Drive them both and see which you like best, (or has someone already said that
)
Personally I would go for the RX-8 on a survey I saw about people claiming on car warranties Mazda had the least claims, meaning possibly that there cars don’t breakdown as much as others?? Also as Mazda is owned / part owned by Ford there should be no probs getting parts if needed.
My Father has a RX-8 but has to keep topping up the oil as it burns a lot so you’ll need to factor that cost in, but it is great to drive and a lot of fun.
I’ve got a Volvo XC90 and must say I love it, would be perfect for those icy conditions. Other car is a Mazda MX-5 which is a lot of fun to drive.