Did you make a complete assessment on how much money that you will keep by swapping vehicles? (tax, insurance, loss in value of the STi) VA is about like the Massachusetts of the south and anytime you buy something the government has their hands in your pocket.

I wouldn't put bike in the back seat of an RX8 because the chainring will end up scrapping up the plastic and getting grease on the seats no matter how careful you are. Living in northern VA where you do get snow and ice, you will also not have awd with the RX8. I would try to keep the STI.

 

I think I would rather eat my own feces than drive a FWD hatch, but thanks for the suggestion.

As for the bike, we aren't talking about some heavy huffy. It's a full carbon fiber lightweight racer. Taking it in and out of my STI has always been easy (60 seconds like I said) and with the towel spread across the seat, no grease or tearing.

 

I had an 02 WRX daily driver for a couple of years and an rx8 GT now. The differences fairly straightforward. Even the WRX was a little faster in a straight line. The STI is a lot faster. Take a quick test drive and you will know. The WRX also responded more to aftermarket. It is always easy to get more hp out of a factory turbo. As mentioned early, any significant hp increase for the rx8 is going to need FI (forced induction). Brakes, grip, steering and shifting (amazing) are much better on my rx8 relative to the wrx. The sti has better brakes than the wrx, but I still haven't heard great things about brake feel on them either.

That said, the one thing you can never fix in an sti or wrx is having 62% or more of the weight on the front wheels. The sti is fast, in many situations faster than the 8, but it will never be the dance partner an 8 is. When I take the 8 up an down a twisty mountain logging road, I get a smile I could never get with my wrx. An 8 is so easy to balance between understeer and oversteer, it is just a joy at the limit. Even with suspension mods, my wrx generally pushed, except now and then it would rotate.

For a bike, I always put mine on a receiver hitch rack on my WRX, and this is what I will do with the 8. I have found a hitch for the 8, but haven't got it yet.

Bottom line, even without the hp, I'd never go back to my WRX. But then my wife still has one. I can drive hers if I get the urge.

 

I went the other direction and traded my RX-8 for an 06 STI. I'm also an avid cyclist so I think I can provide some input about carrying your bike around. One thing that I think that you'll throughly enjoy from the RX-8 is the feel of the car when you drive it. It feels tossable, the high revving engine is as Jeremy Clarkson put it "runs on double-cream", the low slung feel of a sports car is there, and the cockpit has a definite jet fighter feel. It feels and looks more exotic than the STI. That being said, the STI was the I left the 8 for because 1) I actually like straight line performance (not everyone's criteria...just mine 2) the STI handled just fine 3) I wanted AWD for my skiing ventures, and 4) not matter how many doors you put on the RX-8, the STI is just more practical. It's basically everything I need/want in one package. Performance, practicality, and true all-season usability. I still miss the 8 though. I think it's one of the best looking cars out there.

As for carting your bike around...to be honest...it's a pain in the RX-8. Thule and Yakima AFIAK do not have fit kit's for the 8. I'm not sold on hitches and since the 8 is so well built, the seems don't seams between panels don't seem to be wide enough to accept the hooks on the shuttle carriers. I did the back seat thing for awhile but I didn't like it. 1) It takes up the back seat 2) that center console makes it a pain the get the bike in and out and 3) I wasn't thrilled about the possibility of grease stains, dirt, and scratches in the car.

The STI is a bit easier to haul things around in due to the fact that it's a sedan. more room in the back and there are actual kits for roof racks for the car. The big wing makes using a trunk mounted carrier near impossible, if not a little ridiculous, the the rear diffuser eliminates hitch mounts.

Just my 2 cents.

 

One quick response on the handling.

Both are very capable handlers but do it very different ways. I usually take my cars through a twisty section of road for spirited driving. The 8 felt alive, communicative, and very fun going through really twisty sections. Like a lightweight sports car. The STI is very business like, methodical, technical, but also very responsive. The 8 handles the corners with finnesse, the STI beats the living daylights out of them. Both get the job done just in different ways. The STI does not fail to bring a smile to my face as I go through the twisties as well.

 

wushunut - so the backseat on the 8 is not a 'bench' style like the STI? THere's a hard center section? hmmm... well that's something to look at. I'll probably end up making a custom rubber pad or something to go back there in that case.

