I had a 1989 944S2. It had the 3.0 L inline 4 and the brakes and suspension of the 944 Turbo. It was about as quick as the 8, albeit more responsive at lower revs. The Porsche had better brake feel but dynamically the 8 betters it in every other way. But not by much. I always think that the 2 cars have very similar personalities: neutral yet adjustable, willing to rotate yet forgiving, great control feel...I love how you can trust the seat of your pants when driving hard in either of these cars.

The difference is in quality. My '89 was admittedly babied by its previous owners, but still looked and felt like new. My early build RX-8, as much as I love it, is quite the rattletrap.

 

<- always had a FWD.

<- now has a RWD.


conclusion: RX-8 stands alone.

 

I had the M030 suspension upgrades along with Koni yellows set to hard in the rear for auto-x (would have liked to turn them down for the street but you can't adjust the rears without dropping the suspension). That 944 wasn't soft.

 

I think the biggest difference is in age. My 944T despite being babied and looked after was showing it's age. The rubber bits were all going or gone, interior trim was aging, plastics starting to crack and sag. I was spending more and more time underneath the car rather than driving it.

 

I bought my 944 brand new in 1986, had it for just under two years - it was a box-stock 944. 1985 was the year they improved the interior, added the "bean hole" wheels and a few other tweaks. Mine had leather, power seats on both sides, a up-market stereo, sunroof and a few other goodies, but all factory stuff. No mods like Koni's. The tires, as I recall, were something like 205/60-15s - so big soft donuts - my minivan has more aggressive tires on it now.

Now remember I"m mining the hard drive 21 years back here to remember what my 24-year-old butt-o-meter has stored, versus my 45 year old *** now. But with all that said, I do remember the 944 to have a softer ride, and more "cush" in the handling compared to my RX-8 now. Agree though that my 944 cornered absolutely flat.

 

Same here, I had a '89 944T that I ended up selling. IMO the RX-8 handles better as a daily driver but the Porsche might have been better on the track. Can't say with any certainty as my 944T really needed new shocks/springs/bushings etc... The car looked great but was still showing its age.

 

No..

RX8 = Sports Car
Lincoln LS = Luxury

 

Despite being 35 years old, I don't have a lot of cars I've owned to compare it to. For the last 8 years or so I've been driving my wife's old '93 Nissan Altima (4 cyl) MT. Prior to that I had an '89 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2-door AT. But prior to that I had a car that, to this day, I still miss: A '91 yellow Toyota MR2 MT. It wasn't the turbo model, but it handled (in dry weather, anyway) wonderfully and I got it up to about 135MPH on the highway on a couple of occasions. The speed/acceleration wasn't its selling point, of course, being that it wasn't the turbo, though it was light enough that it still felt plenty quick.

It was way too long ago for me to accurately compare to my RX-8. And just like someone has fond memories of a movie or food (or whatever) they experienced as a kid, only to later experience it again and decide that it wasn't as good as they remembered, it's possible that I remember it as being better than it was. But based on those fond memories, I'd have to say that I enjoyed it a bit more than I currently enjoy my RX-8. The RX-8 has it beat on power (which is funny when I think about how the RX-8 is dissed for it's lack of power compared to some of its current-day competitors), but I think the MR2's smaller size and (as I recall) lower seating position, resulted in me feeling more in tune with the road and more in control of a nimble little vehicle. Again, though, that's all based on my foggy memory of a car I owned 14 years ago, so take it for what it's worth.

Oh, and that's not to say that I don't feel "in tune with the road" with my RX-8. In fact, when I first took a used '05 RX-8 for a test drive, I felt that old feeling again and I had a huge smile on my face, which my wife commented on. I distinctly remember thinking that day that it reminded me of driving that '91 MR2.

 

I've owned two trucks and two sports cars. My other car was a 91 Camaro RS with a 305 throttle-body V8. At the time this car was great. It accelerated decently, had a really long, aggressive, serious look to it, and the engine sounded amazing. But it also had no positraction, so my back right wheel always wanted to spin. Also if I ever turned to sharply, it would simply keep going straight. That was dandy.

The 8 is better in every possible way, and it really has opened up a new world of driving capabilities.. Though I suppose it should be expected being that one was 5k, the other being 18k....

 

I'd say mine compares pretty nicely to my first car which was a V6 Convertable Camaro.

Great car, thinking back on it now I loved it, but I gave my parents hell about it because at the time I was young and only wanted MOAR POWAH! So then I got a Trans Am, and that car was a nightmarish hell of a car.

I had to "empty" the tail lights out of all the water that would collect after it rained, only 1 Speaker worked in the car, it had a crazy oil leak no one could fix, the engine was misfiring, and the transmission went out on me.

The only other car I would drive than my 8 is probably a V6 Camaro is really good condition (even though they don't stay that way for long...stupid chevy's!)

 

Been through more than a dozen new cars and bikes in my 39 years...though some were for the significant other. My last car was a chipped and tuned 1.8T Passat, which replaced my Miata once I had child #2 to pick up. I actually connected to my gay little Miata, but I could never get into the VW. Reliability issues didn't help, I think I left a legacy in cyberspace complaining about it.

8 is my fav, no question, but I'd like a convertable again.

 

turbocharged b13 se-r with lots of mods, to me it was a good all around car untill i upgraded the turbo and was well over 300 whp then it got too scary to drive straight and i could never get traction, but i love what the 8 starts with

 

The Porsche 944's you're comparing your cars to are on an avarage 20 years old.
Kind of says something about a 20 year old Porsche.

