cgrx

They are very different cars. I bet you'll get the SRT-4. The power attracts a lot of people.

TODreamer

i dont know US pricing too well but wjen you compare $$$ most of those rides you mentioned are a good deal more in Canada....an STi is 10Gs more!! a 350Z is 7-9Gs more. so essentially you are paying for the extra huevos..

Steiner

raji...I know what you mean about insurance rates. Too many little ricers rapping these things around trees. I got some quotes on an STi the other day. It would be $230 less per year to insure that $30k Subaru than my FWD Dodge. It's insanity.

As far the seats...there are actually 2 different kinds you can get for the SRT-4. The "Viper inspired" seats are more aggresively bolstered but they can be a little painfull on longer drives. I went with the less agressive seats that you get with the side-impact airbag option. They are still aggresively bolstered, but not quite as tight around the hips and torso. You also don't have to worry about accidentally castrating yourself on the hip bolsters when getting in the car. For long trips they are better.

The shifter location could be a lot better. One of the first things I did was replace the stock setup with a Mopar short-throw, Booger bushings and Modern Performance cast iron shift ****. It makes a dramatic improvement and looks EXACTLY like stock. It does not however change the height or location of the shifter. It just shortens the throw and tightens the feel.

The adults are talking now...try to contribute something besides your worthless opinion or STFU. You sound like a broken record.

khtm

Ouch..touchy, eh? Why is your opinion worth more than anyone else's? Because you own one of the two cars being discussed? Wow. So do I. Because you've driven both? Wow. So have I.

Don't be such a dick. Why are you even registered on this board? I don't go to the SRT-4 forum and tell people to STFU.

raji

well i may not end up in that category. I've never been attracted to raw power. My attraction to a car goes like this:
1) looks
2) practicality
3) price
4) specs

all of those are important to me, but still pretty much in that order.

The main reasons i'm even thinking of an SRT is because to me, it has 2, 3 and 4. But the 8 has 1, 2 and 3. Like someone else said, it would be a complete package if it had the same kind of punch the SRT does.

theCATALYST

raji, looks like you opened up a can of worms with this thread. I guess you have to expect biased opinions for the 8 on an RX8 website, but I have also read a good deal of info supporting the SRT. Like I said in my earlier post, find the one you simply can't do without. Everyone has their own reasons, you just have to find yours. GOOD LUCK!

bmcc49er

If number 1 is looks I don't think too many would argue which one is better looking by a long shot. A few maybe but then again some people like the looks of the Honda Element. I could see why some younger types would like the srt but the younger types like to put fartpipes and big wings on civics. I know for me personally I would never feel as excited about the srt as I do the 8 but to each their own.

raji

theCATALYST, i knew this would open up a can of worms on an RX-8 forum, but i had to ask the question... and quite frankly i'm pleased with the balance of SRT supporters or at least people who respect its potential versus those who support the 8. Both sides have made some very valid points that i'm keeping in mind for future reference.

the one i can't do without would have to be the 8... BUT, and this is a big but, the SRT is fueling my growing sense of despair in reaching the 8... plus the SRT has much more low-down power, which has got to be fun in traffic every now and then.

Basically i've reached a point where i'm not sure how realistic owning an 8 will be anywhere in the near future. I'm only 25 and the best i can do is barely obtain it in mid-2006 (late 2005 if i'm a little lucky) while still living in an apartment... telling myself i need to be more realistic is slowly pulling me away from the 8...

cgrx

If you get an SRT-4 please put eyelids on it.

cgrx

Why don't you get a used 350Z or new. They have a better power to look ratio than the Neon...

raji

because the 350z has 2 seats... and i have a 2 year-old

cgrx

my bad

Good luck with your decisions......

shelleys_man_06

If you cannot afford it, even in the future, then don't buy it. You'll be a lot happier. I'd rather be happy with a car I can afford than struggle with payments and not have any more funds to actually have fun. It's happened to me in my short driving career, and it sucks big time. The RX-8 after all, is only a prettier form of transportation. Don't kill yourself trying to make payments, because you'll go nuts, and you might be even more disappointed at the end.

TODreamer

Now theres some sound advice

theCATALYST

DONT overstretch your budget. It would suck to high heaven if you actually did get and fall in love with an RX8, only to lose it a year later due to non-payment. And damaging your credit this way will also deter future purchases.

Ike

Those ratings were based on surveys from rotary owners...

czr

iTrader: (3)

Ignorant rotary owners at best.

