Moyenne

Thanks for all the links,

Probably won't read them, read this one as it was on current page. It's ok you find this a Repetitive topic. I respect your opinion and only question your limited " Close this " comment.

Skip this thread crack a beer, listen to some Lou Reed and it will be alright ;>)

Outlaws eXtreme

Next person that asks.."Convince me to buy an RX-8."... I'm going to ask them..."Convince me that you deserve the answer."

Deslock

How many minutes have you spent behind the wheel of a 6-speed RX8? I owned a WRX for a couple years. I tried adjusting tire pressure, adding a rear sway bar, etc. It helped, but only marginally compared to a car like the RX8.

Don't get me wrong... the WRX's boost rush and four wheel drifts always induced a big smile. But after driving the RX8 a couple times, I was reminded of what I missed about my old GSR. According to the specs, the 2006 WRX will weigh 300 pounds more than the base 6-speed RX8 (~2880 pounds). That combined with its inferior weight distribution, higher COG, and higher yaw moment make me skeptical that it'll be as balanced or toss-able as the RX8. But maybe it'll surprise me...

In the end, he just needs to test drive both. To each his own.

Krankor

Mmmmm, I'd like to just defend the question and the questioner. Asking a bunch of Brand X users whether to buy Brand X or Brand Y is a perfectly useful exercise-- as long as you also go to the Brand Y forum and ask them too (which I'm guessing this guy did). Finding out WHY the partisans are partisan is valuable. Finding out what the rebuttals are to common complaints is also valueable. Frankly, I did the exact same thing before I bought my 8, and the partisans were able to convince me that some of my concerns weren't concerns. Nothing is more insightful than the opinions of someone who has already owned a Brand X.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

informin_the_public

I have not driven in the RX8 at all, but my comment was not disputing that the WRX will be better then the RX8 handling wise, but rather at the fact that earlier people said that it was and understeering pig, but infact the car can be setup so that it ovesteers with the best of them. Plus, to take full advantage of the car and see the minute differences between the cars, you would need to track the car often, on the street which most of the time the car will be driven you will not be able to pick it out that well, and with the minor things that you can change on the WRX, you can have a very well handling car as well. Another point I am trying to make is that I am only giving my opinion on the WRX, I am not here to make a decision for the person asking a question, I am just trying to correct the image that people had of what the WRX can do, becasue mostly its just magazine info that, is.......well just some editor's opinion based on a couple of runs at the track.

I fully agree that he needs to test drive the car and its his decision to make.

Deslock

It's all relative. To an Elise owner, my car is a pig. The WRX is a competent handler, but compared to the RX8 it's less responsive, heavier, and understeers. You can make significant improvements to it, but you can also make improvements to the RX8 (in stock form, it's got soft suspension and lots of body roll).

I'm curious... how did you form your opinion that the differences are so minute that you "need to track the car often" to notice them? Frankly, it's mildly amusing that you registered with the name "informin_the_public" for the purpose of posting comparisons between the RX8 and WRX when you haven't even driven an RX8.

ironmedic

i like the fact i have a huge category of parts to choose from for my WRX

i like the handling of the RX8 but i love the potential power of a WRX and the actual power of an STi. if anyone asks me to choose between the 2 cars again, i would choose the WRX only cuz i like the hidden power underneath that hood. that was my original car but my wife didnt like the fact that the STi doesnt come with an AT. my wife wanted an AT WRX but i said no no no no NO!

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

You know you would have liked a MT 8 :D

ironmedic

if i had a MT 8, i wouldnt have bought a WRX

at least the MT RX8's have more potential than the AT RX8's!

StealthFox

well, that's not saying much.

Flop

Maybe if you live in Alaska...

Audioslave8

or chicago, or anywhere else where it snows

124Spider

I am always amazed when I see an insinuation, or explicit statement, to the effect that a RWD car isn't competent in the snow.

Those of us older than, say, 20 remember when all cars except Jeeps and Oldsmobile Toronados were RWD, and they actually did just fine in the snow, assuming the driver had the basic intelligence not to drive in snow without snow tires. I drove my RX-3 home (about ten miles) in 24 inches of largely unplowed snow in Providence, RI in the Blizzard of 1978. No problem, with snow tires. Snow tires, and cars, are much, much better now than they were then.

The RX-8 does just fine in the snow if properly shod. Even an AWD car wearing RE040s wouldn't be worth much in the snow.

ironmedic

so how often do RX8 owners actually garage their cars for the winter then? hell some v8 owners do the same damn thing with their summer cars

Racer X-8

If you buy an RX-8, you will be an owner member here.

If you buy a WRX, STI, EVO, S2000, 124 Sport Spider, Spitfire, Elise, or, (God forbid) a Mustang, you will be a troll here. Anything you write here will from then on be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb for troll turds, and rightfully so.

Buy the darned RX-8.