Hey everyone, Im new to this forum and I need some help. Ive been in love with the RX-8, dreaming about it long before it came out, and finaly I have the money saved to buy the car upfront, but something happend. A friend of mine is selling a 2002 Corvette and hes offering me $34,000 for it. The car only has 5,000 miles on it! Anyway, Ive been going back and forth between the two cars for a while now, and I have until the end of this week to make my decision, my friend is really hassling me because he knows he can make some better money on the car, and he doesnt wanna keep holding it for me. Basicaly, I base my opinion on cars on a few things..price, performance, luxury, design, and value.

Anyway, design wise I'd say hands down, the RX-8 is nicer. The interior design of the 8 is just beautiful, unlike any other car, not to mention the freestyle doors. On the outside of the car though, Id say the cars are very close to being as nice as eachother, though I think the Corvette edges the RX-8 out a little. Performance wise, we all know they are both really great cars, but the Corvette is a much faster performer, and performance is something big to me. Luxury wise, the RX-8 does hold twice as many people which definitely comes in handy for me.

Bottom line is I love both cars. They are both great in their own ways but i cant decide which to go with. Ive driven both and love them in different ways. Im sure most of you here like the RX-8 better, as this is an RX-8 forum, but maybe you guys can help me out. Tell me more then the obvious reasons about why the 8 is so great of a car, or maybe tell me im nuts for not taking a corvette.

Thanks!

 

You are gonna have to pick what you like. What we prefer is meaningless. However, a couple of points for you to factor in are:

The RX-8 will have lower insurance.

The Vette has proven engine reliability. The RX-8 engine, in this iteration, is not yet proven.

 

To me, the Vette is no where near the 8 in styling - inside and out. IMO and yes, I'm biased. But anyone that bought an 8 had buying a used C5 as an option. Altough with only 5k miles it makes it a little bit different. Maybe buy the C5, sell it for a profit and then buy an 8 for $30k or so and spend the rest on every mod you can think of . . .

While the Renesis is technically unproven, Mazda has a long history of developing rotary engines, so I'm not so worried about reliability.

 

I know a guy that picked up a 2003 Z06 with 23,000 mi. for $30,000. Why get a base model Corvette when you can get a supercar that is under warranty?
Anyone that bought an 8 considered a Corvette? WTF? 8 = luxury sedan. Corvette = sports coupe.

 

I would check the price at Edmunds.com. My guess is that he's selling it to you for more than he would get for trade in, but low enough to move it fase. I assume he already has his next set of wheels picked out? You could be past warentee period on it as well.

All that aside, it comes down to personal preference. I think most of us here would say go with the "8". If it was me, I'd test drive both on the same day as close in time as possible. You can go to a dealer and drive a C5 if you don't want to spend your friends time on this. I would let the test drive be the deciding factor. Keep in mind, both models will most likely be there when you finish with the one you decide to get this time. You just know which one you want next!

 

Those two cars are not really apples to apples. The Corvette only sits two, the RX-8 sits four (maybe not huge in the back, but you can sit 4 people).

The Covette typically have higer performance than the RX-8, but for daily driving, the RX-8 is more than enough (remember I drive an E46 M3 with SMG). The extra performance of the Vette you will not notice/use unless like me you go to auto-x or track events events and really explore the car limits.


In terms of value, the used Vette will likely hold its value a little bit better than the RX-8 since a lot more people want Vettes than RX-8 and the Vette is already used/dspretiated the worst for the first year or two.

Around town, commuting to/from work, basically for daily use, I think the RX-8 is a lot more fun and practical since the RX-8 is so light and nimble.

 

If Performance is very important to you, get the 'Vette. If you need to seat 4 people, but would rather have a fast car for that price, you could get a Pontiac GTO with that same engine for around $32K. That car will actually seat four people comfortably; At 5'9", the rear of the RX-8 is too small for me to comfortably sit in. I could do it, but I wouldn't want to spend say, an hour there.

I wouldn't really buy the RX-8 over the 'Vette based on the extra seating. Sure, it's better than a Mustang or Camaro but it's still too small for the typical adult male.

 

i'd go rx8. i don't like the styling of the vette at all. furthermore i'm not a huge fan of the whole american muscle cars, the idea of seeing how much horsepower we can fit under the hood. the rx8 has more class, the rotary delivers fun in a way no other car match(besides other rotary cars). basically if i were you, i'd be picking between a mainstream, huge power with nowhere to use it car, or a sleek, fun, classy, original car.

 

Ask the guy if you can drive the Corvette for a half day. Take it to your Mazda dealer and ask what you can get for it on the 8 of your choice. Can you make an even trade or better yet start with money back.

If you're in the plus column, take your friend's offer, then drive off and trade it for an 8 and cash!! (or keep it if you like it).

Win and Win!! Now that was simple :D Yes?

 

I also considered a used C5 Vette before buying my RX-8. The statements made by others are all correct.

To make my final decision, I wrote down the pluses & minuses of each vehicle. Something about seeing all the differences helped me choose the RX-8.

BTW, you will be more noticed by others driving an RX-8 than the Vette, if that matters to you.

 

there are only a few cars i'd rather have than my 8 and one of them is a z06. those c5's are REALLY nice cars, it's amazing what chevy has done with 2 valves per cylinder and pushrods.

insurance is probably cheaper on the 8, though fuel will probably be slightly better in the vette if you do lots of highway.

the other thing you gotta remember is the c6 is coming out, so the c5 will start to look like the older brother.

 

Both ! I got a 72 vette & the 8. Oh forgot to tell ya i had the vette since 73. They are both a dream to drive .Sorry i cant help you with your choice but either way you go you cant miss!!

