I appologize in advance if this is in the wrong section...

Anyway, Hi guys and gals. I joined this forum to get some info on the RX-8. I currently drive a Blue 04 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. I'm thinking about selling it and getting an RX-8. I kinda want something that's not as much of an attention grabber (not that the RX-8 isn't). I love the look of the 8, quite possibly the sportiest car out there. A few questions to start off:

How reliable is the RX-8?

Easy to mod?

Good "Bang-for-the-buck" car?

Will I regret the loss of AWD and 70HP that my STi offers?

Reading reviews isn't much fun, so, How's the handling and overall performance of the RX-8 in your view?

Thanks for the interest everyone, hope to learn a lot and maybe I'll be an owner of an RX-8.

 

To get one thing out of the way. Use the search function on the forums. All the info you are looking for is easily found.

To answer some of your questions.

Reliablility has been good, at least for me. As with any car experience varies across the owners.

I will assume you are talking about power mods. If that's the case then the only option if forced induction. The Renesis engine has the majority of the power extracted from it so intakes, exhaust, etc. show little gain.

Excellent bang-for-the-buck car! Love it! Look, feel and price. The STi, while an amazing car, is still an econ-box on crack. So the interior of the STi is lacking when compared to the 8.

Will you miss the loss of AWD and 70 hp? Go drive an 8 and find out. I don't think you will miss the AWD but you will notice the missing 70 hp. I drive my friends 05 STi all the time. Handling between the two cars, performance wise, is a dead heat. The STi has a much harsher suspension though. On the track we both have the same conering speeds.

Also, I prefer the feeling of the 8 over the STi. The 8 has better driver feedback and is extremely responsive. Again go drive one and find out! I almost bought an STi but I decided the 8 was the better for me. The 8 is a great balance of luxury and performance.

Later.

 

Well, I don't know where to begin......
Reliable?
This question could be aswered in many different ways. I personally believe that due to the complexity of the rotary engine, it takes more "owner intervention" than other cars... In other words, you have to monitor oil, etc... and keep up with your maintenance....
As far as reliable, some people say it is not reliable at all, others say it is very reliable. I personally can't say much because my car has only 7k miles on it. So far, no problems at all.

Bang for the buck?
I think so. THis car is very well balanced and complete for the price. It is one of the best "overall balanced" sport cars out there. I trully believe that it is a nice piece of machinery.

STI vs. RX8?
Well, I guess we are comparing two different things here.. AWD vs. RWD...
As for the extra HP on the STI, yes, you will notice a difference. THe 8 is not as fast as other cars, so you have to know that you won't be drag racing and expect to beat an STI or EVO or Mustang GT for that matter. THis car is not about drag racing... This car was born on the racetrack.
AWD vs. RWD.... the cars will drive differently because of this. One thing for sure, every time I drive the RX8, I am more and more amazed at how well this car handles and behaves to the driver's commands. This car is extremely fun to drive, and it will perform very well under stress (racetrack, autox, etc) as well as a good car for daily communting.

I dont' know if you'll regret the change because I haven't driven an STI. One thing that is known, you'll notice a relatively big difference in acceleration between the two. But after all, acceleration tends to be subjective sometimes.

 

Keeping up with the maintenance is no problem for me. Ever since I got my STi, I've been babying it. I'm not much of a racer to tell you the truth. My friends joke around and try to race me and I can beat them without trying. I think street racing is for people who want to get someone or themself hurt.

Drag racing or going in a straight line is lame. That's why I didn't buy a Mustang. STi's and EVO's are known for their handling. It seems like an 8 can handle very well too.

I do have the occasional lead foot, but not much. Maybe down an empty highway or back road with twisties. It seems like the 8 can take some abuse, hard track days, etc, am I right? STi I know can take a lot before you really break something.

I think the only way I'm gonna find the answer is to actually go and drive one. I'll stick around though. Any other tips and info are appreciated.

Thanks.

 

If you go drive one, drive a manual.... and if you do, rev the engine.... don't be afraid to rev it up... the higher the RPM, the more it likes it.
You will get the higher power band above 6k rpm...

 

I've got 9k on my 8 and I love it. I haven't had any reliablity issues with mine but it's still pretty new. Rx-A-Ho is right about power mods I have Revi + ram air, agency power pullies and am going to put on a cat back but you don't see much in gains. I'm waiting to put on a turbo. I've driven the STI and I think the 8 is a better car, just not as quick. But thats my opinion check it out the 8's not for everyone.

 

just make sure you don't buy the 8 that you revved high before it was fully broken in...

 

Iwntrx-8,

Just ignore redcivic. He didn't research and bought the wrong car for himself. He hates his car, hates himself, and hates all of us for loving our cars. He should just go ahead and bite the bullet and trade it in.

Find a used one and test drive it so you can rev it. Then go test drive a new one. The only thing you are going to miss is torque. You will enjoy the lower insurance premiums, and the head turning look of the 8. The "corners like it is on rails" feeling of the 8 is just awe inspiring.

 

^^^i agree

give it a test drive, its a big difference from the STi but if its what you're looking for you'll know right away from the drive. good luck

also maintenance and reliablily is just fine, the sti trained you have to take care of a car probably, just treat her the same

 

Thanks a bunch. I love cars and appreciate everything out there. I'm sure the RX-8 won't let me down if I do decide to go this way. It was actually the first car I was looking at even before my STi. But the price pulled me away. I've found a lot of 8's around the 22-24k range w/ only a few thousand miles on em. I could go with that. There's a dealer about 5 miles from my house, they have one RX-8 there. That's gonna be my test drive. Hopefully I'll get time soon before school starts up again to test it out.

