Hi .. I am an RX-8 driver, so will admit to being biased.

What has made the RX-8 for me is:

1) The engine is just so so sweet ... buzzes all the way to 9k and just loves to do the whole rev range.

2) It just grabs attention everywhere it goes ... every day I end up being accosted by some new stranger who wants to talk to me about it

3) It handles like a dream

4) It's a nice place to be when you're on a long boring journey ... looks nice in there and is really comfortable

5) It's much more practical that the crossfire ... 4 seat, 4 door, and a decent sized boot with a better opening.


Downsides:

1) You need to get in the right gear to get the most out of it ... so lazy drivers forget it! For me, I quite enjoy flipping from 6th to 3rd and rocketing past everyone.

2) Fuel economy is non-existent.

3) The back end isn't that pretty to look at

4) Oil needs topping up every 2500 miles

All-in-all, these are both good coupes, but I chose the RX-8 for it's "daring to be different" from a technology perspective. The crossfire is a lovely looking car, but at the end of the day (for me at least) relies on good old fashioned merc SLK mechanics.