This thread blows my mind.......

 

I"ve owned three Vettes. A C4 & 2 C5s., a Miata, a 95 Z28 and my 08 RX. Each Vette iteration is better than the last. Each year is better. If you can swing an 08 C6..GREAT! you should see 28 mpg if cruising in cruise control.

BUT!! You're near the top of the performance car heap, and every punk in a clapped out Honda with a fart can muffler is going to try to race. Every Mustang wants to bring your *** down. Stuff your foot in a C5 in fourth, and you'll very quickly see 140 mph. That's "Go to Jail speed!!!" I don't look good in an orange jump suit, but I would kill right now to have not sold my late beloved C5 black on black on black 01 6 speed vert with Borla Stinger and Vortex intake...SOB!!!

 

Let's talk money:

If you buy an RX-8 GT, you'll save enough money to dump in a 20B twin turbo and still have some left for a cheeseburger than if you had bought a Vette.

Of course, owning a supercar or at least a relatively fast car will get you more attention than you want from the ricers who will try to race you.

Seriously. Ever since I had my midpipe installed, everyone thinks my 8 is a 9 second machine or something. Thing is though, I almost always drive the speed limit (unless I am kicking out carbon). Speed just loses it's appeal when you've been to enough track days and autocross. You just want to save it for a track.

 

Also there is insurance. I am 18 and my insurance on my 1996 cyl. auto. camry was 720 for 6 months. My rx8 is only 840 for 6 months. To me that is a godsend since I cant really afford even my car payments haha.

 

RX-8 28K + 20K for a proper 20B swap that's 48K for a new car that now has no warranty. For that price I'll take the C6 for 46K and still go on a nice vacation knowing that I still have a warranty on my car. What it come down to is what you are looking for, if you want a fun car to drive every day no matter the weather then yes the RX-8 is superior, but if you want a fun car to drive on occasion then the Vette is superior.

The Vette is a superior sports car to the RX-8 but true sports cars aren't meant to be daily drivers. I will stick pick a RX-8 over a Vette because I need the practicality. Once I have my next kid and I'm forced to by an Accord you bet that my choice for a second car will not be an RX-8, that is unless they come out with a 360HP model. At that point I'll get a real sports car, be it a Viper, Vette, or Porsche.

I loved my 8 it was the best all around car I have ever owned and probably always will be, but the truth is that it was a jack of all trades but was not superior in any.

 

 

Someone please close this thread or change the title to "Bugatti Veyron or 70s style Ford Pinto?

Then some could argue well the Bugatti is mad fast yo! And you Pinto people can't afford one.
Then the Pinto lovers could be like well the Pinto is good in its own right because it can haul more stuff and gets better gas mileage.

 

I haven't read anything but the title and OP in this thread, but here's my recent Corvette versus RX-8 story:

I was at a local gas station the other day, and the guy at the pump next to me looked my car over from top to botttom, and then approched me like he had something to say. I thought he was going to rib me about the gas station being the 8's natural environment, but instead he said: "My friend's son has one of those Mazdas." I said: "That's neat." He said: "That's one fast car, my friend's son takes his to the track and regularly destroys Corvettes." I said: "Uh-huh, well maybe around the turns, but the torque in the 8 isn't even close to most Corvettes." He ignored me and went on to talk about how awesome the 8 was and whether I had turbo and how many rpms and etc. etc.

So its absolutely positively official now. The rx-8 is a corvette-killer.

Tell your friends!!!!!

 

Must have been a novice driver, cause I go to the track regularly and I can never keep up with the C6 in the same run group.

 

I can't believe someone is torn between these two options...

 

If you can get a base LS3 C6 fir $42,000 (invoice), you are getting a hell of a lot sports car for a very good price... and the damn thing will sit in 100 degree stop-and-go traffic forever, or tear off on a 3000 mile road trip without a second thought.

A friend of mine, who is a Ford Mustang nut, bought an LS3 C6. This guy owns an original Shelby GT350 show car, a new Shelby GT500, as well as a original '65 and '03 Kenne Bell Cobra.

He bought the 'Vette because he was amazed at the price / performance and how perfect it is for a daily driver... and then just pop the top off for a weekend road trip with the wife. He's leaving it bone stock, plans on driving the wheels off it, and all the while enjoying the comparitively good reliability and good gas mileage.

The C6 is a cool car.

 

You can get them new for under $40K in Chicago.

 

Under 40k owo!

 

^^^^^^^

the two posts above. and a speced out r3 is ~34.5 k.

i think they compare very well..

beers

 

Yes, and they are both fun to drive.

That is the problem.

 

I don't think they compare well at all. The C6 is just a superior sports car to the RX8, they key word(s) is sports car not daily driver.

Agreed but one would spank the hell at the other one on a road course but maybe not a Autox course.

 

The Vette can be tiring to drive, as are most V8 muscle cars. Spend a lot of time behind the wheel and you'll realize that the RX8 is much better balanced, more refined and precise in it's moments and movements.

 

Aren't you optimistic?

2007 Stock Category Classifications (SOLO)

Super Stock
Chevrolet Corvette (C5 chassis) 1997-2004
Chevrolet Corvette (C6 chassis) including Z06 2005-2007

A Stock
Chevrolet Corvette (C4 chassis) including ZR-1 1984-1996 V8 5.7L

B Stock
Chevrolet Corvette 1963-1982 (C2-C3 chassis)
Mazda RX-8

 

What exactly are you trying to say by this? That 26 to 45 (!!!!!) year old car is in the same class as a new RX8?

 

I didn't say it. The SCCA did. They also said the new BMW 135i is a D Stock car, so take it for what it's worth.

Some people seem a little delusional about how capable the 8 really is on the track (parking lot) in comparison to other sports cars.

 

I don't follow autox so I don't get what you said. I like to run my car on a real course Autox to me was fun the first time I tried it, which was a side show event at a HPDE I went to. After the first time it got boring, not to mention it's more expensive ($$ per minute) then a HPDE event. Though I can see the attraction due to less money spent over all.

 

Oh well, it's your money. Track days around here start at about $200. I don't have that kind of money to spend every time I feel like wringing out my car, so a $35 autox even does the job nicely.

 

Oh, I agree that a one day HPDE event is more expensive compared to a one day autox event. I am just saying that you get more for your money at a HPDE event. $200 for 4 sessions of about 20 min. each comes out to $2.50 per minute. $35 for a few runs totaling 5 min. comes out to $7 per minute. But the risk is greater at a HPDE.

 

Strangely enough I did cross shop the C5 and the RX-8. I really wanted to like the C5, but came away quite disappointed by the driving feel of the car. It felt very numb and detached, offering little feedback in the corner. It was fun to wind the engine out in a straight line and hit silly speed, but the visceral experience wasn't there. I felt like I was driving a really quick SUV.

In my opinion GM cars have become a lot more fun to drive in the past couple of years, but the C5 is a relic from the dark days of GM when numb steering, AC Delco radio headunit and cheap Sunfire dash ruled the day.

Would I buy a C5 today? Yes, but only as a cheap beater for long highway trips.

 

Too funny, I had a similar post several weeks ago because I was thinking of ditching the '08 c6 corvette for a new 8. They are two excellent vehicles for the price. The 8 is more unique and rare for a heck of a lot less money. The statistics are what they are. It is the feeling you get walking away from both of them that makes them both desirable. Wierd but, yes the C6 gets far better mileage than my '04 8 ever did but if you are buying this type of vehicle does this really matter.