Well despite all the flames, I thought I might deposit my two cents. My car has now cost me well under the original posters $50k limit. As of this weekend, I now have no problem keeping up with my buddy's 280hp Evo. Maybe even take him. You want kick in the pants? Throw $2k at your car and turbo it. IMHO you will have a car that is superiour to a FD, and I am not just talking acceleration.

 

Hey, why is it that you throw in your two cents, but it's only a penny for your thoughts?

Somebody's making a penny...

 

That would be me. Seeing as I am his posting agent, I get half of all the money he makes. I'm rich bitch!

 

^hahaha..damn how can i fall into a gig like that?

 

Actually the truth doesn't hurt me coz I was thinking whether losing weight and changing the final gear might get close to the acceleration of a S2000.

 

was not aimed at you, but the rx8 itself. the hp #s are overstated. still love mine.

beers

 

blowing away an evo or sti isnt hard.....when driving my fd.
i really want to see/drive/race a turbo 8 to see how they are.

to the original poster: too bad you didnt like the 8, its a great car and has enough power up top to keep me happy. to get the feeling i know your after, the vette is probably the next best choice. you could get a previous model Z06 and do some mods and have plenty of and have cash left over.

i dont remember if you said you were looking for a toy car or a DD?

i would just have to guess that you wouldnt go for an evo/sti after having your fd but i could be wrong.

 

Akin to what carbonRX8 said... if you want the best combination of looks and performance, you're not likely going to find anything. You're going to have to pick something that is mostly what you want and mod it up for the rest. That being said...

2005/6 Mustang GT
- Before anyone slams it on handling, everyone who has driven old Fox body Mustangs and then the new one do say that it has a big improvement. Well-modded fox body Mustangs have done well in racing like SCCA. The new Mustang has a more ridged chassis and better suspension setup. No.. no IRS... it was skipped for costs on the V6 and when it came to the upcoming GT500... they decided it wasn't necessary (don't fix it if it ain't broke) seeing how well the car has been doing in racing. If you don't mind the exterior and can take the interior (one of the sticking points with many), then you should test drive one... with the thought in mind that you are going to mod the hell out of the suspension (Ford Racing, Saleen, Steeda...). It won't be as nimble as the RX-8... too big and heavy for that, but it's lighter than the GTO and supposedly the GTO handles well, but feels heavy. Another bonus is that you can always pickup a supercharger from Saleen for an underrated 400hp (more like 400whp) and keep the factory warranty or go with the very reliable Kenne Bell kits for 523hp (445whp) with potential for 850hp.

RX-8
- As someone has mentioned... you can always fix your lack of power by adding aftermarket FI. The popular GReddy turbo kit is a very good bargain. With the research and mods made by MadDog and MazdaManiac, the is reported to be very useable running the eManage. If you want more (including cost!) for your piggybacked standalone ECU then the Interceptor-X is the leading one availablem, although there appears to be others in development. There is talk of development of an ECU flasher from a few sources and a thread on open source development of one. There are also three supercharger solutions in development... Pettit, Richard Paul's Axial Flow and Hymee's Twin Screw.

Legacy GT
- Personally I'd take one of these over an STi anyday. More room (not important for people who are open to 2 seaters), more luxury and MUCH better looks. Yeah it's heavier and only got 250hp, but the long block is shared with the STi. Hitting STi power levels and beyond aren't that big a task. Handling is reportedly not bad... particularly in Spec B trim... but as the car mags said, you should get the GT and mod the suspension yourself for better handling at a lower cost.

EvoIX
- I'm in Japan and have been seeing this bodystyle since the Evo VII. It's gotten old. Some days I think it's not so bad and others I feel like it's total rice. Interior... design could be better, but... the Evo Wagon I checked out at the past Tokyo Motorshow was actually quite nice with all leather. So maybe it's not so bad... but I'd want to wait for the EvoX if I could.

350Z
- The first few years had really cheap interiors, but the word is that they have gotten much better now. The *** is a bit big on that car and I'm not a big fan of the dash design... nor do I care for 2 seaters. Those aside... not a bad car. People say it feels heavy, but the VQ35 has ample power and torque... particularly in the current model year car the upper end has gotten better. Plenty of mods available for this motor from exhaust to turbos to heads/valves/cams (there is a NISMO package).

G35c
- I'd take this over the 350Z on looks, luxury and it has backseats (even if a little short on headroom).