 

Don't include me in the group of people who have supposedly had major reliability problems. I just want to chime in and say that I have yet to have any reliability issues in nearly two years of ownership of my RX-8.

Cheers

 

^^That's what I wanna here. I wish I could have the power of the STi and the looks of the RX-8, I'd be the happiest kid alive. It seems that there are a few RX-8s up for sale that are putting down more rwhp than my STi puts down. I'm liking it a lot. Okay, here's my final question before I guess I make my decision: I like to do the occasional "spirited" driving, and I'm sure you all know what I mean by this. Will this car still let me do that? Keep in mind I'm not a racer and don't like the idea of street racing. AutoX is my game.

When I first got my STi, I thought, man, I'm gonna do so many power mods to it...eyah, about that, haha. 300hp seems to be a lot to handle. I'll throw it out there now that I'm 17 and still in high school(let the flaming begin. :puts on fire suit:, planning on college and going into medical. I know how to handle 300 horses and my driving skills seem to be the better of the majority of people driving here in MI...I love having fun and being safe at the same time. It doesn't seem like many people can say that and stick to it, but I promise you I have.

 

Well, I am almost 50 and I don't street race, so I don't need 300 HP. I have owned a lot of cars in my time, encluding the old muscle cars, but the RX-8 is the most fun car I have ever driven. I just ride around with this big smile on my face.

 

Haha, that sounds like me :D

 

[QUOTE=Iwntrx-8]^^That's what I wanna here. I wish I could have the power of the STi and the looks of the RX-8, I'd be the happiest kid alive. It seems that there are a few RX-8s up for sale that are putting down more rwhp than my STi puts down. I'm liking it a lot. Okay, here's my final question before I guess I make my decision: I like to do the occasional "spirited" driving, and I'm sure you all know what I mean by this. Will this car still let me do that? Keep in mind I'm not a racer and don't like the idea of street racing. AutoX is my game. QUOTE]

The car has enough juuice to do spirited driving given if you have enough open space and you keep the revs on boil. atleast 4-6K.....it has a 9K redline for crying out loud. and it will hustle when its pushed. I haven't encounted a problem where i needed to pass quickly or wanted to take turns faster than you would in a normal car. The only real downside to the RX-8 is that there is no acceleration in 6th gear, so if you want to pass fast and aggressively, you would have to downshift into 4th to get it up to more speed. Anyways, the 8 carries speed and holds that speed through the twisties, and its great cause of the wide RPM range it has, so you can stay in a certain gear longer without running out of steam.

 

^^I'm honestly blown away by the 9000 redline and ability of the power to be at high RPMs. The STi redlines at 7k and until boost kicks in, it sucks in higher RPMs and gears. Sounds like a fun thing to have to get used to a 9000 redline.

 

well I am quite picky when it comes to cars... and right now I must say I am lovin the rx8... sure... the damn gas mileage is kinda making me bang my head when i fill up (some have better experience, going to try that M flash)... but while that tank lasts its a driver car.
if your thing is to go fast in a straight line, pass along... if you like to DRIVE just for the hell of it, you will def enjoy this car

 

Awesome. That's how I like it, just to drive for the heck of it. Don't worry about gas, the STi isn't very forgiving either w/ 18mpg itself.

 

Well, it looks like I might have a trade on my hands. A blue turbo RX-8 for my blue turbo STi, haha. I'll keep updating if it goes through.

 

Sounds like you might enjoy the 8. I think a lot of people who complain about its speed drive it the way they drive other cars—that won't work if you want to really move. Make believe you're riding an inline-4 bike and rev, rev, rev! Probably hard for some people to do because we've learned all our lives that it's "bad" to rev motors that high for extended periods—not true with the Renesis. If you keep the revs up the car is quite fast. And, unlike with most engines, there's just no sense of strain or vibration as you approach redline. It never feels like you're really "pushing" it.

I've had no reliability problems—nearly 8K miles with no problems whatsoever.

If you're into mods, the 8's probably not for you—I hear there's not much you can do. Probably one of the reasons the 8's not super popular with the fast and furious crowd, who love to tinker.

 

That's crap. Most people on this site have not had problems. Given the nature of web fora, the percent of people here who have reported problems here far outstrips the percent of people in real life who have had problems.

If you want a feel for what problem areas may actually exist, get a copy of Consumer Reports auto issue, and look at the reliability chart. Their surveys are limited to CR subscribers, but at least are straight-up and not self-selected.

Ken

 

An honest opinion is fine, redcivic. The problem though is that you're claiming your opinion to be fact. Just because you had a lemon doesn't mean Iwntrx-8 will get one. For every complaint here, there are tons of people with no problems. I've had my 8 for 3 years and almost 40k miles - no reliabilty issues, no hard starts, no bad engine, no poor gas milage and it still puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel.

 

38,000 and no issues here. I have not had the car long, but I have all the receipts from the previous owner and have talked to the mechanic at the local dealer. He knows everthing that has been done to this car. Looks and run liike it is new.

 

Then get another car and quit whining. Don't make everyone else miserable too.

I will keep it short and not stoop as low as you did.

 

redcivic, I don't think I've ever seen someone hate a car as much as you do. I'd like to know why you haven't sold it yet...any good reason?