I have been looking for a second car to drive on nice days and on the weekends. (My current car is a Mazdaspeed 6.) I've been a fan of the 968 since the mid-nineties. I have also been a fan of the RX-8 since its introduction. I didn't want to ask this on a Porsche website because I didn't want to get "it's a Porsche so get the 968" responses.

968
Pros:
-Great looks
-Outstanding road feel and handling
-Decent torque
-Feels solid even though it’s an old car
-It's been a dream to own a Porsche for years

Cons:
-Old age which makes it more maintenance intensive
-Expensive parts and availability of parts
-Expensive maintenance
-Usually takes days to get maintenance and repairs done

RX-8
Pros:
-Great looks
-Outstanding road feel and handling
-Newer car with warranty (extended warranty can be purchased)
-Great shifter

Cons:
-Possible flooding
-Oil consumption (Gas consumption is not an issue for me.)
-Low torque

Which one would you buy and why?

Obligatory Pics

 

I love the 968. Rare to see them on the road. Basically a 944 look body, and 928 look front end.

Given the maintenance history on my last 3 porsches, I wouldn't bother buying another. But if I were in the market, the 968 is still an attractive car.

 

So it looks like the RX8 has no 'cons'

After my last 3, I swore to never own another Porsche again. (or an Italian car)

 

Thanks for the reply. Can you tell me why you would never own another Porsche again?

 

It seems like the third Porsche is the charm.. or deal breaker in this case.

 

I would go with the rx8. I think you will have much more fun with it.

 

Italian sports car are another world, trust me :D.

By the way, if i were to buy one i'd take the rx8. I know what it feels like to drive old cars now, much more fan than the "drive by wire" generation but lap times are pretty clear. My grandpa owned a 968 and it was brilliant but hey, unless you are a collector you must consider "time" as a very important factor.
I personally own a Ferrari GTB Turbo (never imported in the usa i think, 2.0l 255hp) and it has no controls (abs-tcs whatsoever). Even though it is a brilliant car the comparison can't be made.
The rx8 is on another technical planet, marking the other car's age as a problem.

So, in conclusion, if you want something to have fun with go for the rx8, if you want something to take care of, go for the Porsche. Both are great to drive though but in opposite ways.

Hope you got what i mean, i am pretty stupid :D

 

Can you give me an example of the maintenance history you referred to in your first response?

 

Sure. Basically every other month something breaks. Sometimes it's just a few hundred to fix, other times it was much more. For example, the AC twice broke, resulting with 200F air blowing out the vents and had no way to disable it. Rack and pinion steering broke, needing to be replaced. Automatic window motors would die out on me. Bushings needing to be replaced, the list goes on and on. I never had any engine problems, but one transmission died on me. I might have been to blame because I was banging on it a lot. All were DDs.

Basically after a few years, they got up in age and **** happens. If you're used to more mainstream cars like Toyota or even GM, it's different buying the higher end sports cars.

Last time I checked, Ferrari, Lambo, etc usually offered 2-3 year warranties, while econoboxes get 7 to 10 year warranties.

I thought I was done with sports cars when I had my Son, but the RX-8 came along and I don't regret it for one second.

 

I would say the 8, just from looking at the cons. Sure, the Porsche is a beautiful car, but what everybody else is saying, the older cars, and that one in particular, will more than likely be a maintenance trap.

 

especially the 968. There weren't many made, so replacement parts are going to be difficult to procure. But I haven't looked into the components. Maybe it shares parts with the 911 or 944.

 

That would be nice, but still would be a lot for parts. That's the problem with those rare/expensive cars, haha.

 

I really appreciate your replies. This information is really helpful.


Off Topic:

My buddy just purchased a Saturn Sky Redline. I would have considered one of these based upon looks and performance alone. The problem is that I don't want a convertible.

