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WRX vs RX8

42K views 164 replies 23 participants last post by  SD_GR 
#1 ·
Im trying to decide between a 02-07 wrx/2.5i or an rx8. I was almost set on a subaru until one of my friends said I should look at the rx8. Ive always kind of wanted one, but engine failure is pretty common at random mileages. They look good, they're quick and they handle really good (from what i've heard). And then of course, theres the wrx. I've had 2 so far, so they're one of my favorite cars for sure. The main thing I dont like about them is understeer. I would like to take it to a track a couple times a year. For the most part, I just want a nice, fun, reliable dd. I realize this is a subaru forum and i'll probably get alot of bias answers, but i just wanted to see what other people thought about the 2 cars.
 
#2 ·
I like understeer. I dislike Wankels. The choice for me would be simple.

I'd look at any year STi for the track, and buy almost anything Japanese without a Wankel in it for a daily driver etc. Just me.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Do you have a vehicle with which to tow the Wankel?

I'm not saying "buy a Subaru" but I am definitely saying "don't buy a Wankel." It's not even a Mazda thing; I'd not buy a Wankel made by anyone. {EDIT: Later in this thread, I reconsider and I'm now at the point where I would own an NSU Ro 80 or a Citroen GS with a Wankel (though the latter was probably stillborn, I'd own any GS anyway and the Ro 80 was remarkable}

Do you have a family? How about a Miata if you need a sporty Mazda, or a Honda S2000 if you want something raw? Both are great on a track.
 
#9 ·
Agreed...might as well drive a Jetta...or Beetle.
 
#56 ·
My wife has a Beetle. EVERY SINGLE FRIGGEN TIME I drive that car somebody goes out of their way to make fun of me. :(

I believe he's SOL on this one unless he's looking pre-1990
Damn. I knew I missed the obvious one.
Close. There was a RWD 929 until 1995.

Get a WRX to DD, the RX-8 has no guts, poor gas mileage and if unknown history you can be running into issues down the road. If you have the money get a CLEANLY done and WELL documented RX-7 ;)
The wankel isnt usually the issue, its uneducated users.
-Steve
I'd guess that the posters who simply don't like rotarys haven't driven them. It's a fantastic engine. I've owned 2 Rx-7s, one with 160,000 miles on the engine, the other with 135,000. I still have one of them.
No matter how you slice it, the Wankel is a time bomb. Newer examples do have a longer fuse, but still a time bomb. They have the reputation for a reason. It's the same situation as the early US production WRX that had a reputation for a glass trans. Many of them broke but some people had 200k on them without an issue. No matter how much they argued, it was still a glass trans.

Arguing semantics is irrelevant to the conversation.

HowStuffWorks "How Rotary Engines Work"
He isn't arguing, he's correct. A rotary is an airplane engine.

^^if you are looking to do an engine swap right away, why not look for a 2.5i shell and throw a built engine in there?
Just throw it in. I love that. lol

umm rotary has no pistons at least the RX-8s don't, it has a rotor, hence all the triangles all over the car, to show it off
Do a little research. You'll be surprised. A Wankel has no pistons. A Rotary usually has flack marks all over it and is hanging in a museum somewhere.
 
#8 ·
I had a 2004 RX8 until July when I got the WRX. WRX is by far my fav, but the RX8 had it's up sides too. RX8 had better ride, handling, interior, gearbox & stereo. WRX is more bare bones (even though I got the limited) which I prefer.

I put over 100,000 trouble free miles on my RX8, but was always worried that something bad was going to happen. I did all the maint and kept the oil, trans and diff fluids fresh. BTW, The RX8 will burn oil as part of it's normal operation and that gets to be a pain in the butt.

It's early so I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things..... but WRX is my choice which is why I bought it.Do the research and come to your own decision. YMMV
 
#17 ·
understeer is easily combatted with a few hundred dollars worth of new sway bars, if that's your concern.

My question to you - what exactly do you want in a car? That'll help us give you suggestions.
 
#18 ·
If I were the OP I would get an RWD Honda, an RWD Mazda that's not got a Wankel, or a turbo Subaru that's not got a 5spd, probably in that order given track day fun. The Subaru will be the most practical but he's already had two or so.
 
#24 ·
It's interesting how we differ! Take a look, we're in contrast:

I would drive a Miata daily.

I would not buy a turbo MR2, any year; the atmospherically aspirated cars are a better choice.

I would not drive an S2000 daily. The Miata or the MR2 are better DD choices.
 
#25 ·
I have my justifications!

Miatas, don't like the looks of them. I also do not find them comfortable to be in.

An N/A car is always a better choice! But potentially less on the "fun factor." I have never driven an N/A MR2 or owned the Turbo model so I can't really say one way or the other.

I just like the S2K best on looks and comfort. Never having owned any of these cars though, I can't give much more of a reason than that.
 
#28 ·
I've owned two MR2, and at one point we had them both at once. Neither was turbo though. We only have one left. I may have given the wrong impression in a previous post or something.
 
#29 ·
Well its starting to look like a wrx or 2.5i is going to be the best choice. The miata, s2k, mr2 and 350z are all small 2 seater cars which are not very practical since i'll only have one car. The 350z would probably be the car i'd pick if I had to choose. I have a regular cab ranger right now, which is comparable in interior size to one of these cars, and it annoys me at times. I only looked at the rx8 cause it has 4 seats, and fairly practical, but i just dont trust the engines in them.
 
