The RX8 and the Evo VIII.

I am almost readny to get a new car, and have it boiled down to the two cars above. I currently drive a Spyder and I need a trunk and a back seat. Actually, I need a trunk more than a back seat, but more seats are a bonus. Having a friend hold beach chairs or his/her lap on the way to the beach in the Spyder is getting very old.

I know you guys are partial to the 8, so i guess I'm just writing you for the heck of it. Your "little things" thread is burned into my memory and making it very hard to get the Evo. The Evo forum (evolutionm.net) is filled with cornballs who care about nothing but performace. Not a bad thing, but at 27 I am trying to make a more rational buying decision.

The 0-60 thing is my biggest issue. The Evo is almost 2 secs faster. I guess performing better tha a Ferrari but looking uglier than most cars is a tough combo for me to grasp. I'd def get it in black, debadge it, tint windows 35% and sell the carbon fiberwing on eBay.

But the 8 is so damn complete. And the interior is what keeps reeling me in. A friend of mine, JoePaterno on this board, has the red/blk interior and it's just badass. Plus the lighting and instrumentation make the Evo look like a base Kia in comparison.

The fact that I am a huge car nut and the 8 and the Evo are my two choices shows how great your car is. The only other consideration of mine is the Z and the S2K. My sister has a Z (so that's prettty much out) and the S2K is just, well, okay, I guess I still kinda want one of those.

Anyway, thanks for hearing me out. Any input would just be fun to read. I'm at work and had this on my mind.

 

Whatever you can do to mask the exterior is fine - you still can't do much to change the Ultra-Eco-cheap-ugly interior of the EVO. The dash, gauges, etc, - they are nasty.

The S2K may not have enough cargo space for ya - but it'd be faster in nearly every aspect, and handle better, likely.

Don't sweat the 0-60 times - the way those are created with the EVO are with HARD launches - much like the RX8 or S2K. High RPM, clutch-dumping, etc.

Worry more about the 5mph-60 time...that's where the RX8 and S2K really suffer.


Still - some people talk about the RX8's straight-line power as if it were a '89 Taurus. The RX8 isn't powerful, per se, but it is pretty fun to drive, be seen in, and look at, over your shoulder, as you leave it in the parking lot

 

The Evo 8 has four real doors and i would think is roomier. You'd still have a heck of a time carrying beach chairs in the 8 IMHO, at least without scratching anything. Some people say the Evo is ugly, but I like it.

In the end, I still like my 8 because I wouldnt be able to justify spending 30k on a car that has an interior of a 2001 Corolla (even the knew corollas look nicer inside, speaking of which is also a nice car), though it is very fast.

If speed is a must for you go for th Evo, but if you care about your interior, i'd have to say the 8 is nicer. Now if the 8 was as fast as the evo. That would be something.

 

go with the eight .................................................. .................................................. ...

 

Yeah, the interior is SO crappy on the Evo. I've test driven both the 8 and Evo many times over the past year, in day and night, and the Evo's lighting inside is just gargage. It's a dim orange. I do have to say, the Evo's exterior isn't so bad. The front end of the car is awesome, but I hate the rear and the side view is just boring. Still, I think I'd forget about how ugly it is and I'd feel proud when I beat an M5 or a 911 that pulls alongside me at a stoplight.

The 8 is very nice-looking. The front end is amazing, and so is the rear view. The side view looks kinda weird with the strange rear glass but that's what's unique about it.

The 8 feels faster than my Spyder, but only after it gets going for a while. Off the line it's like the S2K- you have to wait for the sportscar feeling to begin. I always want my new car to be faster than the car I'm replacing. The 8 just isn't THAT much faster... yet it's refined as hell and the sound of the rotary is just different. I love it.

Are there any 8 owners here that came from an Evo? Or maybe some that have gone from the 8 to an Evo?

i dunno- I just feel immature getting an Evo... I'll be fighting off ricers all day.