Ike

Knowing that now, how important is safety to you? The SRT-4 is not a car I would ever want to be in an accident in. I can show you some very scary looking mangled SRT-4s where the outcome wasn't so bright, the Impreza could fly off a cliff at 100mph and it seems people walk away with a couple scratches. If safety is something that is very important to you I would maybe start leaning towards a WRX (about as safe as a car comes) or something all together different from your current choices. The preliminary reports seem to suggest that the RX-8 is quite safe as well.

Steiner

Like I said...the grown ups are talking. You just don't get it dude. How many times are you gonna tell somebody "it's not as sexy of a car" or "it's just a Neon" before you realize beauty is in the eye of a beholder? You think he hasn't seen what the damn car looks like or hasn't heard these things before? Obviously he has and he's still asking about the SRT-4 so, through simple deductive reasoning, your opinion is a waste of space. And I call bullshit on your SRT-4 test drive. Some kid with his hat on sideways probably put a buslength on your Mazda with his lil' Neon and it's still eating away at you. Get over it. Say something...say anything that proves you've driven an SRT-4.

And for the record, where did I give my opinion? All I did is tell raji the good and the bad things about the SRT-4? I didn't compare it to the RX-8...not once...not ever. The RX-8 wasn't even in my thinking when I was telling him the pros and cons.

I have just as much right to be here as anybody else and you have just as much right to be on the SRT forums as me. If you want to even the score go find some mental midget over there and verbally abuse his dumbass. Then we can call it a wash.

xdrian

lol all of us are so biased in here ( no offense to anyone ) I think the 8 would be a fine choice. My friend wants his first car to be a SRT-4 but before it, that he was thinking about a WRX, and a Saab 93, he didnt know what to get! I told him go for what you can afford. Hes only 17 and works part time. I told him to geta cheap *** car at first cuz i know hes not the best of drivers, and i guarentee if he is to buy an SRT-4 he wont be able to handle it at first and will destroy it. IMHO i think most american cars are garbage. I dont see them being the best around, but thats just me. Go what SUITS YOU BEST PRICE WISE!!!! DOnt over work yourself for something you cant enjoy! Remember GAS,INSURANCE,PAYMENTS, AND A GIRLFRIEND ALL COST A LOT OF MONEY!

khtm

I'm not going to reply after this, because our argument is wasting everyone else's time who has to read this chit. I never said I *testdrove* an SRT-4. If I would NEVER buy one and think they look like ***, why would I go test drive one? I have a couple buddies in Winnipeg, one with an SRT-4 and one with a G35C. I went on a road trip there this summer and we all switched cars for about an hour. So yeah, my SRT-4 experience is limited, I won't lie about that.

Anyways, I'm not trying to even any score - you've obviously got some issues if you're getting this worked up. Have a good life...I'm sure you'll go far.

Steiner

I'm typing on a keyboard and listening to music. What makes you think I'm worked up? We're talking about cars, not Iraq. Relax. Don't leave the thread...just add something constructive. What did you like about driving the SRT-4 and, conversely, what were your dislikes...and vice versa for the RX-8.

Until I posted there were no other SRT-4 owners in here. The SRT forums are a mess nowadays. For the most part the good, knowledgeable owners have migrated to regional and/or local forums. Had raji posted this same thread over there I would be saying the same thing to any SRT-4 owner who took cheap shots at the RX-8. I'm just trying to eliminate the subjective mininformed bullshit. God knows he's gonna get enough of that from the sales guy when he goes to buy the car.

raji

amen to that! The guy i test drove the RSX then the SRT with flat out hated the RX-8. Didn't feel like argueing with the guy about his misinformed bullshit (such as: RX-8 has lousy safety because there's no B-pillar, RX-8 has horrible resale value, bla bla bla, BS like that) or his many exaggerated claims or his personal tastes, so i just smiled and nodded.

I talked to a salesman at the last Mazda dealership i'm willing to talk to (in Bountiful, Utah) and he suggested some decent deals and offered me a proper test-drive. I told him i wasn't planning on getting an 8 until late 2005 so i can get myself a better deal, so obviously he's trying to reel me in. On tuesday i'll go in to discuss all the financing details and test-drive the car. That test-drive is going to either make or break my desire to really pursue the 8 from then on!! So i really hope this doesn't dissapoint me!

bmcc49er

I don't know your situation but if you can go in and not discuss financing at all and just discuss bottom price you will get the best deal. If you have good credit tell them you aren't worried about financing because you can get the loan through your bank. Preapproved even better. Once you get the price you are happy with tell them you will give them the opportunity to make more money and finance you if they can beat the bank interest rate. If you don't have the credit rating and have to have them finance then you really are above your means are at least you have to be willing to pay much more then what you could really get the car for.

shaolin

Been watching WRC as well eh? This year was alot of fun to watch..