Alchemy

Help! I think I love both of these cars and can't figure out which one is really the best fit for me. I want a decent sports car for under 30k and have pretty much narrowed it down to these two. I'm not the type of person who races or goes to drag strips, but I'd classify myself as an agressive driver who enjoys performance in a vehicle. I've test driven both the RX-8 and the Mustang GT and was really impressed with the ride in both of them. I guess I'm looking for more reasons why I should get an RX-8 if I'm posting on here, but here's what I've gathered so far from my experiences with both vehicles:



RX-8:

Handling: The Mazda dealership let my friend and I test drive an RX-8 by ourselves, so we really got to put it through it's paces. I was amazed at how well it took curves....I won't even mention the speeds at which we conquered some very windy roads but WOW! Definitely the best attribute of this car.

Build Quality/Fit and Finish: The 8 seemed rock solidily built, well designed and very intuitive when it comes to the driver interface. Nothing seemed cheap and plasticky even with the cloth seats.

Four Doors: I rarely have more than one passenger, but I do carry quite a bit of luggage and it's very convenient to be able to open a door and stow it in the backseat than lift it into the trunk. In addition, I will definitely be putting at least one subwoofer in the trunk which may cut down on cargo space.

Transmission: Hands down the easiest manual transmission I've ever had the pleasure of operating. Buttery smooth shifting, me likey.

Top speed: I would never drive the RX-8 this fast, but I believe it tops out at around 150 mph, which is 5 or 6 mph faster than the Mustang according to Road and Track.....I know this is probably the most meaningless performance spec in existence for a daily driver vehicle, but somehow it still seems like an advantage, if only in braggin rights.

Looks: I think the car looks better than the mustang both outside and inside.


Mustang GT:

Power: No doubt about it, this car accelerates quite a bit better than the 8, which is nice, but I think the size of the car negates the sensation of speed to an extent. It really didn't feel THAT much better in the corners than the Maxima I currently drive and the RX-8 was in another league.

Customizability: I'm a HUGE stereo guru.....I love putting aftermarket systems in vehicles but unfortunately it's impossible to put so much as an upgraded CD player in the 8 without thousands of dollars in custom work or dozens and dozens of hours of my own labor. For me personally, this is a huge drawback for the 8 and huge plus for the mustang, although I realize it doesn't matter to 95% of potential customers.

Trunk/Rear seats: The rear seats of the mustang fold down, making it much easier to store a lot of cargo or large items.

American Made: I know it's silly, but I somehow feel guilty about buying a foreign made car, even if mazda is a ford subsidiary. Something about the mustang just makes you want to salute the flag and sing the national anthem, and I guess I'm the type of guy that likes that.

Gas Mileage: This really bugs me about the 8......it gets significantly worse gas mileage than the GT (by 6-7 MPG from what I read on here) without even matching the performance numbers! The GT looks like it could realistically get 20-22 MPG highway while 16-18 MPG is more accurate for the RX-8 from the info I gathered on this website. I could tolerate this without any problem if the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times were close but they really aren't. Stories about the weak AC and the renesis stalling in hot weather also make me give the Mustang serious thought. I'm not saying these problems are a deal breaker, but they're very disconcerting about the RX-8 and make the Mustang look like that much more of a better value.




I can buy either car with the X-plan/S-plan, way so price on the two cars is about equal. Right now I'm admittedly leaning toward the 8. Every time I go to work I take a detour to the Mazda dealership so I can gaze at the 8's they have on their lot. Then I'll see a Mustang driving down the road and I'll think about how nice that power would be. I realize I like the looks of the RX-8 better, but the Mustang's styling appeals to me too. I do admit, the interior of the Mustang I test drove looked very cheap. Any advice or opinions are appreciated (flame suit on). Thanks so much to anyone who takes the time to read this.

Mikelikes2drive

i get around on average 18.5 mpg with 70% highway and 30% local
i would consider being american made a con not a plus. i dont trust american engineering.

one thing you havent factored in is the unique appeal... you'll find more then a thousand mustangs on the road and only a few rx8's. that's one thing that made me purchase the 8 over the g35c

Dima26

I was in the same shoes trying to decide between Mustang GT and RX-8. I drove the Mustang first and then RX-8. From the power, you are right the Mustang feels faster from the line and you cannot find the replacment for torque difference. However, after I test drove the RX-8, I immediately felt in love with the thing. The design is much better, the shifting is very precise, the handling is beatiful. You really see the difference after the Mustang. Mustang felt like a school bus full with kids as compared to RX-8 in the turns (no offence to Mustang people). Unfortunately, I cannot add anything to the list of pro and cons you put so well. The stereo in RX-8 seems to be a big diasdvantage to me. I hope that the aftermarket will some time come out with a not so-expensive dash kit to fit single DIN CD.

theclaytaurus

It's not the engineering that should worry you, it's the laborers.