Since both cars are around 31K, do you guys think a lease on either car woul dbe better? I don't know much about residuals... but I hear the 8's is kinda low. Hmmmm

 

I forgot... the back seat of the 8 is divided... not very conducive to chairs in the back. Plus gas mileage in Cali is crazy..

 

I'm not going to try to tell you what car is right for you. I don't know you. However, I think you need to stop obsessing over magazine numbers, and just DRIVE both cars again, and buy the one that you just enjoy driving. After all, it's the *car* you're going to be driving and living with, not a spec sheet.

Let me use a couple of examples to show you what I mean. I used to have a modded FD. It was very fast. Then one day, I got the chance to test drive a Miata. I completely expected to not like it, since the numbers it was putting out seemed pretty pathetic compared to my FD. You know what? I absolutely loved it, it was such a blast to drive. It wasn't something you could brag about in the locker room, or on some internet forum with a bunch of 14-year-olds. But damn, was it a wonderful car to drive, on the street, autox or track.

Likewise, one of my friends got a slightly used Z06 and I got to drive that too. I was really drooling over it. Great car, lots of performance and all that. If you were looking for a dedicated track car, it was fairly ideal. But at anything remotely resembling legal speeds, it was pretty much just boring.

 

you feel proud because you beat an idiot on the street who doesn't know how to drive yet you feel immature if you choose the Evo8 over the RX-8???

sounds like you need therapy sessions more than a car :p

 

You should be asking yourself...

1) You're 27 year's old... which car do you think looks more "mature" and "sophisticated"??

2) I should go test drive both cars, and see which car is best suited for everyday use... and not just for "Hey I'm faster by 2 seconds." (We're not on a race track, enjoy the slower pace, let people see your beautiful car...)

 

$31K for an RX8?? eek! I paid 25K for mine...course, it's not a GT.

 

the evo is so ugly though.. that's what I can't stand about it. I also refuse to buy mitsubishi

What sold me on the 8 is the killer prices the 04s were going for.. I mean a brand new 8 with every option including nav for 25k? I couldn't turn that down... and no it wasn't a demo'd car

 

Look at this thread... I was in the same boat but with the STI vs RX8...

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/loaded-qustion-rx8-sti-59272/

I even got an STI and lasted with it for a few hours... I then saw the RX8... and I couldn't do anything but to get one...In the back of my mind, I knew I always wanted this car...

I will pick up a used RX8 this week... new to me from a fellow forum member selling his...

Just imagine you driving the 2 cars... which one do you want to be looked in?

Carlos

 

I like the no-nonsense, menacing look of it - especially in black. In some ways, it's more "mature" than an RX-8 - being a simple, boxy sedan. It doesn't really look like a Lancer to me. Take off the ridiculous wing and it's almost classy.

The RX-8 is so radical-looking, I'm constantly getting the "mid life crisis car" joke. Insisting that it's really a four-door sedan just provokes more laughter

Still, I chose the RX-8 over the Evo. I like the 8's linear powerband, sound, and more-supple suspension and handling. And at the time, I feared for the Evo's reliability (clutch mostly) - though those fears may have been groundless.

I do like the Evo's grip, power, headroom, practicality, and visibility though.

 

Good luck that's a tough choice, although I'd personally choose the STi over the Evo. It's a matter of personal taste and the fact that I'm slightly biased

 

Yeah the interior is nothing much to look at but it's well layed out. The seats are also good enough to make up for the lack of looks IMO, I've never sat in stock seats that are even close to being as good. Also, If you're into modding I'd be inclined to steer you towards an Evo.

For me at least looks wear off faster than performance. A car can be the best looking car on the planet, if I don't like driving it as much as another car I'll want that other car.

I can't think of any 8 owners that have gone to an Evo though I'm sure there are a couple, there are a few that ended up choosing the Evo over the 8 and I'm sure several that got the 8 over the Evo (this is an RX-8 site afterall ), there are also at least a few 8 owners that I know of that have gone to the STi.

If you feel immature driving an Evo than that's a stigma you've placed on it. I don't really look at it as a young persons car as much as simply a driving enthusiasts car. Yes a lot of younger people own it but I know Evo owners of all ages. Probably half the Evos I see are driven by people over the age of 30.

