The Vette is a impressive sports car so I don’t know how you could put the Vette in your list. It's history is ALL about performance...it's the performance ICON of America, honetsly I don't know how you could put the Vette in that list.

The Vette still looks better and is faster, oh yeah…it’s still a Vette also. Come on Ben…you are being too harsh on the C5.

Have you seen what our friends in PR have done and it WAS WAY WAY WAY cheaper than Acosta. I think the guy said he is hitting 10’s with his 3-Rotor Turbo. AND….it cost him under 10K if I remember right.

Now come on, I love the FD and really wanted one back in the day but stock vs stock, the RX8 is better looking. If you start adding aftermarket kit’s then the FD can fight off the 8, but then when you start adding aftermarket RX8 body kits then it’s back to the 8…if ever so slightly. Remember the 8 is a 2+2 so it’s looks will not match up exactly with the RX7.

I know there are haters on this board (EVO, Vette, FD, or anything that aint a 8) but I think overall the RX8 is a better looking car than the RX-7. Regardless…the RX-7 is a sweet car and If I had the money I would not mind owning one…not one bit!

The RX-7 was a great car, and still is, but there are also too many haters of the 8 because it’s not as fast as they would want it to be. I wish it had a bit more power also, but I’m FULLY satisfied with everything the RX8 brings to the table as is.

As far as the EVO looks, it's not completely UGLY but the up and coming one is SOOOO MUCH better looking that I think it's a mistake to get the current EVO.

If the concept EVO was around when I went to buy my 8...well, then I would have a harder decision on my hands. I probably could have gotten a slightly used EVO instead of the 8, but the EVO's looks and interior quality really did not impress me. It's speed sure did...but like I've said what am I going to do with all that HP when I wont be using it 90% of the time. Its speed does not offset it’s looks…

But again, if the EVO makes him happy…it’s his money and I’ll be happy for him regardless. If the EVO brings him more smiles then I hope the best for him. It’s a car people…he aint a **** for not wanting the 8 anymore…lol. While his reasons are suspect…it’s “HIS” choice and because he does not have an 8 anymore does not change anything regarding our ownership experience with the RX8.

Enjoy what ever you drive, but I’d wait for the much nicer looking EVO to come if I where you.

 

No, of course he's not. He's a **** for dressing up in a **** uniform on weekends and hanging out with his friends in the American Socialist White-People's Party.

 

evilbada1,
I like you made the switch for the same reasons you stated earlier in this thread but this was way back in 2004 (one of the early RX8 owners). But alas I am back at the RX8 forums still wishing sometimes that I had stayed with the RX8.

It sounds like you have decided on the EVO. Well before you pull the trigger on the new car you should really hold out until you can get an EVO9. They are available but in limited supplies. So far this new "evolution" has been very impressive. Many of the stock 9's are showing that the the manufacturer was very humble in their hp estimates. There have been about 3 evo9's that have been dynoed and then reflashed for performance and all of them are going from ~230-240 awhp to 270-285 awhp. This is with just a stupid flash ($400). The EVO9 with the upgraded turbine housing, mivec cams and some aggressive mapping seems to be showing some serious performance potential. If you haven't found this site already please read here: www.evolutionm.net
Another site to peruse is the Vishnu site (www.vishnutuning.com) and check out their forums since Vishnu does a nice comparison between a stock EVO9 vs a stock 2005 911 TT. Very interesting to see that the exhibit very similar profiles and with the reflash on the evo the power difference is nearly negligible.
http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=173129

By the way, I will most likely be selling my evo in the next year or two to purchase a white RX8 (very partial to white cars :-).

 

I thought stock evo 9's dynoed at 270+whp which makes 286 advertised hp way underrated. Yes, the evo I looked at was 06 evo9 MR. And I know 9's are much different than 8 in looks and performance. I really like seats in the 9.

 

anyways, I'm trying to sell my 8 so if you are interested, check this thread

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=78689

If the sale doesnt go well, then i'll part the wheels out and trade the car in.

wheel thread,

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=78721

 

I OOKED AT THE EVOIX HERE http://www.mitsubishicars.com/lancer..._gallery.html#

it still looks ugly to me. I just can't get over the way it looks. Too big a sacrifice if your into good lookin sportscars instead factory tuners. I would be embarrassed to be seen driving one. I'm over 40. Have fun kid. You'll be back to Mazdas some day. You have been exposed to the the rotary and it will always be part of you.

 

Dude you should wait till the 2007 evo comes out looks much better thats what I'm doing if mazda does not make a turbo rx8 for 2007.do some research on the 2007 evo you will not be dissapointed.

 

the evo 9 looks like it can fly... amazin, also the new eclipse ralli that car looks nice the onlything thats missin on it is the awd turbo which never gonna come out. too bad.

 

Here's some spy photos of the 07 EVO X. http://www.modernracer.com/spyshots/spyshots3.html

Looks pretty good to me.

 

evilbada1
"I thought stock evo 9's dynoed at 270+whp which makes 286 advertised hp way underrated. Yes, the evo I looked at was 06 evo9 MR. And I know 9's are much different than 8 in looks and performance. I really like seats in the 9. "

The dyno reference at Vishnu's shop is notoriosly low. I believe stock 911 turbos will dyno around 360 whp on a dynojet and on Vishnu's dyno they read around 280-315 whp. So the 270 you've seen would probably originate from a dynojet. Still very impressive since they are "supposed" to only be 286...gotta love it when a manufacturer underrates their car :-).

