Ok I have a decision to make here...

Check this out...

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publi...nter_330.shtml

Pretend you arent an RX8 owner for a minute and tell me what you guys think...

 

That's the wrong comparison test - you want this RX-8 vs. R32 comparison test , by EVO magazine in the UK! (By the way - the RX-8 wins) :D

Regards,
Gordon

 

I love my RX-8, but I have to admit that the R32 would be a tempting choice. My fiance has a Passat I had to take in for service the other day. I spent several minutes drooling over the car.

 

It's such a different vehicle that it's not a easy comparison. I would certainly choose the RX8, but if it didn't exist, I would much rather the STi than the VW. The STi is really growing on me... except for the pink stitching : ).

 

I think in a comparision between a R32 and a RX-8, you should take the RX. The R32 is just overweight and underpowered (this coming from a self proclamed Dub-a-holic). Though All Wheel Drive would be nice...

 

I briefly considered the R32 but went with the 8 for many reasons, most notably:

- better road feel
- more nimble, balanced, and predictable
- superior braking
- tighter steering
- fun-to-rev engine
- RWD
- 4 doors
- cheaper

The R32 has gobs of low-end, excellent handling, hatchback utility, and AWD. But it's just not as much fun as the 8. That said, you should test drive both... depending on your priorities either could be the better choice.

 

Yeah... I appreciate everyones help... I am going to test drive both but I think that I am leaning more towards the RX8 just because I like more things about it. The R32 definitely has its advantages and is a great enthusiast car, but the 8 is almost too good to pass up. Thanks.

 

I would go with the 8.

 

What an appropriate first post!

I just had to make the same decision you are about to, and needless to say, I wound up with my Sunlight Silver RX-8.
I test drove both the R32 and the STi, but was not interested in the EVO as it just looks too "street-racerish", although the R32 looks totally subdued, there was an edge about the RX-8 that drew me to it. I also test drove a 350Z and a BMW M3 (although the latter was out of my range, so that was just for kicks).


The RX-8 won right off the bat for looks and styling for me.
The R32 felt a lot more powerful all the way through the power band, for obvious reasons.
The RX-8 looked so damn good - did I say that already?
The R32 had a really nicely made interior, everything looked finished quite well but then again, the RX-8 had just as sweet an inside and was more my style.
Handling wise, the R32 felt more "tossable" but the RX-8 felt more solid and tight.
The STi felt sloppier than the R32 and the M3 was ridiculously tight.
In any event, this was just city driving so I couldn't do too much, but I will say that each time I took a test drive the sales guy had to tell me it was time to go back (each and every car!) - I ran them out as much as I could.

Good luck!

P.S. Get an RX-8

 

I donno about you guys, but the Golf R32 looks like a $12,000 Saturn econobox.

 

This is a DEFINATELY a hard decision. I have a keen eye for detail, the sound of a door closing or the way a turn signal lever snicks into place brings a grin to my face as much as a strong engine or melodious exhaust note.

I a'int dissin my 8 but German engineers are all about the tiny details that I like so much (my fiancee drives a jetta). While that particular comparison is apples to oranges, I admire the incredible solidity of the Jetta's chassis, the interior is silent at speed, the suspension damping is wonderful and the quality of the interior materials and fitment is certainly beyond my beloved 8. I have driven many a Golf GTI (almost bought one) and I can say that they are the same as the Jetta on all counts.

I'll leave you with a few points to consider, some for and against the 8.

-First of all, an extended, back to back test drive is necessary and if the salesman is confident in his product, he/she will allow you some time behind the wheel

-AWD is heavy, complex and very expensive to fix which may become an issue as you begin to mod it. (leave it alone IKE)

-RWD oversteer...WWWEeeeeeee!!

-Nobody ever walked up to my fiancee's car and said "Wow, is that a Jetta?"

-Who needs pistons anyway?

-You don't see VW forums for people who are unhappy with their A/C or didnt' get good service.

-You don't see VW forums for people who just love their car to death.

