lexus dealership today, but they told me the manual IS 300 is being discontinued for 06 and that they didn't have any 05's for me to try out. I also would like to drive an RSX type R but I can only find a few RSX's in the area and they're all autos. Last night I had a dream about the 8 ( I test drove it again but wrecked it, kind of a nightmare really) and I'm still leaning towards it. GT's just seem like too much of a hassle to come by for a decent price and when I really think about it, the stang wasn't as much fun to drive as the 8.

I just spent 40 bucks topping off my maxima with regular, I'm guessing my I'll have to spend an extra 20-30 bucks a month for the RX-8's gas. Not too much of a problem for me right now. Thanks again, and keep the comments coming if you think of anymore.

-=Rowdy=-

You will save on insurance going with the 8 as well.

Rhawb

Aye, I never understood how it got classified as a "4 door sedan" but, hey, I'm not complaining. :D

Definitely drive both again. Possibly try another Ford dealer to see if they'll let you be a little harder on it so you can make a fair comparison. From what I've gleaned from your comments, you sound like you'd be happy with the 8, but be sure and give them one more drive before making your decision. Remember to think to yourself what would make a better daily driver as you drive. It's easy to just get lost in the performance of either car.

Again, good luck with it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, we've got a relatively helpful little community built up here.

glassetcher

There are a lot of really good comments here, but mine would be to get an extended test drive. When I bought my '8 4 months ago, the Mazda dealer was allowing an overnight test drive. So, I decided to try timing it so I would take it out on Saturday, and since they are closed on Sunday, I had it for most of the weekend and returned it on Monday afternoon. ( I guess since I'm an over 50 geezer, they didn't consider me a twenty something out for a wild weekend ride at their expense - one to my advantage)

Needless to say, I fell in love with the '8 that weekend, and although I ended up buying mine from another dealer, the extended test drive is a must!

Give it a try for both!

(if you want a more detailed comparison from a long time Mustang fan (see my avitar) PM me.

Zoom, Zoom

Alchemy

Thanks again.

Do any of you guys think it would be possible to find a new '05 with the sport package bare bones for 26k out the door? From what I understand Invoice is 24,844. I can use the S-plan but from what I understand it might be possible to negotiate some dealers this low because 8's aren't exactly selling like hotcakes. If I could find one for that price it would probably seal the deal.

How much more do you think I would have to spend if I waited for an '06? I'm in no rush to get the new car as my maxima is only at 113,000 on the odo and still has plenty of good miles lef in it.

Sigma

You could easily get that.

You might get a bit below invoice but not much. Couple hundred maybe. But there is a $1000 rebate, that comes off that as well, so you're really looking at $23,844. So unless you're paying 10% taxes, you'll be under $26K. And after September 6th there's a decent chance the rebate will go up even more.

If you wait until the '06s come, and if you can get S-Plan anyway, the only real difference in price is whatever the rebates happen to be at the time. Which, if they come in late October, could be a good $2500 or so.

dwynne

"Out the door" is something you will have to calculate for yourself, since most us have no idea how much your sales tax, fees, tags, etc cost. I paid about $600 under invoice and got a free rear spoiler - then got $2,500 in rebates (lease deal + Gerber rebate) so I am sure you can get a car for invoice or less than add in the rebate(s) depending on how you finance the car.

Are you looking for a 6mt or an automatic car? If looking for an auto, I would for sure wait for the 06 - more powerful motor and a 6 speed auto (still not has many ponies as the 6mt, though) - or get the Mustang. For a 6mt, the invoice price including destination of a base bones, stripped 8 is $25,638 add in the sports pack (don't get an 8 without this at least) it is $26,756. Actual invoice may vary - and if you check various places online they may show the numbers different by a bit.

So if you got a 6mt w/sports pack only for $500 under it would be $26,256 then you could get a $1,000 MAC financing rebate to put you at $25,256 + taxes and fees. Unless you live in a really low tax place, you will end up more than $26k. You could also try for the Gerber rebate to drop your price another $500.

Another problem would be finding a car with "just" the sports pack in a color you want. While some dealers do have a lot of 8s still on the lot, finding a certain color and certain option at a dealer who will deal may be tough.

BTW, I check the EPA numbers (we know they are wrong, but all we have) and the Mustang GT w/auto is 18/23 and with a manual is 17/25 - the RX-8 shows 18/24 for auto or manual. The Mustang will run on regular while the 8 requires premium (for full performance).

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

Dennis

Rhawb

I think your number is possible. Remember that S-Plan will usually hit somewhere slightly below invoice and should also get any dealer fees dropped automatically. Be sure to check the S-Plan website for exact pricing so you can make sure the dealer's not ripping you off, if they are, just find another who will give you straight S-Plan pricing. Also make sure they give you the $1000 rebate. Despite what they tell you about how low their price already is, they can do it. It's pretty simple, really, you just need to watch your numbers.

BTW: The Car and Driver long-term test has a massively negative tone, but if you actually look at what they're complaining about, they basically had no problems with the car. Shitty dealer, maybe, but the car was fine.

Shinka13

Pertaining to your nightmare, just don't get a silver one...hehe. :D

Deslock

FYI, at revitup last year they gave out $250 coupons... I speculate that they'll do the same at the upcoming zoomzoomlive events.

As far as fuel economy goes, I get 15-17 in-town and 22-23 highway with lots of A/C and high-RPM, WOT driving (I have a 2004 6MT). With my driving style, I doubt a Mustang GT would yield more than 10-20% better.
Putting this in perspective, there is a full 1.8 quarts between high and low on the dipstick. So you do not need to constantly top it off... I just dump a full quart in every 2-3k miles.