On a different note, rumor has it that the EVO X will approach the $40K range and will only be available in automatic (albeit paddle shifters). See this link for some additional pics.
http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=161271

 

I completely agree with this. Much as I love the way the RX-8 looks, it just looks like a sissy car when parked next to an FD RX-7. The RX-8 is shaped to be more sexy, the FD RX-7 is shaped in a way that just screams aggressive purebred hardcore sports car from bumper to bumper. It is simply one of the most beautiful sports cars ever designed IMO, the perfect mating of sexiness with aggressiveness. There's no doubt in my mind which car is still the definitive rotary icon...the fact that there's rumors suggesting a possible return in the future of the RX-7 name just goes to show what a legend it is among Japanese sports cars. It is a name that people just do not want to die off. If I had the chance to buy a good condition FD with perfectly running internals, I'd be all over it.

 

evo is much better for the price, my buddy just got an Evo IX for $30000 out the door and its fast and looks nice too, the interior is not that great but the recaro seats are soooo sexy looking and are comfortable, but you will never get the chance to rev your engine, after all the shitsubishi is not better than the 8 overall. they both are completely diiferent cars but i love my 8 even though its not as quick as the evo. but if you are looking for speed and handling, evo is the choice, it rides soooo rough though, the ride is like **** compared to the Rx8, it doesnt even come close to the 8 when it comes to the smoothness while driving.

 

the only car thats going to really compete with the 8 is the TOYOTA SUPRA 2007, im soo gettin that car. since i was 7 i dream of buying one and hopefully i get a chance to buy the new one.

 

I live a pretty sheltered life. I had never seen an EVO that I knew of. After I checked out both the 2006 and the advance pictures of the 2007, I have to say that I wouldn't be caught dead driving that car. Yes, I am old and it isn't all about going fast anymore, but damn that thing is ugly. I'm sticking with my 8.

Enjoy your new car.

 

Lay off the crack. IF there is a new Supra it's going to make the RX-8 look like a little plaything, much like the GTR will do and also much like the Evo and STI already do in the performance department.

 

I traded my rx-8 for 06 350Z. i ever considered an evo, but couldn't get over the look and the reliability, that's why Mit only sold even less than 10,000 evos for 4 years. (since 2002). i don't need the back seats too much. Z and rx-8 looks much much much better than evo. the first impression to people is the look of the car.

 

Did you see the pic of the Evo X it looks as though it is adopting some of the
RX-8's looks.

At least from the back.

 

Pretty much what I was going to say.

But hey man, if that tenth of a second means that much...go for it.

 

The rx8 does exactly what it was meant to do, put a big grin on your face and have lots of fun while looking good. The EVO also does just what it was meant to do, go real, real, fast and handle well. It's really up to what the driver wants. the evo will appeal to the younger set. Not too many old guys driving them. The rx8 is fast in a practicle sense. the Evo is an extreme car. I personnally would never use it or the extreme power as intended other than to show off. The rx8 does that standing still. So does the vette moving or standing still.

 

Go for the MR. You will not be disappointed. It blows away the RX8 in every aspect of performance.

 

Tenth of a second? The MR hits 60 more than a full second faster than the RX8. Let's not talk about the 8's 0-100 at a dismal 15.9 seconds. Almost 3 seconds slower than the MR. That's the true indication of the 8's performance there and how Mazda geared it for a decent 0-60 time for marketing purposes.

You can feel the difference. Power is readily available down low whereas the RX8 only comes to life at its highest RPM's. Just around town the Evo feels twice as powerful.

This is not a tenth of a second difference, nor is it something you can only appreciate when going to the track. I have driven both cars. My friend has an Evo. I test drove several RX8's and almost bought one. They are anemic. The threadstarter wants more power. You can feel the power in daily driving. The 8 felt so weak to me that it almost felt like it would be lacking in simple passing on the highway.

There's a reason I stuck with my Supra and bought a daily driver. The 8 is a beautiful, great handling car with NO power. It's not a driver's car, and I see every time I come back to this forum that most of its owners aren't the most discerning of performance buyers either.

 

The ride is not that bad. But in general, stiff = better handling.

And you can rev the **** out of an Evo. They will take to 400WHP on stock turbos and internals very easily. They are much more solid/reliable than the 8.

Mitsu's still nowhere near Toyota/Honda/Nissan on build quality, but they're getting there. Mazda is too, but they always seem to **** up the rotaries.

 

Why bash each others cars, It is apparent that half the people on this thread drove the Evo as well as the RX8. We all like both cars but chose the car for us. I love the Evo and it's performance I have taken my 8 to the track 2 times so the performance difference does make a difference to me. But in the end with all the great performance stuff in it I thought to myself on my daily commute to work what car would be more fun. For me it was the RX8 because of interior and shifter. The interior of the STI and Evo are from a 14,000 economy car. That is not a bad thing it is just fact. With a great interior both of these car would cost considerably more. I for one am glad both cars were made but am sick of hearing IKE treat his WRX like it has GOD like performence.

 

If you have owned an rx8 for awhile and you know how to shift and drive it within it's capabilities it's plenty fast for all situations. If you want to pass shift down to 3rd and your gone in a blink. If you are a performance freak and don't care about superior designed,sportcar enjoyment, comfort and fun, buy the Evo. I think it's a car you'll grow out of in a short time unless your a track racer.

 

It's really a shame that you've pigeonholed yourself like that. So, you can't enjoy a car with supercar performance because you are afraid of how it will make you look? That's a really sad thing. Sure our RX-8 is a fun car to drive, but the driving experience in the STi is so far superior because of the throw-you-in-the-back-of-your-seat rush that you get from stomping on the accelerator. So sorry that you will never be able to experience that.

Been there, done that, and my customers (Boeing) all loved my STi and wanted a ride in it. Some of you guys really need to stop deluding yourself into thinking that the RX-8 somehow gets more respect than Evos and STis. In my experience of owning both, they do not. As for the age thing - about a month ago, I had an older guy (50s) follow me into a gas station (he did not get gas) and tell me how much he loved my car.