warder

Well my friend got his new RX-8 in today, and all I can say is wow! I'm about to dive into cars myself, and I'm ripped between two cars... The subaru wrx sti or the Mazda RX-8 with GT pack. I just cant choose. Anyone firmiliar with both cars? Which one do you like the best and whats best about it, and some things each one has over teh other. And I was also wondering... body kit, exaust, intake... Where is it? I am yet to find a website that has them! And if they are out there somewhere what should I go for? Also I want to get a black one and some SMOKE rims... Where could I get the rims?

Sue Esponte

Search the archives. There are TONS of threads on this question. Ultimately, I say the two cars are entirely different animals with entirely different purposes in life. You need to drive both and pick the one that best fits your needs or makes you smile more. Then choose the car you will buy by writing down both names on separate pieces of paper, fold them, shake them in your hand and open one up. If you are the least bit disappointed when you open the paper, get the other car.

-Eric

lilbigman

www.vividracing.com is a good bet they build some great rides with quality components.
Check out their build up on both the wrx and rx-8.
After reading about the wrx they are working on you might forget about the sti
happy reading :D

RX8Lover

rx-8

Berni

what do you want in a car? pro and con each car off a list of wants and needs and then you'll have it. by it I mean your choice.

Edit: beans-how this is a RX8 club most of us will say get the 8. However, focus on your wants and needs.

warder

Well I am leaning twards the rx-8 right now because of some interior things it has that the subaru doesnt, and it rides softer. I like how its small too. The subaru has a lot more tuner parts and such... Is there a turbo kit for the rx-8? Has anyone used this?
http://vividracing.securesites.net/c...dc96f2f72e1c56
Dont think ill get a body kit because of hills and bad roads...
Was wondering what rims you guys think I should look for... 18" ones smoke colored. And any suspension or transmission related mods I should get? Just so you guys realize I'm not rich... I'm going to get the car then slowly... really slowly get mods... I was wondering what I should get first. I know I'm getting rims VERY first then i need some help... what and what next?

warder

Also what should i get with the car I want the gt package... anything else I shoud try to get?

Monique

Something's wrong here...

... where's Ike???

Killerking1964

try this link for accessories for the 8. I personally prefer the 8, but read some comparisons on the web, and check out the epinions.com site for what owners have to say about each car.
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

boarder

Obviously I prefer the 8 but ....

the WRX Sti is a wonderful car to drive. I looked at the wrx, sti, evo, 350z, g35, 330 etc etc .... the rx-8 had a nice blend of all the components i liked. its damn fun to drive too.

Have to list out your likes dislike of each car to yourself, and rank them. Then throw them all away because you will unconciously want one car more than the other.... the 8

memrie

Agreed, post whether or not you are looking for a car that is more performance oriented (ie. your going to race it, or just enjoy top speed and torque), or if you like sleek style, rubberneckin class... or a combination of the two (8!).

SpacerX

I must echo these comments. I also drove all of those latest and greatest offerings. The RX8 provides the optimal balance of performance, driving environment, style, room, and personality (the "intangibles" -- I don't have a better word for it, but none is required). It's a car I will keep me excited about the driving experience for a long time to come. Bottom line (for me) I couldn't say that about the other cars I drove.

I'm not going to tell someone to buy the RX8 over some of these other products -- they ALL have their strengths.

Two words I would use to describe the RX8: UNCONVENTIONAL and SMOOTH...

warder

Well... yeah I'm on the fence about a lot of things so the 8 suits me just fine. I got to ride with my friend to. Looked like he was having fun. I am yet to ride in a wrx sti, but I've heard its a rough ride, but its very high performance. I think I'll go with the 8. (I didnt just ask you guys Ive been on lots of forums to see what they say!) So now its really just what do I do first... I'm thinking of either a black one or a grey one... And depending on which color depends on the color rims, black=smoke rims grey=black rims. But what after I get the rims? What is the next thing I should go for? And now I am looking at a blue one with smoke rims...:p

Ike

<waves> Ike is too hungover to care about about debating the STi vs. RX-8 for the 100th time... However, Ike would like to state that if you value things like customer service, getting the things you actually ordered, not being charged twice for something you ordered, or not waiting several weeks for something you order that is claimed to be in stock but is actually drop shipped from <insert location several thousand miles away> and getting stuck with the shipping charges you should never order from Vivid.