Dima26

The engineering on American cars is sometimes strange :p too, especially if you like wrenching and do everything on your car by yourself.

buzzardsluck

i would think that if you like the stang then the 8 is not the car for you. i might be in the minority w/that line of thinking though

jowettw

would the your first mod to a car be for
a.) more power?
b.) better handling?

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

my overall fuel mileage for my 8 in nine months of ownership is about 20mpg. and i DEFINITELY don't drive like a granny :p

here's something to think about: of the 2 test drives you did, which one did you catch yourself smiling for no other reason than just driving the car? I know when I test drove the 8 for the first time i couldn't stop smiling and chuckling at how fun it is :D

Alchemy

I definitely smiled more when I test drove the 8, but it didn't come with an up tight Ford salesman riding shotgun and grunting "EASY NOW, EASY NOW", anytime I tried to take a curve, so my idea of what the GT can do isn't quite as clear.

Your reports of 20 mpg in the RX-8 are encouraging, and I'm optimistic that maybe the latest "flashes" or possibly the 06 model lives up to the EPA spec a little more accurately than the 04's and 05's.

Depends...with the mustang, I'd mod the handling, with the RX-8 I'd mod the power. But if we had a car that was a 50/50 compromise between the two, I'd mod power first. Power seems easier to quantify, and thus easier to justify financially.

Bigdog6060

Im not sure what level of trim you are looking at in either car. But i also was looking at these 2 cars. One of the many reasons i went with the rx-8 was becuase at the time they would not allow employee discount on the GT. and on top of that they were selling 3 to 5 grand above msrp. Just something to think about.

lurch519

well, i heard a saying recently about mustangs. (i hope this doesn't offend anyone, but i found it kinda funny)

mustangs are like tampons, every ***** has one

again, hope i didn't offend anyone

Fanman

it's funny how "American" Cars these days are built & assembled in Mexico, and "Foreign" Cars are assembled in America. Not that the RX8 is, but cars like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Hyundai & BMW X5 are built in America, while several GM & Ford models are built/assembled in Mexico & Canada. In a way you are helping the mexican & canadian workers & screwing the american workers.

Alchemy

True, but the Mustang is designed and assembled in the US. I'm not at all saying that I dislike foreign cars (I currently drive a Maxima and I'm on the verge of buying an RX-8), but all things being equal I'd rather support American workers. In the end, the "truly american" (capitalistic) thing to do is simply to buy the car that is the better value, and that's what I'm really trying to figure out.

Regarding the price issue on the Mustang, from what I've read online some dealers will honor the X-plan. If that's the case, the Mustang GT Deluxe Coupe invoices at $23,066 and the RX-8 at 24,844. So I'm guessing about 25k out the door for the Mustang and 26.5 for the RX-8.

Jumah

My $.02

I have an early model '04 RX-8 and love it to no end. I regularly get around 20 MPG using 91octane gasoline and about 95% highway mileage. It is my every day commuter, 38 miles one way to the office.

Over the last month here in Denver it was pretty regularly over 100-105 degrees and I never had a single problem with stalling or vapor locking, and the temp gague didn't move a mm past it's normal spot just south of the half way mark.

I have not driven the new mustangs yet but I have to smile every time I see one (about 2 or 3 a block/mile on the south side of Denver with all the tech center kids) because they are SO plentiful and just lack that unique look. I actually liken spotting another 8 to spotting a Ferrari or Lambo on the roads they are that rare around here.

The handling in the 8 is second to no other car I have ever driven in 20 years, and I have had a lot of friends with porches, vettes, BMW's, 300 Z's and so on, that most of them have graciously allowed me to drive.

Fit and finish wise, I have had a couple very minor issues with the build quality but the dealership has immidiatly rectified any and all of my concerns. The dealership I bought my 8 from let me pine over the thing for 10 months, once or twice a week and never gave me any hassle at all, but whenever I went and looked at other cars, including the '04 and '05 'stangs, they had a serious, 'talk numbers or get bent' attitud that really turned me off.