Really guys, I appreciate the help. This is all very helpful and honestly, the carrying-the-bike is only a convenience feature.... the main thing here is to have lower monthly payments and also still have superb 'fun' handling.

My STI is a cornering monster but i know exactly what you mean about finesse vs beating-it-to-snot. The STI is all about using its 4 tires in a LSD-frenzy... It's fun but really, to get the STI to handle anywhere near what I've got, it is gonna ride rough... so rough that I am slightly embarrassed when my mom rides around with me.

 

Correct. The center console runs straight through to the trunk.

 

Then look seriously at a miata. Before the RX-8 I had a Miata (first gen). It was the most fun I've ever had in a car. Not practical at all, but I could get a back rack on the back and it was so tossable and handled corners so well it must've been illegal. If you're still hungry for power, you can always get some of the FI solutions out there for the miata. Many kits will get you in the 12s with full kits (IC, hoses, turbo, etc) costing around $5000.

 

with the miata comes space issues. I only really fit in the 06+ MX-5 and they are going for about the same price as an 05 RX-8. So what to do. . .

 

RX-8's at the end of last year and the beginning of this year were going for $6k-$8k off MSRP as it was one of the worst cars out there in terms of how long it stayed on car lots. If you do decide to go with an 8, you may want to look into getting a new one because you will likely be able to find a pretty sweet deal on an '06. FYI, there weren't any major changes from 2005 to 2006 for the MT except for a fancy new key entry system.

edit: Oh, and just to add the idea of fitting two "decent sized adults" in the back seat is just not true. It's certainly better than most 2+2 coupes in terms of back support and headroom, but the legroom is crap. Don't expect to cram adults back there often without incurring their ire.

 

However, cramming two adults in the back of an 8 is not just interesting, it's downright impressive. I would gather that most of us spend most of the time in the 8 just by ourselves. If you need rear seat space, than go for the 3 series.

 

Hmm, so you haven't even been inside an RX-8 yet? Have you driven either of the BMWs before?

But no, the RX-8's backseat is not a bench style, it's actually two bucket seats separated by a center console that runs from the dashboard to the trunk.

You can view some pictures of the Interior here:
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...ehicleCode=RX8

Or better yet, why look at pictures when you can just test drive it? GO NOW!

You would definitely want to make some sort of custom pad/cover for the backseat if you're going to stick a bike back there. But I think if you take an old blanket or sheet and do some creative stitching, you could make something that would stay in place and protect the fabric and console pretty well. The back seats even have baby-seat latches, so you could possibly hook into those. Plus the seatbelts are handy for securing items in the back seat like coolers or anything else squarish that won't fit in the trunk.

Now in terms of packages, are you primarily looking at new or used RX-8s? I have a Sport trim '05 RX-8 that I got New a few months ago for a great "clearance" price. Some of the little extras like leather and a moonroof might be nice, but I didn't feel they were necessary for how much extra they cost. There's no extra performance benefit to gain from going to the higher trims, you're actually just adding extra weight and luxury, and losing some headroom with the moonroof. You'll want to take that into account since you mentioned having trouble fitting into an MX-5.

Go basic! It's still a huge jump up in comfort from the barebones WTX.

 

the plastic console cover in the backseat and ski hole pass thru are made of a pretty cheapish plastic, in my opinion, and will scratch real easily - especially once you toss bikes back there.

I play in a band, and I have had very small pa speakers, and amps back there and scratched the plastic quite a bit.

I would imagine a bike would do a lot lot more since its bigger and a more complicated shape...

as for rear seat room- if you're 6'4 as you mentioned i think, the rear leg room will be small for passengers. But if you're say under 6 feet, you can create decent rear leg room whle not giving up too much front legroom if you move the seat around- much better than many other cars in the class i think.

 

I'd like to comment on the room issue.

I'm 6'3" and fit in my GT with sunroof and whatnot with no issues. Just lower the seat and lay it back slightly. I'm not talking low rider, just a slightly reclined position, and you will have absolutely no issues. I used to drive a truck and I don't feel cramped at all.

I can also fit in the back, albeit with some constrainments.

Even though this is an RX-8 forum and it's what I drive, have you test driven a 330 yet? My friend has an 04 330Ci and I must say, that was one of the nicest vehicles I have ever driven. The steering is responsive and the handling, while not as good as an STI or RX-8, is still superb. Not only that, the car rode like a dream. I'd strongly suggest you look at that as well. But them again, in my opinion there are few cars that look better than the 8...

