23109VC

what would win on a track?

in a drag race?

which would be more fun?

I've got an old but reliable and well maintained Volvo S70 with 130k that I use to get to/from work. I have that new car itch. I want something fun and sporty. I can

a) keep my S70 and get a second car - like an RX8
b) sell/trade my S70 and get a TL-S

the two car option gives me one practical daily driver that is not fun but fee - as the volvo is PAID for and runs well and my second car would be purely about having fun.

OR just stay with one car that can do it all and replace the S70 wtih a TL-S.

my gut says the RX8 (or an S2000) would be way more fun when I have time to hit twisty roads, but for day in day out driving - i'd have a much better time driving a TL-S vs the volvo.

I have read in the car mags that the skidpad and slalom numbers of the TL-S are on par or exceed an RX8 but given the weight differences, fWD vs RWD, and balance of car - Ij ust cant see how a TL could even stay with an RX8 on a twisty back road.

i've test drdiven them both but the test drives were not back to back so i coulnd' say hwihc drove better. to me, they both handled well and were sporty, but the RX8 was way more "fun" to drive. the TL was more of a luxury commuter car while the RX was more like a true sports car.

track day - who wins?

MarbleGT

Drag Race - The TL would be ahead by a second or so.

Track - Depends on the track I suppose....In most cases, RX8 hands down. I dunno....on somthing like Sebring with longer straights the TL might have an advantage, where as somthing like Leguna the 8 would be better.

I cant realistically see the TL doing what I've accomplished in an RX8. Im of course comparing the TLS to my CL (Full suspension set up)

RWD FTW.

TheMirror

Response to questions as asked -

RX-8
TL-S
RX-8

People tend to look down on the RX8 because the FD RX7 was so good, but let's be clear....the RX8 savages SCCA B-Stock class autocross for a reason.

TheMirror

Dude. Congratulations on the wierdest avatar ever.

Best,
-Mirror

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Handling RX8

Any other area the TL wins by far.

The RX8 consumes oil, gas, & has zero low end. It's happy with the tach past 5K at all times.(hence why it eats gas)

I've driven 2 of them & know 3 owners personally & all of them want to dump it. It's not a good daily driver car.

Costco

RX-8 rotary problems concern me, but if you're not planning on modding it, etc. the RX-8 would be more fun to drive. Same as the S2000 almost really in terms of fun factor, except the S2000 has a much larger aftermarket catalog and will probably be more reliable in the long run and return very good mileage. I know this guy who averaged 26 mpg. Both the S2000 and RX-8 supposedly have a very nice shifter.... but I haven't driven either to be honest which reminds me that I need to go out and do that...

Having driven a 2G TL-S daily before though, it is fun and fast but you will notice the plowing effect of FWDs in the twisties. The 3G TL-S handles very well for a sedan of its size but it would not be able to hang with an RX-8 or S2000 in the twisties, and depending on the track as was noted, the advantage could go either way, in most cases I imagine in favor of the RX-8 though.

F23A4

My best friend (an 8 owner who uses it as his daily driver) would agree.

GreenMonster

While I'd love to get a cheap used RWD car, the RX-8 got crossed off my shopping list for the reasons you mentioned...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I had both an RX8 and a 2002 TL-S and used the TL-S as a daily driver (RX8 was a weekend car). I kept the RX8 for maybe 5 months and put about 700-800 miles on it, then sold it. So even as a weekend car only I didn't want to keep it. Luckily I sold it for what I paid for it... so it wasn't that bad.

I hated that car. Mine really didn't consume much oil, but gas mileage was terrible (even on the highway). But i just didn't like the way it drove... didn't like the shifter... just didn't like it. I would grin a little when taking turns like it was on rails... but that was it. Just not a fun car to drive...

On the flip side... I loved my TL-S...

Fibonacci

Keep the Volvo DD

S2K for teh weekend.

23109VC

I have considered both the S2k and the RX8 as a weekend car.

i haven't driven the S2k yet. just the RX8. gonna go test drive them both back to back - as there are two dealers close by that have one of each.

the S2k costsa bit more for the same year/mileage - is a bit faster, but lacks the back seat "practicality" of the 8.

but with gas mileage - myabe the price difference would be a wash in a year or two... 15mpg vs 25mpg...

the TL-S would be a superb commuter car. It would get me to/from work in style. it has nav, heated seats, blue tooth, you name it that car has it. the stereo is bad a$$. it looks good, and goes pretty quick. and for a fWD sedan, ti handles amazingly well.

for the few times i'd be wanting to go out for "a drive" and just enjoy a car - it would be fun, but not as fun as an S2k or RX8.

the RX8 would be a weekend toy, as would hte S2k. i could probably get more daily driving type use out of an RX8 as it has rear seats. i've got 3 kids, so if/when I wanted to take one or two of them with me somewhere, i could tak ethe RX8 if I felt like it. can't take the whole family as can't fit me/wife/3 kids in it, but neither can I fit them all in an S2k. we have an suv for hauling the family... BUT it is nice to have a second car that can also haul the family..heck, what if the suv gets aflat or something and you're late for something... so i need a second car that can haul everyone. my current daily driver can do that. a TL-S could do that.

so either i dump my DD for whatever i can et and just replace it with something newer and more sporty.... or i keep the DD and get a toy.

8 would be more fun. s2k would be more fun. TL-S would be more fun as a daily driver than what i have now and i'd get mor euse out of it.

too bad I dind't win the lotto and I could just buy it all.

