I won't comment on the cars because like you said, everyone has an opinion. But I would suggest different servos. In my experience, the standard metal gears in Hitec servos seem to wear pretty quick. I ran a 985 in my 8ight and it was sloppy by the time the season was half over. Ace or Associated XP (they are identical except for the labels) seem to hold up better and aren't super expensive. If you wanna stick with Hitec, I would recommend the titanium gear servos; a little more spendy, but great customer support.

I will say that my 8ight had lightning quick handling. It could change direction very easy. However, in rough corners, it seemed like there was no warning before it would get outta shape and traction roll. I started running an MBX6 late last season and it seemed to be nice compromise; still handled well (not quite as nimble) but I could tell if it was gonna get outta shape on our bumpy sweeper. Seemed to handle the rough better too. I also drove an RC8 and that thing was rock solid in the bumps. But for all I know, all these performance difference could be due to the different setups on each...