They all nice cars, but in alll seriousness, which one would you choose? Well, if you have a chance to buy one all over again. I know that performance wise, the other 2 can't keep up with the G, but the price of the RX8 and the look and the material of the crossfire made up for that don't you think? I tend to pick the RX8, what's yours?

 

Well, I made the decision the G knowing about the RX8 and the Crossfire beforehand. I'm not too hot on the styling or power of the Crossfire, and while the RX-8 is a neat concept doesn't do much for me either in styling, power, or luxury. I don't think the crossfire has anything over the G for me, and the RX-8 only has its sporty handling which isn't enough for me.

 

I sat in a Crossfire and didn't like the feel.Of the 3 cars mentioned I'd take the G then the RX8 and lastly the Crossfire.

2003.5 G35
2003 350Z
2003 Murano SL

 

I would personally chose the Crossfire, which is what I have done. I'm getting it as soon as it gets to my dealer. I have also started a forum dedicated to it, the link is in my signature. I personally prefer the styling of the Crossfire. It will be a much more "exclusive" car compared to the G35 and RX8, as there will only be about 10,000 made a year compared to about 40,000 for the G35. As for power... it is a little lacking. It does handle better than the G35 and the RX8. The 0-60 and 1/4 mile are almost dead on with the RX8, and not THAT much slower than the G35. You will definitely be able to add more power to the Crossfire, although look to spend a good deal of money. For about the price of the SLK 32 AMG you can push the Crossfire to 410 horsepower. A 3000 lb car with 410 horsepower is pretty exciting. If you have any other questions, check out my forum..

http://www.crossfireforum.org

 

Mani stole my post. I actually wrote the exact same thing letter for letter, but he stole it and posted it first. [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Ok, well maybe not, but he said exactly what I would have...

2003 G35 Coupe 6MT Leather
Premium, Aero
"There is no spoon"

 

The Crossfire will not outhandle either car. Not sure where you got that from but the RX-8 comes in 1st in handling followed by the G then the Crossfire. I owned a Chrysler and will never again after that experience. Chyrsler/Dodge/Plymouth are complete a$$. Most people will not understand how nice the RX-8 is until they've set eyes on it. I kid you not, it's a beautiful car in and out in person. I chose the G35 Coupe for a few reasons.

1) Luxury and reliability. (You definitely won't get the latter in a Crossfire)
2) Decent performance with all of the amenities.
3) No more ricers challenging me every night. (It gets old really fast. It was old in my Supra and REALLY old in my Evo)
4) Sex appeal. The G35 Coupe is sleek and sexy and you feel like a million bucks stepping out of one. As nice as I think the RX-8 is it falls into the rice racer category which I'm desperately trying to avoid.

If you want performance and a killer "sport" car look I'd go with the RX-8. But if you want a classy, sexy, sports car the G35 Coupe is the way to go.

 

RIPOFF!!!!
Crossfire Interior

Heh... looks to me like Chrysler took a page from Infiniti's book when they designed the Crossfire's interior. Imagine - the one aspect of the G35 Coupe that gets marks against it is exactly the thing that Chrysler copies in the Crossfire!

I dunno, it's got the guts of a Benz so that's going for it, but that rear end... too many shades of AMC for me to ever fall in love like I did with the G - and the performance is lacking a bit as well. Thanks, I'll keep my G.

BTW - the figure mentioned of 40,000 production units a year for the G includes sedans - the Coupe is about half of that, and manuals account for only about 15% of Coupe sales. So maybe you can't see the difference from the outside (or maybe you can - Brembo!!), but the G35 6MT is gonna be every bit as rare to see as the Crossfire - and will still smoke it! [img]/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

2003 G35 Coupe 6MT Leather
Premium, Aero
"There is no spoon"

 

g35 Coupe is about 12,000 cars per year vs. 10,000 for Crossfire. So about the same as far as rarity. Of course it remains to be seen if the Crossfire sells!.

 

I stand corrected!
Really, the choice is crystal clear where I stand (next to a 6MT Coupe!). Better performance, better looks, plus a usable rear seat and more storage space! Nah... when it comes to the Crossfire I say nice try, but I'll keep my G!

2003 G35 Coupe 6MT Leather
Premium, Aero
"There is no spoon"

 

Right on.. Personally I would narrow the Choice to the RX-8 and G35c.. The crossfire's looks very appalling, not to mention it's SOHC (single overhead cams)

Crossfire = Luxury, NO STYLE, somewhat performance
RX-8 = No Luxury, Unique Style, Performance
G35c = Luxury, Performance, and STYLE

go figure which car would be your best bet :P


-Blk/Blk G35c

 

G35C 6MT then RX-8 and never even thought bout a chrysler... why would i? i want a car that will last.. and nissans last... just like toyotas and hondas. The reason i choose the G over the 8 is cuz of luxury, and raw power. I agree wit everyone above that choose the G over anything else. the 8 had to me over the G was the concept. cool doors, Rotary engine, cool looks, and good handling. But thats all u get.. I dont want a 1.3L engine that revs up to 9K RPMs. If i wanted that, ill jus drive my prelude that revs up to nearly 9Krpm and never of bought the G. But Wat the G will give u is that sense of Power. When u sit there in tha car and rev it. its nice sound, then when ur on the road, wit ur music off u and a friend jus listenin to the engine. its a sweet sound. U also get the feeling like ur really rich. cuz tha shape, design, rareness, and class. the 8 to me is like a Evo, S2K, WRX type cars, no luxury! Everyone gets my point from here on..