Imprezza WRX STi
- I can't deny it's performance, but the looks both inside and out just don't do it for me. Not to mention that they are a dime a dozen here and they all have loud free flowing exhaust blatting out their trademark boxer engine sound (which I used to love on air-cooled Porsches, but have come to dislike on Subarus).

GTO
- Who can complain about 400hp? The car is a bit heavy and the exterior styling could put you to sleep, but this car won't have any problems pushing you back in your seat as you merge onto the highway. The appearance package helps some with the looks and the interior looks nice from what I've seen and the word is that it IS nice. Pricing on these is good too.

Corvette
- I dunno... just never been a Vette fan. The latest car is the best yet, but I can't get too excited about it. It's a great performance value.... but I'd rather get something else for the money.

 

I'm confused...... How does the RX8 lack its HP up top when that's where it take full advantage of its HP? The truth is that S2000 is a little faster because its about 200lbs lighter. Atleast the S2000 is one car that's a little faster plus it has looks. Can't say for some of the other "Fast and Ugly" that are talked about on here.

But to the thread started, I would go with a Vette if you're looking for something in that price range. Looks like it will give you plenty of what you want.

 

hey guys, i'm looking to buy an rx8 myself. But after reading some threads, its obvious that the rx8 is lacking in torque. So in that case, would it be possible to get this torque (or "kick in the pants") feel by just adding a turbo and a few modifications? Also is it advisible to put a turbo on one?

thanks for any replies guys!

*BTW - I was looking at some other cars, and a cheap little car that has that feel you might want is the VW GTI. I keep reading how it has torque all over the revbrand. I don't know if its true, but it might be what you are looking for maybe?

 

Go drive one if it feels lacking you're better off going with a different car. Unless you don't care about things like a warranty and have a decent amount of dispossable income it's usually not best to add FI to N/A cars.

 

He just doesn't want a "slow" RX8 hanging with his evo.

 

Riiiight...I'm not the moron claiming that a Viper will put you back in your seat but an F1 car won't. Have a nice ride on the short bus this morning!

I doubt you're out of kindergarten yet, but let me explain a little about a subject called "physics" (go ahead, say it with me; it's pronounced like fizz-iks). That push-you-in-your-seat feeling is directly proportional to the vehicle's rate of acceleration. The faster you accelerate, the more g force you will incur. The higher the g force, the more of a push-back-in-your-seat feeling you get. The 2006 Viper SRT-10 Coupe does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and can incur acceleration g forces up to 0.94g. An F1 car, on the other hand, does 0-60 in 2 seconds, 0-100 in 3.6, and produces g forces in excess of 1.4g up to 200 km/h.

See, you lose. So much for being smarter than me. kthxbye.

 

No worries mate, didn't take it personally

 

People who buy RX-8's have more considerations in mind than just a "kick in the pants".

You have to ask??

Ever heard of a Mustang?

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/ford_...4CE.MOHFPwd78F

saxon

 

 

A CPO M3 is the ticket.
http://www.bmwusa.com/cpo/cpomain?navid=cpo

 

$42,990



$26,320

BOTH cars... 0-60: 4.9 secs.

 

Oh right, I forgot acceleration is all that matters.

 

Both contain water -- which would you rather have?

If you compare everything on paper, you might as well die now.

 

I can add 200lbs worth of weight to my trunk and still be faster then my RX8 was. It's definitely a combo of more accurate stated HP and reduced weight. the 04+ models are actually noticable faster then the RX8, even when I have a passenger in my S2K, I can feel the extra ummph that I didnt' have with my rx8 when I was in car alone. You can just feel the extra 10whp or so.

 

It's closer to 20whp more.

 

I thought BMW was all about NOT using FI?

FS

 

There once was a guy named BoB-O,
Who felt that the 8 was too slow.
Since his pants need a kickin'
To keep his heart tickin'
I would offer three words: Gee-Tee-Oh.

Seriously, dude... we have one of each (RX-8 and GTO). The 8 is quick, nimble, light, and tossable, but the GTO is ... well, breathtaking right where the 8 is lacking.

My name is Aratinga, and I'm a horsepower ho.

 

That's ok with me. I've seen what the two can do on a track(And the S2000 wasn't spanking anyone). If an S2000 is 0.1-0.3 seconds faster in the straight line, then so be it. Its not like it's the only other car in this world that's a little faster than the 8 in a straight line.