VikingDJ

Well said. I saw more bashing of the STI then the RX8. Both cars I own got ripped on, and it did not bother me one bit. Some of it was true, other things were fabricated. I'm gonna have to accept the fact that every car site is full of people like this, and it's not going to change. It makes me dream of a site where you can discuss cars in an objective manner, and be smart enough to know the differences of each, and what they are intended for. I'd didn't buy an SRT because it didn't suit my needs, but I sure have respect for it, and I refuse to criticize things that are obvious, and serve no other purpose then to try and justify why I bought my RX8 and STI. There's absolutely no need for it, and it makes us look like weak owners. A truly secure RX8 owner would never bash the SRT, or any other car for that matter. Glad there's a few people on here who are that way.

rocketpop

"It makes me dream of a site where you can discuss cars in an objective manner, and be smart enough to know the differences of each, and what they are intended for. "

You would have loved our local MINI Cooper site, then. They have a real passion for thier cars and I can't ever recall them bash other cars. They also understand that the Cooper S is not the fastest car out there, but its a blast to drive. It is super quick and handles GREAT! I love my 8 bit I also miss my Cooper S a lot.

MTCD01

This is a long post, sorry, it started fairly short.

I guess I'm strange because when I'm driving my car I assume that most of the other cars I see are as fast or faster than my car. It doesn't bother me. The only thing that got to me in that thread was that some of those folks think you're a moron if you spend any more than $20,000-22,000 on a car that isn't an American made SRT.

I love America but I won't buy a car that's been built in the US (this now includes nearly every affordable car on the damn road - Honda, Toyota, Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Pontiac, Mazda, Cadillac - to name a few). I've had way too much experience with Ford and Pontiac to trust American build quality and the resale value on American made cars shows our poor track record. I know we can build good cars but our affordable cars have some serious QC issues.

When people ask me about my car one of the first things I typically tell them is that it's slower than it looks. I don't think the RX-8 is a God through the corners but I do expect that I can keep up with many of those cars that are a tad faster (notice I said keep up, not overtake). I bought my car for several reasons:

I like small cars (this car is actually heavier than I'd like).
I needed to put a child seat in and out of the car.
I wanted to own a Rotary powered vehicle (always loved the 7s).
I fell in love at first sight with a Yellow 8 in the dealer show room and was shocked that a vehicle so striking was actually no more costly than a well equipped Accord.
I researched and was impressed at the 50/50, 9,000RPM, 3,000 lbs, 18" Wheel, 12"/11" brakes, CF drive shaft, Aluminum hood, Aluminum rear doors, 200 hp, made in Hiroshima.
I test drove and was blown away by the mix of comfort and sport, the smooth revving engine, the smooth tranny, the excellent steering response, the capacity to seat 4, and again the fact that I could afford a car of such quality.

For what I needed the Z was out, the G35 was too pricey, the STI and EVO don't appeal to me, the SRT wasn't even in the running, the Celica was a contender but didn't offer easy access to the rear, Saturns were out, Mustang was out, C6 was too expensive with no rear seat, German cars didn't appeal to me, and to tell the truth I was pretty close to buying a 4dr Tahoe and calling it a day (I'll buy American trucks).

I'm very happy with my car. I've driven 16,8XX miles in it and have loved every minute. I have averaged about 14 MPG for the majority of those miles (only about 2 tanks on the highway at 21-23 MPG).

The SRT, STI, EVO, Z, Mustang, C6, Crossfire, M3, M5, GMC Typhoon/Syclone, GTO, etc... are all faster and I don't care. I can have plenty of fun driving my car. Breaking the speed limit 5.x seconds vs 6.x seconds doesn't really concern me. Highway racing doesn't really concern me. Stoplight racing doesn't really concern me. Track racing doesn't really concern me.

Having fun while driving, feeling truly connected to my machine and the road, and constantly looking over my shoulder to see my beautiful car sitting there is enough for me.

The SRT IMO:

I've never said it's just a Neon because I'm aware that it has many upgrades beyond the Neon. It's a great affordable Mod platform and you can get Mopar upgrades and maintain your warranty. I hope more companies follow suit in this fashion. The SRTs biggest hindrance is the FWD. It's easy to make power in that car but the delivery by the FWD hinders it's performance. I do think they are ugly but that is just my opinion and I'm sure there are plenty of people that think my car is hideous as well.

Spin9k

I don't mind being behind others on the track... I get to watch their mistakes, when they crash, or if they're good, where the best line is....
I don't mind being behind others on the street, up here we call them smokey detectors....:D
And when I glance behind after I park my car... I don't mind those people enviously looking back at my ride.... not their <blank*> parked nearby

It's all in your perspective I guess.

* fill in your favorite car that bothers you ... Neon, WRX, Mustang, etc.

-=Rowdy=-

Hey Rocket-why don't you get your facts straight? I asked why Ike would post here as often as he does and get in the thick of things if he doesn't even own one or perhaps aspire to getting an 8. This has nothing to do with this thread. If you read my first post, I mentioned that we all could have bought an SRT-4 and made the decision to purchase the 8. The major difference between SRT owners and 8 owners is we had the choice of what we wanted to buy and quite a few SRT owners couldn't afford an 8 so they bought what was in their price range.