As for the lease, it's rarely a good idea to lease unless it's for cars that are higher dollar and would have huge payments for buying. Also if you usually only keep cars for a few years at a time.

They're both great cars that fall into the same price range, however they go about their daily business in very different ways. Only you can decide which will suit you better.

 

Forgot to mention...

You'll probably get more ricers messing with you in the RX-8 than the Evo, most ricers know enough to not mess with certain cars. Most of the talk on message boards is about how slow the RX-8 is, while calling it slow is taking it a bit far it's enough to give a lot of ricers hope, especially with the AT RX-8 being around.

I very rarely get messed with in my WRX and when I do it's usually by cars that can blow my doors off. This year the only cars that have really tried to initiate a race with me were a Big Single 600whp SC300, a boosted E36 M3, a modded TT, and a lot of douches in pickup trucks. I've run into a lot of ricers, but 9 times out of 10 they start driving like a gandma when they see me.

 

That's true for me as well, although I'd extend "performance" into that subjective area of harmony, that feeling of being at-one with the car. Without the zen-like ability to melt into my driving, any car - regardless of raw performance - eventually becomes boring and frustrating to me.

Looks AND power can eventually wear off... but that subjective *feel* of driving the car remains.

 

I would get the 8 of course because of what everyone else says in this thread, but if I can get the EVO, I would get the RS! It doesn't even come with that ugly wing!

 

Awesome response, guys. Here's the thing: I don't care TOO much about what I'd rather be seen in (the immaturity factor). It's more about feeling like I'm in a crappy car when I look around the interior and it's made of low grade plastics as if I can barely afford a Neon.

I think not having the dumb wing on the car will give it the look I still like. It's not as flashy or smooth as the RX-8, but it still will turn heads to those that know cars. Not that I care, I'm just addressing some points y'all have made.

I've driven both cars on test drives at least three or four times. Same reaction every time: RX-8 is classier and has 4 seats... Evo is insanely fast with the crappy interior.

Somebody mentioned something about a car just being more fun than another. he gave a Miata example over a Corvette Zo6. I totally agree! My spyder isn't exactly a drag racer (0-60 in 6.8), but it's the most fun you can have with a car at this price. I like my car because of its light weight, handling, and no-nonsense demeanor. It's all about the driving.

That's what I want in my next car: Pure driving, but in a more powerful package.

I am so torn- I love the linear rotary feeling... but 273 lb ft of torque is also a great feeling.

 

Yes the EVO seats are awesome. they are more comfortable then my bed. If I own one you might find me sleeping in there from time to time. :D

 

Well, if your biggest problem with life right now is having to choose between an RX-8 or EVO then you're in pretty good shape :D How often will you really need that much extra power that the EVO offers? Street racing is not even on my list of priorities in life. Very little good can come from it. Now I do enjoy beeping through a few gears from time to time or running in the triple digits on the highway when conditions are right. But 98% of your time driving is just cruising and enjoying the ride. For me, the RX-8 gets the most SMILES per gallon of any other car I've owned.

Bottom line: only you can decide what is best for you. Good luck!

WHD

 

By the time you finish this discussion and started to really look at the cars... Evo9 will be in the market already, get that one instead.
Its a tad faster than the last Evo8 (but still a little slower than FQ), the 9 has Mivec in the engine and some little improvements here and there.

Car still looked the same and the interior is still the same boring stuffs... and Mitsubishi is on the verge of going kaput.

If you want the looks get the 8, if you want the power get Evo, pretty clear choice here.

 

I and some others are a bit worried about how tuning will go with the MIVEC, time will tell...

 

Everyone has their own views. Most people I know think it's menacing too.. but in a "Too Fast Too Furious" kind of way :D

 

I picked the 8 cuz it has Great styling, features, design, uniqueness and is quick although not the fastest car in its class. Plus I have a bike if I have that urge..

If you really want insanely fast get a supersport bike. Getting up to 100mph in first gear.. It'll make the evo feel like a school bus.