 

Interesting you chose those cars, as the RX-8 and the Crossfire would be the two primary cars I'd debate between if the G35 Coupe wasn't brought over. But even though I hold those 2 cars in very high regard, I personally think there's not much to recommend them above the G other than lighter curb weights and, to some people, image and styling. Here's how I break it out:

Performance: the G clearly has the most power and torque and is the fastest. The RX-8 has a better power-to-weight ratio, but is hurt by a torque shortage. I'm not sure how the RX8 compares with the Xfire in a straight line, but it's probably nearly even. I'm not going to argue handling without having driven any of them, but they all have equivalent skidpad's for what that's worth. The G is much larger and heavier than the other two, so that probably hurts its upper limit potential. Only you know whether you want to drive your $30k+ automobile at its extreme limit around a curve. As for mods, the G gets the 350Z parts bin while the Xfire gets the CLK bin. The RX-8 probably has absolutely nothing right now. I would expect the G to be the best project car of the three by the end of next year (when the forced induction products show up), but at the moment the Xfire probably has the best high end (and expensive) stuff to work with. Final note: the AT version of the RX-8 is de-tuned by 40hp, far and away the dog of the group.

Refinement: the RX-8 isn't pretending to be a luxury car, but if you spend enough money to load it up, it definitely seems finished better than a 350Z (IMO). The Xfire is very similar to the G. They have center consoles that are ugly for the same reasons (big square expanse of plastic) and are missing the same little details, like memory seats. The Xfire is the only one without Navigation system option, if that's important to you. Without having driven the other two, I would expect the G to ride the most luxuriously due to its weight and large wheelbase.

Convenience: The RX-8 is a 4 door. The G35 is a 2+2. The Xfire is a 2 seater. According to the specs, they have essentially the same trunk space, but the G has fold down rear seats with a passthru which about doubles the cargo space. I don't know if the RX-8's fold down. The Xfire has nothing to fold. In fact, the Xfire is surprisingly small. Here's a great link to look at, comparing the dimensions of these 3 cars with a 3-series and a Miata: Comparison . As you can see, the Xfire is closer to a Miata than a G in nearly every dimension. Note that they're reporting the Xfire's headroom and legroom to be smaller than that of a Miata (although I find that hard to believe and would not be surprised if it's wrong). Bottom line: the Xfire is clearly the least convenient and versatile of the three.

Value: The Xfire is a little more expensive than the G, with fewer amenities and German-American reliability. The RX-8 is not as cheap as it seems. If you want leather seats, you have to buy a bunch of other crap that bumps the price up by nearly $4000. I consider it a $31k car for that reason. Still the bargain of the three.

Style/Image: Only you can decide what really strikes your fancy. I definitely like the Xfire most in pictures. For some reason the G looks like a fat pig in the magazines. I wasn't even considering buying one until I saw it in person (and in a color other than friggin' silver). I saw my first RX-8 in person the other day, and I didn't like it as much as its photos. It's not low and sleek enough to give you that "oooo, there's a fast car" chill, but it also doesn't fit the classy, luxury car image. It's really quite odd in person. Maybe because the one I saw was black, and it covered up all the playful lines. As for image, all I'll say is that there are certain types of people out there who will consider a Chrysler and a Mazda inferior to an Infiniti solely on badges. I'm not one of them, but I recognize that they exist.

Conclusion: I think the other two cars are good enough that, if something about the design of one really strikes your fancy, you should go ahead and get it. Definitely test drive them all. But if it's a coin flip, I think the G is clearly giving you more of almost everything. For the price, it's a nearly flawless package. A little less weight and a little more interior quality, and it'd be perfection.

-Jack
Obsidian/graphite '03 Coupe premium nav

 

G COUPE LOOKS LIKE A $80,000 "SUPER CAR" AND THE RX-8 LOOKS LIKE A $35,000 SPORTS 4 DRS AND THE G'S GOT THE POWER TO BOOT, IMO.

 

Sexxay,
The Crossfire will CERTAINLY out-handle the G35 and RX8. I have driven the G35 and the Crossfire back to back, and the Crossfire definitely handles better, and I have seen many reviews comparing the two, and the Crossfire comes out on top. The highest skidpad for the G35 I have seen is from C&D and that was a .90. C&D got a .91 for the Crossfire. I have seen other numbers putting the Crossfire even higher. I love the G35, I really do, I ALMOST bought one. As for reliability, it is a Mercedes. It will be more reliable than any other Chrysler out there. It is built in Germany by Karmann.

As for everyone saying the Crossfire has no style... go out and drive one. I GUARANTEE you, you will get a bigger reaction from people than you ever did from the G35. You are a moving roadblock in the Crossfire, people have never seen a car like it, and people will follow you to ask what it is. Never had someone say it is ugly in person. The car is beautiful.

This reaction doesn't surprise me on a G35 forum, you are obviously going to stick up for your car. Your car is faster. The Crossfire handles better. Your preference of styling can go either way, but the Crossfire will definitely get a bigger reaction from people, but that may fade with time.

http://www.crossfireforum.org

 

Mightyjlr, it sounds like you are trying to convince yourself to get a crossfire. You need to readup on reliability, as Mercedez is in the bottom 5, yes BOTTOM 5 in reliability (I created a post here recently, with the website). You keep making arguments that go against the reality. Sorry, but the back of the crossfire is just ugly, and it has a chrysler tag on it. It might look like a collectors car, but my G turns enough heads. I am sure if there was a pole for appeal, the G wouldn't loose out to the crossfire. My 2 cents.
In any case, good luck with your crossfire. All the best. Look out for the G's, with beautiful LED lights.