khtm

Nope, sorry Ike. The GT package with sunroof is ~42k TAXES IN (I know, because this is what I paid...didn't get a deal at all since I suck at bartering).

Still a big difference between that and $49k + taxes. At least 20%.

DropTheHammer

no i have yet to test drive it probably monday i been workin nights this weekend so i havnt had time, i did get to sit in it and it is comfy it has the low to the ground feel im lookn for...and rotery does sound nice when u rev it,, not saying the good ol boxer dont sound good ;-) NO U DONT GET PIK you rcomments havnt helpd any. eric ill send u some

sti_eric

Ike, I've got some pics for you:

STi
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/we...EzZGZkMzF5NTQx

RX-8
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/we...EzZGZkMzF5NTQx

Shhhhhh.....
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/we...EzZGZkMzF5NTQx

DropTheHammer

nice verry nice. mine is black 2 lol. let me get u a pik

Ike

CUZ U DON'T HVAE STI

DropTheHammer

i sent u some pik of my cars.. and yes my f'n sti is in teh pik as u c its in teh same yard...

Ike

I dint get ne pik, i am teh saddest parson on teh planet

DropTheHammer

eric reply on here or my own email thankx

Raptor2k

Similarly priced (being I could not find an STi under $25k in all of DFW, when I bought my rx8 with low miles far under that price), agreed. Yes, the difference in social benefit is not that huge, thanks for the exaggeration. It is significant, however. A 4-door rally look with a large spoiler is a step below the exterior design of the rx8, and you know it.

Btw, what benefits could you give the STi over the 8 in the real world, besides the compliments chase you around for?

DropTheHammer

well the sti is a beast from the factory and the aftermarket has countless parts for it(if thats what u r into) and from what i read in this forum the artermarket isnt that big for this car.

Raptor2k

Oh well.
More reliable? How so? We've seen numerous members already over 50k with no major problems with the 8.
More room, just enough so that you can barely fit in 5. How about we go 4, with cupholders?
I like the suicides, that's just me.
Opinion.
Opinion.
Opinion.
Fair enough

sti_eric

Ok, let's review. All I said was that, as an STi and an 8 owner, I have seen no quantifiable benefit for having a car that "looks better". I am tired of hearing RX-8 owners saying that it "looks better" than car X, because having a car that looks better has no quantifiable benefit. I asked if anyone could show any benefit to a car that "looks better". There was an indirect response saying that people react better to an 8 than they do to an STi. In my experience, both cars are extremely well-respected on the street, with even the STi moreso. So, the claim that people react better to the 8 is untrue, and no one has yet to post a quantifiable benefit to having a better looking car. I would like to see 8 owners focus on the real, quantifiable benefits to the 8, as I have given in a previous post.

As for the benefits of the STi over the 8, myself and Pskull77 have already listed some of the positives for the STi over the 8. I also posted what I think are the positives for the 8 over the STi.

sti_eric

Yep, got the pic. Looks like an R6 with a Harley-style helmet , obsidian black pearl STi, fox body mustang, and what appears to be an RSX with a CF hood.

tiggerlee

Ha Ha!! this thread makes me laugh.

DropTheHammer

yea its actually a germen helmet lol... fox yes, and the rsx which i miss so much eric have you ever driven or drivn in a rsx that was droped or had some type of mods to it??? if you have you will understand why i think i will be happy with the 8,, what i had in the rsx i dont feel in the sti, and believe me im not talkin power at all

Ike

That's why I really thought you were BSing after a few of your posts. I have driven an RSX with coilovers... While it handled nicely it wasn't anything special, the ITRs I have driven were better IMO. If the STI doesn't fulfill your handling needs you're either driving it wrong or there's something screwy... Do you have some lousy all-seasons on your STI or something?

Was the RSX your first sporty car? My first was a Talon TSI and I thought that was such in incredible car and had built it up so much in my head that years later when I drove another one I realized it wasn't nearly as good as my WRX when I thought the two would be pretty comparable. Anyhow, goodluck on the decision and I hope the RX-8 can give you the same feeling your RSX did.

DropTheHammer

well my mustang was my first sports car, but thats totaly different, and yes so the rsx was my first. teh sti has the stock tires on it, and stock allignment, and yes in my head i still have that car on a gold platter, it felt liek it rond on rails, and for some stupid reason i dont feel that with the sti, maybe because the car sits higher and im not taking it to the max, and with the lowered car maybe it ads confidence who knows lol.. o about the bsing maybe it does sound weird but its the fact that the car isnt me or as me as i would liek

Deslock

Better seats, driver position, steering feedback, and shifter. More communicative, neutral, nimble, and forgiving (my RX8's 400+ pound weight advantage and superior distribution was noticeable). The STI ride is also stiffer and less comfortable.