 

Good point, but my 944S2 cost US$45,000 in 1989...

 

My 1st car was a '92 diamante, luxurious and comfortable as hell.
2nd car was a 94 celica GT, sexy hatch back weighing at 2600 pounds and it was planted as hell in corners
3rd car (and still own it) '02 jetta 1.8t, faster than the rx-8 (cause its not stock) but other than that nothing.

The 8 is like having all 3 of those cars wrap up in a nice sexy package. Good looks and curves like the celica (Chicks love both cars) handling better than the celica, Comfortable as hell just like my diamante, though my diamante had leather and power seats and my 8 doesnt (I'd rather have the cloth in the 8, it feels like it hugs better in corners) and the 8 is quick like my jetta is, in a straight line.

 

I have been through over 30 cars in my life. Mostly cheapy fixxer uppers.
I had a 85 gsl-se that had the rotary.
And my porsche 914 handled really well.
The Firebird Formula was fast. ( please don't hate me for owning one )
The Cosworth was a ton of fun.
The BMW 633csi was great.
Had an Audi quattro coupe, that thing held the road.
Buick Grand National was the fastest car I owned.
Even my VW bug had over 200hp ( till it blew up in a blaze of fire - VW's with power are like driving a hand grenade )


But the RX8 stands alone. The whole package is great. Everything works in harmony on this car.

 

I must say I liked my '02 Boxster better. Similar power output (delivered in totally different ways obviously), but that flat six sung a beautiful song, it really wailed from 6k-7200 rpm. Plus it had some torque (relatively speaking).

I didn't like that fact that it was a convertible, except for maybe like 15-20 days total out of the year.

My RX-8, even with 19s and Eibachs, is softer and more comfortable than my Boxster was, but the Boxster handled better (it had coilovers).

Also, the fit and finish of the Boxster was light-years ahead of the RX-8. Everything felt better and looked better.

I had an IS300 5 spd. that was nice...obviously not as sporty as the RX-8, but I liked it.

I had an Audi TT 225 Coupe Quattro 6spd. that I loved, strong engine, great interior, but even with Eibach springs and 19" BBS wheels, not a great handler--OK, but not great. Looked Fantastic though!

Honestly fellas, of this list of cars the RX-8 is my 3rd favorite, with the Boxster first and TT second.

 

the rx-8 stands alone overall for me

but performance wise, she feels like my dad's boxster, just slower

at least i have more room, thats always good

 

First rotary, although my first car was a Chrysler Conquest TSi before the motor blew, and then a Nissan NX2000. Loved the TSi, but the NX2000 was just basic transportation for me while I was earning my masters degree. Turned out to be a fun little car.

When I graduated I knew I had a job waiting for me, and had a little slip in sanity and test drove a Honda Accord. I wanted to kill myself after the test drive...

Glad I went with a 2005 RX8 6 speed as a daily driver. I love it, even in traffic.

 

I traded in my S2000 for the RX8 just this past weekend. For me the RX8 drove very simular to the S2000 but without all the road noise of the Vert. Basically I was sick of the Vert but wanted the same type of drive and the RX8 was the winner.

Not quite as fast and not quite the true sports car feel of the S2000, but man is it close. I'm very happy.

 

In 1988 I had a RX7 turbo, fun but uncomfortable. 2 seats sux. The 8 is very piratical and fun to drive.

 

First car (if you can call it that) that I drove while I was in high school was a '93 Ford Aerostar. You could fit more amps and speakers in the Aerostar, but that's all we'll say about that.

The first car (truck) that I owned was a '95 GMC Jimmy. It got me through college and looked pretty cool. If I'd had a sports car in college I don't know if I would have made it out alive.

After I'd been working for a while, I bought a 5-speed '01 VW GTI VR6. The car felt incredibly planted and solid (probably weighed 3500lbs or so). The interior felt like it was built to last forever and the seats were extremely comfortable. The shifter was crap and it wasn't terribly quick, but the motor sounded good and it definitely had some pep.

After a couple years (and some raises at work) this forum got me so excited about getting an RX-8 that I bought my first new car. It blew the GTI away in every category except interior quality (although I love the nav system).

Even though I've had a couple of issues with it, overall I couldn't be happier. I feel like I've been spoiled by the 8 to the point that I will have a hard time finding a better car without spending double the money or more. I can't even imagine downgrading to a Civic or something along those lines, but I have to admit that some days I fantasize about more torque.

 

Yea I like the RX-8 better than my 928 in many ways. Like all the little widgets work on the Madza. Handling in similair braking is close. Mileage the same Shifting the 8 is MUCH better, But grunt goes to the Porsche.
Mazda is New Porsche was used.
Let's hope the Mazda stays with me for 13 yrs like the 928 did.

 

Word for Word Me 2.....

 

I've owned a lot of cars for only being 21 years old. I'm in the 944 group; I had an '86 and an '89 and I must admit that the 944's didn't feel as mushy going into the corners, not as much body roll...but the 8 definitely out-accelerates them (at least the NA models like I had). More recently I had an '02 S2000 and in all honesty the S2K handled a smidge better (its a few hundred lbs lighter after all) although acceleration/top speed basically the same. However, the 8 doesn't feel like its straining to go fast, where the honda would scream. IMO the S2K makes a better track car, but the 8 wins for a daily driver due to practicality and interior features.