I checked into a SRT-4 twice and just couldn't get past the interior and the exterior styling as well as the questionable longevity of these vehicles 5-7 years from now. I'm happy with what I have and straight-line driving gets old after awhile. No sour grapes from this 8 owner. :D

Ike

No

HeelnToe

LOL, I hear ya, but I respectfully disagree. You must be visiting far more mature forums than I, lol. I find this forum is by far the least offensive to other cars and their owners. Sure, bashing happens, but it's more isolated, and is often quickly admonished by other posters. We don't even allow kill stories, which is a staple of many other forums. And most 8 owners are perfectly fine with that, which says something about the demographics for the car (that, and there aren't many cars we can "kill," lol).

The bashing problem arises when people buy cars simply to attract women, draw attention, impress the neighbors, beat up on other cars, secure HP bragging rights, etc. For most people, cars are an extension of their ego, not their soul. And egos measure their worth by comparing against others. Their car is a tool, a weapon - not an experience.

Sadly, I'm finding that very few people buy a car because, you know, they simply like DRIVING it. The 8 is less often corrupted by the egomaniacs versus the "hooligan" cars (SRT4, Evo, etc.), but you still find people buying it solely for the attention it brings... which is certainly a nice fringe benefit, but hardly the point of the car.

-=Rowdy=-

Then you are here to do nothing but cause problems.

Ike

No, but about 2500 of my posts have been wasted on answering questions just like yours

khtm

I like having Ike around; he helps keep us honest :D

DARKMAZ8

having worked for dodge...I can say that I myself have broken 2 neons by just abusing the hell out of it.....they were brand new cars and at the end of the day they were leaking oil like a faucet....They might have been a good bargain but quality is not there....trust me I am not a biased 8 owner.....It's just reality

Ike

But that's a regular neon, not the SRT-4 which has one of the strongest stock engines on the market.

DARKMAZ8

That maybe true but I can tell u this....most parts for those and most other domestics are up to 5mm off compared to imports where their parts are only off by 2mm....Quality control is what hurts all domestics and thats why their cars arnt worth **** when used.......

I have driven the srt4 and will be the first to admit that it is hella fast but we'll see how they hold up in 3 years time :D

Luftwaffle

If he weren't here to bring us back to Earth, I might be trying to street race F-16s.

Rotario

It's sad to say, but unfortunately true. I'm a patriotic American....until it comes to cars. I've owned 4 American-built cars (two Fords and 2 GMs), and probably 3x that number of foreign cars. It'd take a huge change in the overall quality level of American cars to ever get me to switch back. I wish it was the other way around, but when it comes to money leaving my wallet, I'm going to spend it on what *I* perceive to be the best value.

Bill

BlueEyes

Were not talking about modded neons. Were talking about the SRT-4. You could really buy ~ 1.5 SRT-4s for the price of an 8.

Anyhow, what would you think if you beat a 360 in race somehow, then the owner started laying into your car calling it shitty because it's not a Ferrari, it's cheap, made in japan, ugly comparatively, etc. You would probably think he is a pretentious dumbass as I would. That is the problem with these threads.

DARKMAZ8

FYI 1.5 rx-8 = .25 360 modena :}

-=Rowdy=-

Obviously one of your typical posts just to stir things up...

Ok-I'll bite. All the SRT-4 is good for is basically the engine as everything else ie the body, paint, overall craftsmanship will deteriorate rapidly so who cares about the engine if everything else is subpar.

BlueEyes

I really cannot comprehend how the concept of the SRT-4 is so difficult to grasp for some people. It really just blows my mind.

DARKMAZ8

Rotario

That pretty much nails it, Rowdy. The Neon SRT-4 is a perfect car for someone wanting something cheap (in price and build quality) that goes fast in a straight line. Nothing more.

Bill

Rotario

Is the SRT-4 faster than your Camry?

Ajax

We all bought our cars for different reasons.
When I first bought my 8, I was talking to a guy that owned an SRT 4 and he was telling me to forget the 8 and get a neon because it'd be faster.
I didn't give a **** about faster, I gave a **** about looks, handling and comfort. All he could tell me was that I'd lose to him off the line and all I could say to him was "I just don't care." It all really depends on how you drive the car anyway.
I was able to keep up with a saleen s289 in my rx8 thru 3 gears.. it's not a slow car... and that guy didnt talk smack when it was over.. cuz we werent on a street.. he gave me a thumbs up and shook my hand..

BlueEyes

Camry Solara
Obviously.
But, it's not as well built, as comfortable, or as good looking and it's 6000 dollars cheaper. They are two cars designed for two entirely different purposes and people. I can understand each cars purpose and audience, it seems many cannot. Either that or they cannot accept that someone appreciate these purposes, either way its pretty sad.

DARKMAZ8

I love it when ppl compare their turbo cars to our 8's....If all I cared about was speed then I could have a 12 second car for less then 10 grand and it would be a 91 supra not a neon....