Ike Thanks You

Uberoo

I decided I was going to buy a car in the 30-40K Price range and started researching. I looked at several different cars. RX-8, G35, 350Z, Crossfire, GTO, S2000, EVO, WRX STI. I bought all the car mags, I hit all the forums. I went to the dealerships and checked out the cars. I wanted to wait until I had narrowed my list down some before I started test driving.

My wife made the first set of cuts..."NO TWO SEATERS!" there had to be room for the dog AND her..doh there went the Z, Crossfire, and S2K

I next ruled out the GTO, to me it just looks big fat and slow (It's actually pretty fast)

The G35 is a good car, it IMO has the best interior of all the cars I looked at, but its exterior styling just didn't do it for me.

That Left 3.... EVO, RX-8, and WRX STI

The EVO and WRX STI are very similar cars, yet their differences are also very apparent. Anyone who had read an article or two on the 2 cars knows what these differences are. The WRX STI is hailed as the better daily driver due to its looser suspension (It gives up some handling to the EVO because of it) and I really like the looks of the STI more than those of the EVO. So I marked the EVO off and started making plans to testdrive the WRX STI and the RX-8

These are very different cars! Both cars are fast, don't be fooled by the RX-8's lower HP it's a fast car...think of it as a momentum car. Sure it takes a bit longer to get up to speed, but once you're there it handles so well that you can maintain that speed through curves where other cars need to let off. The other nice thing about the RX-8 is its high redline of 9K. If you really want to get the most performance out of the RX-8 you have to "Drive it like you hate it" keeping it at high RPMs in its power band. If you keep it in the power band it's a fast car. The interior of the RX-8 is very nice. It's clearly driver centric and gave me a sense that the cockpit was crafted just for me. The RX-8 is a great touring car. Its high momentum potential will provide loads of fun on long curvy drives down a canyon, up a mountain, or along a coast. Just don't expect it to be a Stoplight Commando.

The WRX STI is a very fast car, it's also a very quick car (Something the RX-8 really isn’t) the gearing of the WRX STI is very good, the car just seems to always be in its power band. All Wheel drive is also nice when you want to blow someone off the line, and uh I guess it works well in inclement weather as well :D(I live in San Diego so I haven’t had any first had experience with the STI in bad weather) The STI also handles like a champ It handles just as good as the RX-8. Going by Road and Tracks numbers both cars pull .88 Gs on their 200 foot skidpad. The RX-8 has a speed of 65.4 in their 700 foot slalom, the WRX STI had a speed of 68.4. Granted the STI's handling comes at the cost of a harsher ride. The RX-8 will feel a lot smoother. The WRX STI is also cheaper, sure you can get into a RX-8 for less, but the one I "Built" would have cost more.

You're definitely doing the right thing, hitting the forums and talking to people who own the cars. The best STI forum I've found is

http://www.imprezawrxsti.com/postnuke/

If you're seriously interested in both cars you really need to test drive them both. See if you can find owners in your area who will take you out for a drive, or let you drive their car. You will get a lot better feel for the cars with a lot less stress than you would doing a dealership test drive.

Ultimately I chose the WRX STI. I've been extremely happy with my choice and have not regretted it for a second.

They are both great cars, you really can't go wrong with either of them.

warder

Theres just so many things to look at in chosing one over the other... I want them both! But I can barely pay for ONE. I just dont know...

Ike

Do you ever plan on modding the car? If so the STi will take better to mods and be cheaper to make faster because it's a factory FI car, just another thing to consider.

Edit: Went back and read your post, since you are planing to mod the STi may be a better choice for you if it really is a tossup on which car you want.