i know that they are two very different cars but i looked at a rx-8 today and it seemed like a really cool car. due to my dealer telling me that if the clutch went out in my evo they probably would not fix it , and my salesman telling me that he knows someone that will by my evo for what i payed for it , i was considering making the switch. it sucks to have all of the horsepower of the evo and not being able to use it ,due to weak clutch (unless you can afford to replace it). i love my evo , but 30,000 on a car ,though not being outrageous, is still an investment. plus the rx-8 for the same price is a 2004 with a better warranty , even though i know that it will not perform the same. i need a certain degree of reliability and performance.

just curious what you guys think,
Thanks

 

weak clutch?? i abuse my clutch almost every day with redline launches but still manage a 1.7 60foot at the track.. maybe your clutch was a factory defect but most of us here have no problems with our clutches... as for the rx-8 nice car.. i finally seen it moving on the road...

 

many guys have posted ,and one in fact who bought his from the same dealership as mine, have reported premature roasted clutches . ive read quite a few of the posts on this subject. i guess the stock clutch cant take many launches.

 

remove a bolt and buy a steel braided line and the clutch is awsome, just wish i knew that b4 mine started slipping at any launch and chattering like a ****

 

yeah , i read that , but has anyone had that mod in long enough to make sure it is a fix?

 

My advice.... sell the Evo, and get an econobox that is an automatic. That way you don't have to worry about frying clutches etc.

Not trying to sound elitist or anything, but the fact is that there is no such thing as "the perfect car". Even if you had a Ferrari Enzo/SLR/McLaren F1 or whatever uber-exotic you're still going to face problems, and that's a fact. Have you wondered, how much does it cost to replace the clutches of those things? How about the tires? The brake pads? The ceramic rotors? I can guarantee you, servicing them is going to cost more than what the Evo is worth.

 

i know there is no such thing as a perfect car , but to spend 30,000 on a car that i cant drive to its fullest (on occasion) without major repairs is bull. if this is indeed the case with the evo. i have infact only had one automatic car of all the cars i have owned (the last being an 01 ws6 trans am ,6 speed) and i have never burned a clutch out.

 

The RX-8 is an awesome car, but no kidding, it's not that hot to drive. I have much more fun driving my Mazda6i manual than the RX-8. The rotary engine is some fine piece of mechanic and all but there's not that much torque before somewhere near the 7000RPM. So, you gotta play pretty hard on it to have fun. My Mazda6i (4 cyl) starts to punch at 3500RPM where the (Variable Valve Timing) kicks in.

I would kill to get an Evo man. I'm 22, working but I don't have 30000$ US to spend on a car, so I got a Mazda6. I would say, you have prolly the best fun to drive car on the planet, don't sell it to get the third best fun to drive car. Since MY Mazda6i is the second haha

My .02

By the way, kicks ***

 

thanks for the info , the dealer said that he could not let me test drive until i was serious. and since i do not know yet , obviously i have not driven it yet. thanks again

 

by the way, my M6i was at the dealer for 1.5 months out of 2.5 months of love...

So Mazda do have problems too. It's bad when it happens to you but it's life. If you can afford a Lancer Evolution, you can afford a better clutch that will last. If you can't afford a new clutch than you can't afford to have a Evo period.

 

YOu do knoe that the hp figure has bee downgraded from 250 to 239 on the MT version. The auto verison is way under 200 hp.

 

i have owned plenty of performance vehicles that i could afford and be driven like they were designed , without clutch issues. the vehicle is expensive enough with out having a clutch that has prematurely failed and had to be replaced. to be understood , i am only talking about premature failure. sano and member of this forum that bought his at the same dealership as mine blew his with normal driving at 2600 miles.

 

the dealer did tell me about the down grade in the hp. i have certainly not made my mind up , but it is a once in a lifetime offer to get your money back out of a car that you have owned a month and put 700 miles on. so , i thought that it is something that should be considered at least.

 

I own an EVO and I went and test drove an RX-8 today. The RX-8 IMO did not have what it takes. Too slow alright handleling but just no umph if you know what I mean. My wife didn't even like to drive it. I think the EVO is way more fun to drive. Just my .02

 

yeah a guy i know has a rx-8 and was really pissed. cuz of performance issues plus he got owned by a stock s2000.