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rx8 vs wrx?

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Old 02-10-2005, 03:17 PM
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rx8 vs wrx?

im pretty sure im getting a 2005 wrx this summer but im also looking for other options, and i thought of the mazada rx8. i totally love the design on that car, but don't really know how fast is it. how would you guys compare the rx8 to the wrx? whats good and whats bad? i know its 0-60 is 5.8 secs which is pretty close close to the 5.4 of the wrx and yeah i know its not awd but its rear wheel drive chich is cool for drifting and having some fun.
what do you guys think?
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:31 PM
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rx8 is rotary, so repairing it may be a hassle, and for that price it would be better to pay a bit more and get the sti.

the wrx is a good car, but the sti is just a monster.
if you want to drift once in a while then the rx8 might be more your style. go to a dealership and take the cars you have in mind for a test drive. since you are on an Impreza site, almost everyone will favor the ..........you guessed it, impreza.
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:32 PM
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I was about to order an RX-8 before I bought my car. Glad I didn't. I'd use the extra cash somewhere else.
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:45 PM
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You can get the RX-8 for about 25k without leather and moonroof.

They are both really fun cars to drive. I sell both and I own a WRX.

They are really hard to compare because they drive totally different, honestly it's all up to personal preference between the two.
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:47 PM
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yeah thats true people here will tell me to go for the wrx, its just that i want to see why should i go for the wrx rather than the rx8 i have the same question posted in the rx8 forum so that i can compare pleople's opinion, but thanks for feedback. it is true its got to be really expensive to fix the rotary but that engine is almost unbreakable.
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Dodiox
yeah thats true people here will tell me to go for the wrx, its just that i want to see why should i go for the wrx rather than the rx8 i have the same question posted in the rx8 forum so that i can compare pleople's opinion, but thanks for feedback. it is true its got to be really expensive to fix the rotary but that engine is almost unbreakable.
Yeah there are a few rules you have to follow.

1) Don't use synthetic oil in the RX-8
2) Don't start the car and turn it off quickly. (rev it to 3-4k for 10 sec then turn off)

The biggest benefits of the WRX are: Space, gas milage, speed, cost.
Benefits of the RX-8: unique styling outside, unique engine, looks like a sports car and still seats 4.
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Old 02-11-2005, 11:47 AM
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almost unbreakable?

I sold Mazda for 2 years before I got into Subaru, and with all due respect to the RX-8 and its noble predecessor, in over 600 days of working with Mazdas EVERY day, this, today, right now, from your keyboard, was the first, and probably the last time I will EVER hear the words "unbreakable" and "rotary" in the same sentence.

What kinda ganj they got over at your Mazda store, cuz I want some!!

My opinion: Yes, the RX-8 posts good HP #'s. The stock shifter is fantastic, the throw is crisp, the exterior looks really sharp, it's probably one of the most fun cars on the market to test drive. The torque bites. To get ANYTHING out of that car, you have to drive it like you stole it. Which is really fun for about the first 10 times you drive it, and gets really annoying after that. The interior materials are inferior to Subaru, the backseat is useless. It has ALMOST enough storage space for a spare tire (but not quite), it's RWD, and is about as good in the rain and snow as the wicked witch of the west.
And who the heck are you kidding... tell me you're really going to buy a brand new RX-8 and go drifting with it, because when you bring it in for warranty repairs, I wanna be there to watch the SH*$ hit the fan.

You want to go drifting on the weekends? Buy a $2000 1991 240SX. Slap $1000 in mods on it to get it to about 180-190HP, find some bald a$$ tires, and knock yourself out. And if you wreck it, buy another one instead of having to go groveling to your insurance company and and up loosing your A$$ on deductable and depreciation.
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Old 02-11-2005, 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Dodiox
im pretty sure im getting a 2005 wrx this summer but im also looking for other options, and i thought of the mazada rx8. i totally love the design on that car, but don't really know how fast is it. how would you guys compare the rx8 to the wrx? whats good and whats bad? i know its 0-60 is 5.8 secs which is pretty close close to the 5.4 of the wrx and yeah i know its not awd but its rear wheel drive chich is cool for drifting and having some fun.
what do you guys think?
You can't drift a rx8. I've driven one on several occasions, and it just doesn't have the torque to break loose a set of performance tires in a turn. If you put totally bald $22 Costco tires on it you might be able to get the back end out, but the car rides extremely tightly through turns and doesn't want to break loose the way that a classic drift car (i.e. Silvia) would.
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Old 02-11-2005, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by meilers
You can't drift a rx8.
I don't know about that, but a buddy of mine drifts with it. And does torque really needs to be high to be able to drift? Correct me if I'm wrong...I mean, I'm pretty sure that the AE86 does not have high torque but still able to drift.
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Old 02-11-2005, 02:41 PM
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I don't like the styling of the RX-8 too much...if I were to get a newish rwd sports car, I'd look at the 350Z or S2000. The rotary engine scares me a bit in terms of long term reliability and daily drivability.
Having said that, I don't really like the styling of my WRX all that much either, but I want awd for snowboarding trips and the WRX fit the bill as a fun car which is snow capable.
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Old 02-11-2005, 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Me&STi
I don't know about that, but a buddy of mine drifts with it. And does torque really needs to be high to be able to drift? Correct me if I'm wrong...I mean, I'm pretty sure that the AE86 does not have high torque but still able to drift.
Make certain that you're talking about "drifting" with your friend as opposed to "power sliding". A power slide can be done with any car (taking the car through a turn slightly sideways to shed speed). In a drift, you actually overpower the car and go through a turn with the drive wheels in opposition to the steering wheels; in essence, you are purposely oversteering and then correcting that oversteer condition with the application of raw power. That is why most of the drift cars out there are extremely high-HP RWD cars; you need enough power to break the rear tires loose from the surface of the road, yet still apply enough force with them to actually rotate the rear of the car.
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Old 02-11-2005, 03:59 PM
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i really dont like the rx-8, the wrx imo is a much better purchase for where i live ( close to sierra nevadas ) but im not sure where you live. The rx-8 looks cheap and plasticky on the outside, but im sure its a very quick car. If i were to go rotary without a doubt i would search for an rx7.
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Old 02-11-2005, 04:24 PM
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Originally Posted by meilers
Make certain that you're talking about "drifting" with your friend as opposed to "power sliding".
I suppose you're right, but I'm sure I've seen it on an RX-8 doing what you exampled.

Dodiox...

I would go for WRX instead of an RX-8. The looks maybe better in some angle, but overall IMO, WRX is a better overall car. It's almost capable of doing anything.

Last edited by Me&STi; 02-11-2005 at 04:26 PM.
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Old 02-11-2005, 04:33 PM
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AFAIK, the last iteration of RX-7 was so prone to breakdowns that there was a class-action lawsuit filed against Mazda.
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Old 02-11-2005, 06:39 PM
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a couple of months back i did a subjective review on the RX-8. other than what other members have posted here are some decent topics to help you-
rx-8 versus wrx

rx8 or wrx?

thinking from an rx-8



aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*
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