Try www.corvetteforum.com you can look around and get all the info you want

 

Phooey! Over the last several years the Vette usually leads its JD Power class in initial quality and long term reliability. This is statistical based surveys, not opinion. Get over the false American/GM poor quality stereotype. The stereotype is based on 20 year old evidence. I remember 30 years ago when people were not willing to buy Japanese goods because of their "poor quality". Things change.

 

Thank you Babylou, and if I had the money there would be a C5 (or C6) sitting in my garage right next to me WRX or any car I own for that matter. They are a piece of americana (in a good way), and are amazing cars for the money. If you don't feel that way you have never driven one, or don't know dick about cars.

 

Biggest problem I have with the Corvette is that it's a $50,000 Camaro. The small dick jokes and the middle-age-crisis stigma don't help . The fit and finish is so typical GM, and the terrible fiberglass body cracks as soon as you drive it off the lot. I was at a car show last year, and the 50th Anniversary Corvette they had sitting on the floor had visible cracks in the body. Closely examine any Corvette you see parked, it'll have cracks in the body. Especially around the brake lights. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful car (especially the new C6, mmm... sex on wheels). The cars drive well, and the Z06's have an incredible sound... you REALLY have to hear it in real life, it's intoxicating. The RX-8, to me, seems like a more refined, balanced car. Evo magazine says about the C5, "Well engineered, stonkingly quick... but All road-holding, no handling." Corvette's are tail-whipping dragons with oodles of power. Whatever your preference .

 

The C6 is coming out soon, and corvette owners abandon old models like rats on a sinking ship. In a year or two, good condition C5s are going to be readily available for cheap.

I also was considering a C5 previous to purchasing my rx8. Had a deal for a '99 C5 'vert all lined up, but it fell through. The night before, I must admit I started to have some hesitations, thinking about the upkeep on the C5, how few of the enthusiasts daily drive theirs, and how the body style is going to look dated very quickly. I had no such hesitations on purchasing the '8.

Of course, if you plan on putting the car on a racetrack, get the C5. There is no doubt whatsoever it's a better track car.

 

That is a big reason why I have owned for 22 years a '64 Red Corvette Stingray Convertible:p

And the talk about stress cracks in fiberglass are correct, but goes with the territory. Kind of reminds me of some of the things we 'put up with', being proud owners of a Rotary powered vehicle.

Every auto enthusiast needs to own a Corvette at least once in their lifetime.

 

totally up too you about which car to choose. You really sound like the 8 so you should go with it. It's not the same car the Vette is by any means.

The Vette is night and day faster than the 8. The Vette also outhandles the Rx-8 nicely. As far as how the car looks, the Vette once again blows the looks of the 8 away. The reliability of Vette's are fantastic and they are the top of Gm inside and out. The overall appeal of this car is phenomenal. The Rx-8 is not in the same class in any category as a Vette. The two should not even be compared. There is a reason why a corvette is loved by millions and probaly the most loved American car of all time. In my opinion though you're comparing it too a car that doesn't come any where's close. If you think it does then you should buy the 8.

 

the 8 turns more heads......
plus how many people can say they drive a rotary? about 98% cannot!!!

 

Simply not true. Here is the latest data from half a million cars, and American cars are still consistently on the bottom when it comes to reliability. The Corvette was specifically mentioned as one of the worst in any segment.

Please, show me a statistically significant study that shows the vette to be reliable in the long-term. I doubt any exist. Even if a car does actually score high in initial quality surveys, it's pretty irrelevant if it falls apart soon afterwards.

 

http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91...2253_cars.html

 

e Corvette was specifically mentioned as one of the worst in any segment.
---------------------------

Well, it's more reliable than a Porsche, Ferrari, etc.

 

Here is an indirect link to some JD Power Data . Follow the press release to vehicle dependability study, among others. I downloaded the bitmaps but they are too large to post and I dunno how to shrink them.

The JD Power data hows that your statement of "American cars are still consistently on the bottom" is false. With this data it appears the Euros are sniffing the tails while the Japanese are still leading. Notice that some Japanese brands also trail in reliability.

I have also looked over the Consumer Reports data and have a few observations:

1. The JD Power data shows twice as many problems per vehicle per year than CR.
2. Some makes score well in one survey and poor in the other survey. Look at Cadillac.
3. The JD Power survey is for year 2000 vehicles and covers 3 years of use. The CR survey uses 1995 and newr cars. Since the JD Power survey uses a newer vehicle fleet I think the data is more accurate regarding new vehicles we would purchase today.

Overall I would say the trend is showing increased American reliability, especially on the newer designed vehicles.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Z28
[B]..... The Vette also outhandles the Rx-8 nicely.

2004 Base model Covette lateral G: .93
2004 RX-8 lateral G: .91

**"Hardly noticeable"

.... The reliability of Vette's are fantastic and they are the top of Gm inside and out.

**"Exactly. I've owned a very well conditioned Corvette for almost 10 years and saying they are at the top of GM means zero to me, these cars are not high maintanence but they have there faults as well"


...The overall appeal of this car is phenomenal. The Rx-8 is not in the same class in any category as a Vette. The two should not even be compared....

**"True and false, I along with many others here considered a used C5 along with the 8. Just an uneducated statement"

..In my opinion though you're comparing it too a car that doesn't come any where's close...

**"Hey Chevy man, have YOU ever owned a Vette? I"ve had 3 and this is my first RX or rotary and I am very impressed with it's build quality and driving chracteristics. You sound a little bitter about the two cars being compared and all....