ive driven the rx8 and countless new mustangs. i really feell your giving up nothing in buying a mustang versus the rx8. in fact i think the performance of the mustang is far superior in terms of performance. the handling difference would hardly even be noticeable in street driving. most people cant push either car to their limit on the street. the finickiness of the rotary engine and the complete lack of torque i think is every reason to not buy an rx8. the mustang jus kills it in acceleration. now aftermarket? forget about it. i think in the first 2 months the new mustang was out it killed the rx8 as far as performance parts goes.