 

The Sky is definitely something that came out of the woodworks for me. I never expected Saturn to make a sexy sports car! I'm not a fan of verts, but I might have to throw that away with the Sky :P

 

i really dislike the look of that porsche....so id have to say go with the 8 or the redline. you get a warranty with new cars and more availability for parts. heh get the 8

 

I only owned older ones. 1986 being the latest.

If you take it to a dealer, you get raped
If you do it yourself, it is normally more work thatn it need to be
The parts are NEVER in stock
They are expensive as hell
They need more general maint. than most cars
They are like a dart thrown backwards


But if you have the time and money, and dont mind the "cons" of a Porsche. . . . . they really are a ton of fun to drive. Just like the 8, that fun factor is huge.

 

Thats a hard question.

I would check and read up on the Porche maintenance. Look for problems ofor that year.

Then find a good Porche mechanic.

After research its your choice.

PRO The Rotary is cheap to rebuild about the price of A top end rebuild for a piston engine.

Get the AP chip or high performance ignition, that will kill th eflooding issue.

 

Of all the front-engined Porsches, the 968 is my favourite. It looks great (to me atleast), quite modern compared to 944 and 928. The 3.0l 4-banger is probably the largest 4-cylinder engine for a mass produced car. It has awesome torque. But it has issues. Check out some 968 forums. Went to check one out many years ago. During the walk around, my wife quipped "I thought you are looking for a Porsche, what's with the Integra?". I dare not look at the seller's face. It was a pristine 968 too.
Having said that, for the reasons mentioned above, I would pick the rx-8 over and over and over the 968. If you really want that Porsche badge, might as well get a Carrera 3.2 or maybe a 964 (if you want to experience true unreliability).

 

i sat in a sky at the DC auto show last year and to be honest I was underwhelmed. The drive might be good, but I hated the seated position.

 

After you put the turbo or supercharger in the RX-8, then I think you can compare it to a Porsche.

 

My cousin had a 968, and I used to drive it all the time. It really was a great car. Love the feel, and for it's time the power was just impressive. I loved that BIG 4 banger in it, and it really felt fantastic. Hard for me to compare my RX8 ownership to that though, as too many years passed, but I'd likely go with with the 968 if I could find a well maintained low mileage one with updated service records. I can't speak for the car as a whole, but my cousin beat the living stink out of that thing, and he sold it after 60k miles, but it held up incredibly. The owner after him probably had hell, but he never really maintained that car, and it made me sick how he just didn't care because of his wealth. Very solid car in my onw experience, and at one point in time, it was a DREAM car, as I was cruising around with him in my Mitsubishi Starion, so I was chopped liver.

GOod luck on your decision.

 

I'd recommend the rx8, not because I have one now, but because I owned them both. I can't really do too much of a comparison because I got rid of the 968 over ten years ago. Mine was a 1994 convertible. It had the pop-up non-zenon headlights, it was a six speed 3L four banger.

It was fast and felt planted and had that heavy solid quality feel. it was fun, but now I think it would be a little old looking. I got rid of mine because of maintenance. And remember I'm talking about gettin rid of it over ten years ago because of mainenance. i can't imagine now. It was hard to find the right people to work on it, and parts were a bitch and EXPENSIVE. a friggin oil change was 300 bucks because they had to remove all this **** from underthe engine.

now i drive the 8. it is much more modern so i think in a way more solid, more reliable, better handling, just as fast, looks better, etc.

the exact problem i had on the 968 was some rear bearing. i had it replaced, it cost 2000$ and a few weeks later the creak came back. now unless you can get it from some porsche dealership and get some special warranty, i would not touch an old porsche with a ten foot pole. but if you're familiar with working on these things yourself, then it might be a good choice. in my opinion, it is totally impractical to compare the porsche with a car that would be much more modern and newer like the 8. they are too different. get the 8, there is an awesome community here and a lot of support!

 

Until recently, the standard Porsche's pretty much had **** for horse power.

 

Could you tell us what the AP chip is? I did a search for "AP chip" and your post was the only one referencing it. Thanks,

 

Check out Cobbtuning.com.