 

I'm not as tall, but those were my sentiments too when I chose the car. The RX-8 is fun to drive and easy to drive fast.

I too am an avid cyclist. I commute to work on a bicycle. My RX-8 is for the weekends. I enjoy nimbleness in everything, like bicycles and RX-8's. Bicycles have less than 1 HP but I'm faster than high-output sports cars from SoHo to Midtown Manhattan on a regular basis.

The road bike will fit, but it's a bit of a pain because of RX-8's "spine". I use my folding bike when I need the RX-8 to transport it, so this was never a problem for me.

My RX-8 has only the Sport Package (TCS and Xenon lamps) on purpose. I like the grip of cloth seats, don't like electric seat adjustment (just another thing that can go wrong), and don't like the extreme temp variations of leather type surfaces. My experience with sunroofs is that they creak when the chassis twists and it's a pain to clean. In-car navigation is not portable and if it sucks, you're stuck with it. I haven't heard the Bose Stereo, but I prefer the singing of the rotary engine. Rev it up and close the throttle, you'll hear a jet as the rotary winds down.

 

Good call about the MS6. Subjectively, it's not nearly as fun to drive as the RX-8 but is much more practical and less expensive to own.

What about non-STi Impreza WRX (wagon)? Are they also expensive to insure?

 

This guys nails it pretty well. I will add that insurance costs will be much less but as stated the MPG are very poor. You can get some great deals this time of the year on an 06. Drive the car so the HP difference is not a big hit and to make sure you fit in the RX. I'm 5'10" and run with my seat close to a 90 degree angle, my head has only 1" of clearance.

Great car if you can get past the mileage.

 

Don't do it...

 

Nick, man, I had no idea you were unhappy with your STI. This is the tall Richard in the CGM wingless 06 BTW. I drove a RX8 between 2 WRX's. Power aside(the Subarus have much more punch) the RX8 was fantastic. Handling and breaking are great. It was the first car to scare me with cornering speed. Fuel economy will not be much worse than your STI. 18-20 MPG is normal for the RX8.

I would say go for it if you like it when you drive it. I wish I had not got rid of mine.

 

If you haven't done it already, call your insurance company to obtain a quote on payments for an RX-8. I purchased mine in March of this year, having traded in my old 1998 Nissan Maxima SE with 193k on the odo. I was STUNNED when my insurance premiums, on a sports car 8 years newer, didn't change. I'd venture to guess your insurance payments will be substantially lower. Four doors and a 1.3L engine will do wonders for insurance costs.

Personally, I think you'll have a very hard time shoehorning a bike into the back seat around the center console. The console is actually higher in the back seat than in the front, and tearing it up getting a bike in and out would be a likely result.

I've owned two Miatas (still have one), and this is the most balanced car I've ever driven. Seats four comfortably, has a ton of airbags (safety is important too), and gets a ridiculous amount of attention on the road. People are always asking me "So how does that rotary engine work?" Have fun on the test drive!

 

I believe he has had two WRXs previously, so he's probably wanting something different.

 

I say by the RX-8 and just buy a bike rack. I would not want to risk scratching up my car, or that carbon fiber bike you have.

 

Just bring a towel go over to a used 8 and tell the dealer if this thing fits easily into the 8 I will buy a new one today.

Save money buy the 05.

Or like Ike said, Mazda 6 is really for you, if that bike fits, I'm wrong and the 8 is for you!

 

Buying an RX-8 to save money

You are so funny

The gas milage is like a V8 Mustang on steroids when your drive it the way its made to be driven.

 

^^ Ya, seriously. I dont calculate but Im getting about 160-180 miles or in that range before a fill-up.

Since the main reason for possibly swapping to an RX8 was financial Ill say this. This is an incredible car for the money. Not the sticker price but what you can actually buy them for ($30,455 MSRP vs. $21500 paid). Plus, I pay $800/yr. for full coverage insurance (Allstate).

So many cool features that you'd expect on a much pricier car. Zenons, LSD, carbon fiber driveshaft, 50/50 weight, awesome seats, double aluminum wishbones, aluminum spindles (rear), 300lbs lighter than an STI/EVO, etc., etc.

I love my 8, even if it can be fussy at times.