-I chose the 8 for my own reasons, it's ultimately a question of taste, some people think that a 12 year old double malt scotch is heaven in a glass, some think it tastes like 5W-20. What do you want from you car?

 

vw has never been big on looks

 

always did think the corrado was hot though

 

I was in that decision a while back, and I chose the rx8. I chose it for one reason only though. LOOKS!! I am a little disappointed in the rx8 thus far due to the fact that it has seen dealer 3 times already, and a 4th will be coming up to try and fix this horrible A/C system. The cars are certainly hard to compare. The R32 is underpowered compared to it's competitors, just like the rx8 is. I test drove an r32, and it's a sweet riding machine. I'd have to say it's faster then the rx8 though definitely, but certainly would be a close race. It does have some serious torque, but it is heavy, so the rx8 can keep up with it, but ultimately the r32 would pull away. the r32 handles very well for it's weight, although certainly not as well as the rx8. You can't go wrong either way. If my rx8 ends up being nothing but trouble in the years to come, I will not hesitate to trade it in for an r32 in a few years, that much I know. Hopefully this a/c issue, will be the last issue!! I'd wait for the 2005 rx8 personally. Let them get all these issues out of the way with the 04 model, and you will also get more hp too if you wait.

 

VikingDJ, yeah, unfortunately it appears that the earlier RX-8 models have some inherent flaws that even then newer 2004 models have had fixed.... It's a real shame, especially when you consider some people having waited close to a year to get theirs, only to have it crap out on them while the same model year just in are fine.

 

I had a GTI and loved it. The R32 with considerably more power than the GTI should be lots of fun. But IMO the 8 wins in all counts and looks so much better. The R32 has dated looks and a new Golf/Jetta model is coming up pretty soon. I honestly would not go that route having owned several VW's.

 

You will only see the current r32 look for 2004 and 2005. In 2006 the look of vws change once again, and the car will have lots more power. It's gonna be HOT. I'm trading in my rx8 in 2007, so it may either be mazdaspeed rx8, or the new style r32.

 

And what 'inherent flaws' would those be? I have a VIN xx... 09xx series car made 05/2003 and I have yet to find these flaws. Can you point them out to me so I can get them fixed?

 

Spin9k, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or what, but I'll humor your question.

An example would be, Mazda has made changes to internal components in items such as the transmission due to problems they've found and fixed along the way.

 

I ended up test driving the RX8 today and the salesman tried to tell me it was front wheel drive... idiot... anyway I liked it a lot BUT it didnt feel near as fast as the R32. That may be because its so quiet compared to the R32 and it may be because it lacks in as much low end torque as the R32. Overall, I like the look of the 8 better... its really going to be a tough decision.

 

What transmission problems?

 

volkwagaon should have R32 the JETTA... it would be better competition to the evo and wrx... man volkwagaon are crazy pricing that thing for 27,000 +... man i wouldn'et spend 17 for that maybe 12 or 13....

 

Well, your statement in the middle of an R32 vs RX-8 thread sounded like a "news bombshell" to me . My ears perked up!

But no sarcasim, what does that get me? I just wanted to know what are these flaws, if any, as I'd never heard of any 'slipstream changes' to the 8. So, what else besides the xmission? Maybe a list would be useful for us all.

I guess the next question to you is where did you learn of these? Do you work for Mazda?

I'll address them to MNAO, you can bet your rotors! Most of us here are probably like me, i.e., if you own a $32K car that has 'inherent flaws' you didn't know about, you'd want to know more too!!

 

You're joking, right (about the service)? VW is legendary for having terrible service departments in the US - Before we bought our Audi (2002 allroad), we considered a Passat, and over at www.vwvortex.com there was no end of posts complaining about the horrible service everywhere. From reading different forums for a couple of years, I'd suggest that (overall), VW's service is worse than Mazda's.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Did you read that EVO comparison that I linked above? They discuss the issue of the relative power nicely...

Regards,
Gordon