hmmm im goin to look at a 8v one... they any good? seems a big difference in that an a 16v
Obviously in acceleration terms the 16v has the upper hand with the extra power and torque. Don't believe anyone that trys to tell you otherwise, the 16v has more of both all the way through the rev range.
If it's not outright power you're after then go for the 8v. If you're not sure then try both and see which you prefer. Look at a few before buying though, because there can be big differences in performance between the same models after all these years of abuse!