#35 ·
I'd guess that the posters who simply don't like rotarys haven't driven them. It's a fantastic engine. I've owned 2 Rx-7s, one with 160,000 miles on the engine, the other with 135,000. I still have one of them.

The big question you need to ask yourself is what do you like for vehicle dynamics? In the WRX, you sit high, the car is front heavy with a higher center of gravity. It's easy to dial out the understeer, but it will always feel a little more top heavy than a lower car like the Rx-8. The AWD is great in all weather conditions for traction, but there are things you can do with a RWD chassis that the AWD won't allow. The engines are totally different animals. One is rough and torquey, the other is smooth and needs to rev to get moving, both are enjoyable intheir own way. The rotary engine is a hand built exotic, but only a specialist will work on it. My WRX gets 22-24 mpg typically, which is about the same as you would get from the Rx-8.

Totally a personal choice, but there is no loser.
 
#36 ·
My WRX gets 22-24 mpg typically, which is about the same as you would get from the Rx-8.

Totally a personal choice, but there is no loser.
my 8 got only 15-17 but i was hard on it,
OP remember with the 8 you have to maintain it, like check oil levels every other time you fill up, that and only high end torque (and VERY little) is really the only down side, i loved my 8, revving up to 9500k sounds amazing, slap on a esmeril racing turbo and harness, you got enough power, only reason i got rid of mine was because a hail storm .... hail damage on my rx8 :( - YouTube so as long as you do the oil and maintain it you shouldn't have any break downs, it's a fun car to drive, but's not a drag car so no light to light..not that i encourage it, but it's most certainly a track car wide and low and of the few imports with a 5 star roll over crash rating. also if you're gonna do body mods there's more choihe than with a WRX i've hardly been able to find anything beyond hoods trunks and spoilers. also 1.3L producing the same amount of horses as a 6cyl 350z is pretty awesome.
having owned both i preferred the RX8 but that's just me. also consider weather, if you have snow go with the WRX, the RX8 has some trouble in the snow being RWD.
 
#39 ·
How stuff works tend to be a little unspecific; it is to my understanding that that link is specifically for the wankel rotary engine. Admittedly, I don't understand how a rotary could have pistons as sd said; but he's generally far more knowledgeable than I, so I'll buy it, especially considering that link states that the rotary engine is sometimes known as the wankel rotary engine, when I'm almost positive that there are several more rotary designs besides the wankel, although the wankel is the most commonly produced these days (for some reason).
 
#41 ·
The car industry is fascinating to watch over time. It would be interesting to know which technologies have been shunted aside due to their being less useful/practical, and which due to politics, public perception, etc. When I was a kid, the Wankel was the new design that the car magazines would bring up in hushed tones, implying that it was only a matter of time before it replaced piston engines....and then it never happened. Apex seals, fuel efficiency, engine longevity...name the reasons that it could be, (or the perceived reason), that next-gen Corvette with the 4-rotor Wankel just never materialized.

I'm curious enough about them to want to drive an RX-8 around and see, but have no urgent need to own a car that needs so much revving to get the power moving. Nothing against it in particular..I feel the same way about Honda's VTEC 4 bangers.
 
#43 ·
It's very similar to the smaller 4 cylinder v-tec engines like the 1.6, 1.7, and 1.8L cars. The rotary had variable induction port sizing and variable intake runners before it became popular in other cars so they even have the torque bump when the induction system changes over.
 
#42 · (Edited)
There is an indirect Subaru connection for the US in that Briklin had at one point wanted a non-piston Wankel-ish motor for his sports car. Never happened.

EDIT: I am wrong. Bricklin was developing a pistoned true rotary, not a pistonless Wankel-ish engine. Still didn't happen though. Apologies for misstatements.
 
#44 ·
I've pretty much decided against the rx8. I like the car, but not the engine. I like pistons too. I cant really think of any car that i'd rather have (that i can afford) other than a wrx. I just dont think i'd be as satisfied with any other car. But im still having a hard time deciding between a wrx and 2.5i. Obviously, the wrx is going to be more fun, but the 2.5i is going to be cheaper overall, and most likely more reliable, although a wrx can be just as reliable if maintained properly and not abused. But the wrx also requires 93 octane, as the price of gas keeps going up.
 
#45 ·
The Impreza is heavy and not near the top of its class when it comes to fuel economy. The difference between low and high octane fuel isn't really a deciding factor in my view, even though I like keeping money rather than spending it. The WRX is more fun than the non-turbo Imprezas. I'd get the WRX. Find one completely stock, with all service records, and prefer owners who are not interested in cars.
 
#46 ·
I mean, the octane difference doesn't really matter that much to me either, it would just be nice to be able to put the cheapest gas in it possible but oh well. And finding a truly stock wrx is hard, especially when theres not many to pick from. And they maybe stock, but half the time they're converted back to stock. Im convinced my last wrx had a bigger turbo and modded ecu right before i bought it with a knocking engine. Im going to try to go that route again and look for a car that needs an engine...cheaper that way. The only thing about a wrx is, insurance is going to cost more than a 2.5i. I paid about 190/month on a 02 wrx, and im only paying 60/month now on my 04 ranger.
 
#51 ·
:rotfl:
Being a techy kinda guy, I tend to try to use the right terms for those engines...but you're a little late to convince the RX-7/8 community to ditch the word rotary. They've been calling it that for as long as I can remember.
 
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