Soccer_playa1579

im thinkin really hard on gettin a early model s2k in 09...hopefully that is something i can do within my price range.

23109VC

ok. test drove TL-S again, and RX8, back to back.

also hit honda dealer and test drove an S2k.

first off, the RX8 was my favorite. what a frickin blast. it handles like it's on rails, is super comfy, and looks slick.

the TL-S I drove was a six speed - I wanted to try the manual again. short story - hated it. the guy let me drive it hard, shift it hard,and the thing torque steered so bad it almost jerked the wheel out of myh and. you guys who say the sticks don't torque steer are on crack or dont' know how to shift hard.... sorry. shift hard at 8k and it will torque steer. the auto matic i test drove did NOT dot hat. I will also say the stick was a LOT faster. you could feel it pulling much harder and it would stay in VTEC the whole time, whereas the auto falls out of vtec at shifts, even if you are WOT.

s to what is better - it depends. for a "fun" car, i liked the RX8. i actually liked the RX8 better than the s2k. the s2k was so freakin noisy and SO SMALL. man, i had heard people say it was tight, but my legs felt like they were getting shoved together..there is very little room for your legs...and i'm an average sized 5' 9" guy.... good toy car, horrible car to actually use to go palced, to /from work etc. in my suit, with a tie on, and being all closed up in an S2k, i'd go insane. the rx8 is much more roomy inside. the rx8 had more body roll than the s2k.

if i got an 8, it would need springs, maybe sway bars. the s2k was a tad faster than the 8 but not much. rx8 was WAY smoother driving. the engine revs up so smoothly to 9k...whereas the s2k felt likea buzzing beehive was under the hood.

best commuter car - TL-S
fastest in a straight line - probalby TL-S. i odn't think it's a huge difference, but the rx8 is not exactly fast. when i drove it i kept thinking wow this is fun, but wow this is not that fast. yo have to redline it constantly to get it to go fast.

the inside of the RX8 is super cool. you feel like you re gettinginto a cockpit of a fighter plane or a spaceship or somethig. the inside of the s2k is crappy feeling compared to the rx8...

after being in the RX8 the TL felt like big fat cadillac...

FUN CAR - RX8
on a twisty road the s2k and rx8 would leave a TL-S in the dust. DUST. while the TL-S would make up time on straights, and maybe could hang to some degree if you pushed it to the limit, the TL0-S would feell ike it was about tos lide off the road, while the RX8 would feel right at home.

i want both. bummer.

if i could keep my volvo and get an 8, that would be my first choice. if i can't afford to do it, or decide the 8 is just too impractical, i'll get a TL-S.

either car will make me happy. as I was driving home from disneyland tonight, I was thinking hosue i liked myh eated seats, my nav systme, my killer sounds system...and the TL-S would do ALL that and be fun/sporty. it's basically a killer do it all car. its sporty but it's better at luxury/practicality.

the RX8 is somewhat practical but it's more of a true sports car, with less focus on luxury, mostly on handling, styling, sports car sounds/feel etc...but it does have SOME practicality wih the rear seats...just not as much as a true four door sedan.

so boht are sporty, but the 8 is sportier..and the TL is more luxurious, more practical, but will NEVER give you the ultimate thrill you get from an 8 or S2k on a twisty road.

both are awesome cars in their own right. depends on what you need them for.

charliemike

There's nothing practical about the RX-8s back seat.

Keep the Volvo and get a S2k

MarbleGT

...just a thought. You could sell the S70 and get a S60R for the best of both worlds.

You already know the brand, that car handles amazingly as well. Plus its got the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in.

junktionfet

I agree the 6 speed feels much quicker than the automatic.

As far as torque steer is concerned, I don't have much issue with it. I certainly can shift fast (not necessarily "hard")--fast enough to get a 0-60 in 5.44 seconds according to my G-Tech (beating my old time of 5.5).

I just hold on to the steering wheel when I'm doing something intense. Also, if I decide to bark the front tires in the middle of a turn, I expect the car is going to understeer pretty dramatically during that time. It's an easy to car to learn and predict--it will do what it's told and obey Sir Isaac Newton's laws, for the most part anyway.

23109VC

i had an S60R and sold it. big pain.

horrible intercoolers. wants 93+ octane. runsl ike crap on CA 91.

fast car when it's cold outside and you blend race gas. otherwise, the power is very tempermental.

but yeah, it was a pretty cool car.

btw, sold the S60R to afford the MDX. the s60Rs hada bunch of reliability issues. and they are $$$ to repair.

$2000 clutch
AWD angle gears failed a lot at $2500....

got rid of mine before it nickel and dimed me to death.
myh s70 with 130k has had less problems than my S60R that only had 60k.

Fibonacci

Sounds like you've already sold yourself + 3 kids = no brainer.

majin ssj eric

RX-8 is nice if you don't mind its shortcomings.....

23109VC

i sold myself on the rx8, but not the wife.

she want's a four door SEDAN that seats five. which is way more practical for my needs. just not as fun.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Smart woman....

I'm telling you... I haven't met an RX8 owner yet (outside of an internet forum) who had the car and liked it....

MarbleGT

Ive been to several RX meets in Austin as well as around DFW, and am an active member on RX8club.....so Ive met literally hundreds of people who are happy with it, more than happy with it. Ive been to smaller meets around my area where the guys dont shut up about how much they like them.

The car has its short comings, all cars do. It eats gas and oil....but not at an alarming rate. Surely no more than your average SUV(gas). Its no 30mpg honda/acura but.....who cares.