Having written that, if price was not a factor (STI woulda cost me $33k USD vs $24k for the RX8), there's a good chance I'd own an STI... the one I drove had gobs of power and braked and handled *very* well (even though it wasn't as "tossable" as the ligher RX8). Steering feedback and shifting - while inferior to the RX8 - were better than I expected and its power advantage was *enormous*. From a purely competition/performance point of view, the STI owns the RX8 in almost every way. But both cars offer fun driving dynamics and either could be the better choice, depending on your priorities.

In some other thread, an owner of both a C6 and RX8 commented that the RX8 actually handles better. I don't remember if he specified on the road or at the track or if he just meant it's more fun to throw around.

Deslock

I remember reading a couple posts from guys who went from STIs to RX8s, though it has happened the other way more often (though even more of us went from WRXs to RX8s).
Woah... now that's not the Ike we know and love

Ike

My first post was more or less in gest. I remember one other post of someone considering going from an STI to an RX-8, IIRC he ended up disappearing and never let us know what he decided. His reason for possibly getting rid of the STI was the lack of refinement. Other than that there have been a good amount of RX-8 guys going to the STI, with some going to the WRX and probably the same amount or more going from WRX to RX-8.

I'm going to disagree with a few of your points in your previous post. I found the seats and driver position better on the STI, it wasn't even possible for me to find a drivers position I liked in the RX-8, the steeringwheel was in the way of my knees no matter what I did. I'm fairly tall and tend to have my seat more forward than most people my height, the RX-8 just wasn't having it. Seats wise neither car is great but both very good, the 02-03 WRX and the Evo have the best stock seats I've ever sat in. Also, you're comparing the MSRP of the STI vs. the price of a base MT RX-8 after you deal. In actually with similar equipment the MSRP of a GT RX-8 and a STI is pretty damn close. Also, steering feedback IMO are on par with the two cars, though I'll give the advantage in shifter feel to the RX-8, though I kinda like the notchy shifter on the various Imprezas.

globi

Isn't the reason why the STI in these particular tests performed better mainly because the stock tires of the STI are superior?
Since the RX-8 has a lower center of gravity, has less weight per rubber-area and better weight distribution it should perform better at least on the skidpad and when braking.

Ike

Some people are such slaves to marketing... Just because a car has "better" weight distribution doesn't mean a damn thing when it comes to handling, some of the best handling cars in the world don't have anywhere near 50/50 weight distribution. Autocar did a comparo an article on the best drivers car in Britain and used professional drivers with lots of testing equipment for peak corner speeds and g's around various parts of the track. The STi Spec C had .15 higher peak lateral G's and about 10mph higher peak corner speed. It also lapped Rockingham over 6 seconds faster than the RX-8. But I'm sure it was the same thing that happened in best motoring, the professional drivers just didn't know how to drive the RX-8 properly

Here's what Justin Wilson (F1 driver) had to say about the STI...

"Really enjoyed it, having thought it would be boring. Broadly equal performance to the 911 GT3 in terms of track speed, but it sounds even better. Very driveable and the handling is benign, even though it's a doodle to put into drifts"

Sato (BAR test driver)

Said about the RX-8...

"Better to drive on the road (I hope). On the track there's too much roll, too much body movement, and not enough accuracy. The throttle response is not too good and the brakes go off quickly. But at the limit there's good chassis balance and grip. Too much grip for the power, actually"

Autocar said "extracting the max out of it end's up being a cold and cerebral excercise" and that it needs more torque to be fun. They did praise the chassis as well as a couple other things.


The tires aren't a lot different, they're both high performance summer tires. The STIs might be a little better, but the Evo tires are a little better than the STi tires, I'm not about to say that's why the Evo edges out the STI in handling... Why is it so damn hard for some RX-8 owners to accept that the Evo and STI are better cars in every way performance wise. Unless you want to be a frontrunner in autox, then by all means get the RX-8, it's a great autox car. The day I start driving to work on an autox track I'll care. Hell I don't even waste my Sundays autoxing anymore, wasting a whole day to get 6 minutes of track time got old real fast for me.


In short, no, it's not because of the freaking tires!

DropTheHammer

well i finally test drove it... lack of power and i expected that, but it still seem ower less up top but i didnt florr the car its the car im buyn with 24 miles on it..it seems to handle nicely and feels good to drive, i have to get usto the softer clutch feel, but i will. also i hope a turbo makes a difference because i will be getting on of those soon.

Ike

I'm sorry but when you testdrive a car and say to yourself it "seems to handle nicely", lacks power, and "I hope a turbo makes a difference" that's a pretty lackluster review. Not a testdrive I'd be saying that's the car I'm getting...

DARKMAZ8

It's the suspension. The 8 is soft as a pillow in comparison.

Also, the STI is a few grand more then the GT 8 and even more over the base 6spd 8. These cars are not in the same price range.