I am not one for modding really, and I don't have any issues with the factory head unit so the custom dash is not an issue for me personally but I can see that being a good setback if that is your gig. Although I would go so far as to say that if you did put in the extra wrench time on a nice custom dash for your new rig, you would then be the owner of a unique piece of custom hardware that would be the envy of all who behold!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Ahem. Anyway. I AM looking at putting in a carputer in the not too far off future and the built in monitor will allow me to keep the factory look and feel with the new gear. (Lookingat getting the AV unit to interface with the navi screen, and then sticking a G4 Mac mini under the lid of the ash tray so I can cover it up when I am not accessing the DVD drive.)

Anyway, sorry about the huge terraide, but you asked for opinions. To sum it up for me, my decision was based on the following:

Amazing unique look
Rotory Engine (incredible in its elegence and simplicity)
Four doors for quick access storage and kid friendlyness
Mazda quality build and zoom zoom philosophy (Horse and rider as one baby!)
Overall fun factor (ask my wife, I've had it almost 2 years now and I still grin every time I drive it.)

And I got it on the X-Plan. Loaded out the Doors with the GAP and Tire and Wheel plans it cost me just over $30k, saved about $8k on it.

There ya go. Hope it helped. (if it didn't put ya to sleep.....)

LiveBlues

Ultimately, the decision is yours to make. Of course, you are more likely the get votes for the 8 around here. I've had mine for a little over a year now, and I love it. I get 18-19 mpg 100% around town driving. The closest freeway to me is about 70 miles away. I would be willing to bet that if I took it on a road trip on the freeway, I would get somewhere in the 22-24 range, if not better.

Good luck on your decision.

MazdaRich

Well every thread about the RX-8 seems to come down to gas mileage, but FWIW I get about 18 in town and around 25 on the highway. If you're worried about gas mileage in town you might want to look at the Toyota Prius instead. If you want to drive a sportscar, I would seriously consider getting an 8. The handling of the car is mind-blowing when you put an aftermarket swaybar on it. The Mustang is a fine car, but will always be a little piggish unless you do some extreme suspension changes to it. Not to mention the buttery-smooth rotary engine that is a definite plus.

playdoh43

I vote Stang GT, but thats cause im a performance nut and I could care less what other people on the road think of my car . I drove the rx8 many times, but the stang GT only once. But the stang pulls so hard it kocks you back against your seat. RX-8 feels like a Civic down low. not good if you do a lot of stop light driving. (its quite powerful in the high rpms though, and very capable on the highway)

but if you are the type that care about what other people think, and likes attention. RX-8 is so much sexier and sophisticated and smoother. you'll be the center of attention where ever you go.

Fanman

I haven't heard of any dealer around here honoring employee pricing on the Mustang GT. It even mentions that car as specifically excluded from that around here. Might be because I live in Los Angeles. I actually owned a 2000 Mustang GT convertible. Could not get rid of that car fast enough. The engine was cool, but the handling, braking, interior, etc was just sub par. Everything on that car was just such a compromise. I saw the Mustang GT at the autoshow & I just wasn't impressed. i was expeting this vastly improved car (from what the magazines said), but while it was a bit nicer, it was the same in a lot of ways. That is not a complement. Ultimately it really depends on what is important for you. For me I wanted a good overall package. To me the Mustang is not that. Great power, but the other parts are seriously lacking.

alderran

The point is why does such a light car with a small motor get such bad gas mileage. I don't think his problem is paying for the gas. The problem is why should I pay for something that I am not getting.

To the poster have you tried any other cars. You might be happy with something in the middle like a IS300 or G35 sedan. Those both will out handle a Mustang and outpower a RX8. The IS you can definitely get for under 30K the G35 maybe slight bit more.

fan

Do NOT get the 8 with even the slightest expectation of getting 20mpg or more, odds are you will just end up disappointed. Do NOT hope that the 06's will get better gas milage.

Realisticly you need to acknowledge now that you will most likely be getting 16-18mpg, and if that bothers you, get a different car. Period.

After accepting the 16-18 range, if you do get the 8 and end up getting 20mpg, just consider yourself lucky and view it as an added bonus.

guy321

It's ok to be politically incorrect, no policy nessescary!

dwynne

As one of the writers in the the C&D long term test put it:

BARRY WINFIELD
L.A. to Phoenix, all freeway, and this thing is getting only 19 mpg. It's a six-speed, for Pete's sake! So there is a reason no other car company has developed a rotary

The entire long term test update is here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

Dennis

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

I got just about got 26mpg yesterday in 97 degree heat with the AC blasting....

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

i'm still amused when n00bs come in and bitch about gas mileage above all else... lol

storemannormin

Agree if gas mileage is your concern go by an echo...Don't buy the mustang its todays K-car they are everywhere...