Anyway, good luck Alchemy!

dwynne

Well, the s-plan price (as of 01/2005) is just about $250 under invoice for the car and all the options are at invoice (no discount).

If you compare the attached s-plan pic VS invoice you will see what I mean. I paid about $600 under, no dealer fees, and got the rebates. So it would have cost me money if I worked for Ford or used the s-plan

Note in the pic that the $560 destination charge is NOT included. So a 6mt base car is shown as $24,817 then you add $560 to get $25,374. Invoice shown around $25,638

Dennis

Rhawb

Well, that's why I said slightly under, since it really isn't much. When I got mine 12/04, we managed to get a GT for around $26,000, IIRC.

alderran

You should test drive a G35. I test drove a ton of cars back in 03. I spent months test driving. Did the IS300 3 times and was about to buy when on a lark I stopped at an Infiniti dealer. 2 days later I had a G35.

Like I said it won't outhandle an RX8 and it won't outpower a Mustang but it's got a nice blend of power and handling. Anyway not trying to make up your mind for you but only suggest you try everything. 30K is a big investment you should make sure you explore all the options.

icyur2

I was also contemplating between the Nissan 350Z/Mustang GT/RX-8. What made me choose the RX-8 was the practicality of it, and the fact that it is a "rare" car to see on the road. There are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many 350Z/Mustang that it is kind of boring to have for X amount of yrs. Considering that I'm investing 30K+ on it, I want to always be excited when I see it or drive it. The RX-8 does just that!! Granted, it has its ups and downs (rotary requires some minor changes in driving habits, etc.), but in the end the drive makes up for this.

As for the gas mileage, I wasn't really concern. I mean..you are buying a "sports" car, right? I didn't expect to get great mileage, but was slightly pleased that with the 91 octane (Shell), I'm getting 20 mileage with 90% in city driving!! I'm shifting between 3500-3750 RPM. Granted, I'm only breaking in my car (900 miles)..so..after that, I'll see what I'll get when I have REAL fun with it ^_^

Add this to the fact that many drivers out there are raving that 87 octane is just as good..I'll try to give my baby some of that to see if she likes it ^_^ Just my 2 cents worth....

Steiner

I didn't scan through all 5 pages before posting, but has anybody mentioned the GTO? I believe it's in the same price range as the GT and RX-8, if not before it should be now with the employee pricing GM is offering.

Fanman

I checked on the Pontiac website, it isn't.

Rhawb

GTO is about $32k, which is about as much as a GT package RX8. I almost got one, but insurance was absolutely out the *** if I wanted it. My insurance would have gone from about $1000/6mo to $1800. Gah. Oh, and GTO/Vette are excluded from employee pricing.

TODreamer

GTO is not bad at all....

I just cant get around that styling.....straight out of the grand am, grand prix, bonneville family..... Pontiac totally f*cked off on the styling of that one.

I think they could have done alot more with it and made a lot more money with some half decent marketing

VikingDJ

I was checking out the GTO last month, and it did list it in employee pricing in my area. However, the employee pricing was only like $200 below invoice. That proves that the employee pricing is nothing more then a cool way to advertise good prices on their cars. Some are just marked up higher then others, depending on inventory. The GTO does seem to be selling slow where I live, as there are plenty of them sitting on the lots at local dealership. For a brief moment I was considering one, but after really thinking it through, having all that power was not enough, because that style is just not what I prefer. I still view it as a great deal for those who like that style and all that power, and it's certainly a great bang for your buck car. If you want some luxury, and great straight line power, especially on highway, you can't go wrong with one of these. If I had to choose, I'd take one over the Mustang any day, even for the extra $$ you have to shell out.

TODreamer

I wouldnt be surprised if they are aelling slow everywhere in North America.

Roaddemon

Ouch, Another reason to buy the 8.

Pete

Hate The Stang

Sigma

GTO sales are meeting expectations (hence why it and the 'Vette aren't under the Employee Pricing) and are about even with RX-8 sales for the year and are up 80% from last year. Considering that GM expected to sell about half as many GTOs as Mazda expected to sell RX-8s, that's not too bad.

In the vast majority of the nation, the 6-Speed GTO runs about $32,500 (only about $1000 off MSRP) + TTL and no rebates. So it ends up being a good $5000 more than a GT RX-8. Insurance can easily be $100/month more and financing rates (if you go through Pontiac) are a couple points higher than Mazda's. All told, with a higher price, higher interest, and higher insurance the price difference is a good $200-$250/month.

Slick8

Take a look at the actual cost to own an RX-8 compared to other competitive vehicles:

Vehicle Average Cost per Mile
RX-8 $0.49
350Z $0.56
330Ci $0.63
G35 $0.57
WRX STi $0.59
EVO MR $0.63
RSX Type-S $0.44
Mustang GT $0.56
Grand Am $0.49
IS300 $0.53
S2000 $0.52

Referenced from Edmunds.com based on 2005 models, a five-year period and 15,000 miles per year...

Slick8

Car insurance on the RX-8 is much lower than the competition in that it directly offsets the cost of fueling the 8. So you whine about the high cost of fueling the 8 but you forget what is really happening to your wallet. A breakdown of the total annual cost of gas and insurance makes the cost of owning an RX-8 much lower than almost all the competition...



Assumptions:
1) You drive 12,000 miles/year
2) Fuel cost at $2.60/gallon
3) Annual insurance based on averages from http://auto.consumerguide.com/
4) MPG based on averages from Consumer Reports
5) The $25 for the case of 5W-20 last more than a year, considered negligible