Reasons you sold/or are going to sell your brz/frs

[paros28]

It's human nature to not appreciate the things we have and to want the things we don't or cannot have.

This car is cheap to buy, insure, and maintain. I've got no payments. I won't worry about the repo man if my job situation changes. I don't think about where to park. I don't care about door ding or curb rash. I am not worried about flogging it or racking up a lot of miles. I am not concerned about depreciation or resale value. I don't lose sleep over potential visits to the Subaru service department.

Trade for 981 Cayman S? It has crossed my mind but no.

Peace of mind is priceless.

[Chauntalei]

One main reason, bad knees. I couldn't handle driving stick and commuting 80-100 miles round trip, every day, in stop/go traffic.

Had my BRZ for 2.5 years, loved it and still do. I could have traded it in towards an automatic, but I saw an opportunity to not just change from manual > auto, but also to upgrade in terms of ride/interior quality. The ride in my BRZ was rough in the best of conditions, and the interior quality, other than the seats, was lacking. Rattles, squeaky panels, the clunky/dated satnav, etc.

Shopped around, settled on a brand new MINI Cooper S. Went full tech package, sport automatic, the works. Final price came out very close to the same as my BRZ was when I bought it, and the difference is night and day. The car feels like a bonafide BMW inside, just with MINI badges instead of the roundel.

MCS has similar hp/weight (real world dyno is around 205 at the crank, and the MCS A/T sits at 2790lbs) to the BRZ, but with bucket loads more torque. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I had it. FWD is really my only gripe, but honestly, I'm not tracking it at all, so that doesn't matter to me in the grand scheme of things.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by Chauntalei

One main reason, bad knees. I couldn't handle driving stick and commuting 80-100 miles round trip, every day, in stop/go traffic.

That's funny. I have bad knees, and the twist required for getting into and out of a Mini Cooper S automatic made me miserable. No problems in the FR-S.

[Chauntalei]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

That's funny. I have bad knees, and the twist required for getting into and out of a Mini Cooper S automatic made me miserable. No problems in the FR-S.

I sit fairly far back, so getting in and out of the MINI is no problem at all. Were you getting into/out of the last gen or the new 3rd gen models?

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by Chauntalei

I sit fairly far back, so getting in and out of the MINI is no problem at all. Were you getting into/out of the last gen or the new 3rd gen models?

2nd gen. 2012, probably. It was a loaner for about a week. Thanks BMW. I was actually terribly disappointed in almost everything about the Cooper S. It wasn't as fast in a straight line or around a corner as I'd hoped. When I test drove the 1st gen Cooper S Works, the suspension could shake the skin off fried chicken. Totally disappointing too. Perhaps the third gen is some other beast, but I doubt that's the case.

[ap5512]

Has anyone gotten rid of the twins due to reliability issues, mechanical issues or for any of the reasons mentioned in the issues forum (DI seals, oil leaks, etc.)?

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by ap5512

Has anyone gotten rid of the twins due to reliability issues, mechanical issues or for any of the reasons mentioned in the issues forum (DI seals, oil leaks, etc.)?

Yes, I didn't read these all thoroughly but they definitely have been lemon lawed for various reasons. I also distinctly remember someone posting here that they didn't buy one because of the chirping fuel pump, called it 'broken'

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62925

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44545
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46941
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23113
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16279

I don't think many people lemon lawed a DI seal failure as it's tricky for most people to replicate a failure within a timeframe that would invoke a lemon law (the replacement can be done within two days with parts on hand and it takes severe driving for at least a handful of hours for symptoms to develop).

[RustyShackleford]

I'm taking my car to the dealership tomorrow as I have a CEL/SL thrown for code P000B ("B" camshaft position slow response). Car still seems to be driving fine with no noises or anything else and I'm not having the associated idle hunting issues people seem to have with the cam-related CELs.

If it ends up turning into a huge issue I'll definitely move onto something else but even if it doesn't I'm going to consider other options anyway. I really like the car but at this point in my life I need something a bit more practical for everyday driving. No clue what I'll get but I'm considering a few things depending on how much I'd get for the car.

[donoman]

I don't have a BRZ/FR-S yet but a major reason I'm on this forum researching is because I want a daily driver that gets 28MPG+, <$30K, RWD and RELIABLE.

Do you guys view the car as reliable?

[EAGLE5]

Compared to a BMW, it's wonderfully reliable. Not quite as good as your average Toyota, though.

[PollosHermanos]

I guess I haven't really considered selling it - but I've gven myself a realistic timeline for how long it will be a luxury I can really afford to keep around.

Not to say that it's a luxury car but what I mean is that since kids will be in our future in the next year or so it's a fair bet that the BRZ will be on the way out when they are on the way in.

Who knows, if we are in a house with a garage by then and I can make it work with the BRZ as a fun summer only car then I will. Such a blast to drive I just can't imagine removing that sounce of fun from every day heading to work.

Everything else now feels like a fucking mini-van, you know? Size-wise, driving-positon-wise, and especially handling-wise. I don't know what would feel acceptable after this

For the reliability people I've had my twin for 13 months, 13k miles and I've had one warranty visit for a loose driver's side window motor. Took about an hour and I've been good to go ever since. I've gone to 5-6 autocrosses and drive spiritedy.

Annnnnd writing about driving the car makes me want to go outside and drive the car.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by donoman

I don't have a BRZ/FR-S yet but a major reason I'm on this forum researching is because I want a daily driver that gets 28MPG+, <$30K, RWD and RELIABLE.

Do you guys view the car as reliable?

Yes, 2 years and 34k on the odometer, a couple track days and autox with one fixable check engine light that was caused by hard driving and fixed with a $100 replacement part and two hours worth of time. It's never left me stranded or done anything unexpected

Problems come around if you are a picky owner (it makes noises it's broken!) or if you really abuse it (the OEM stuff will need upgrades, brakes, rubber, suspension, axles, etc.). It is a $25k Subaru and you have to pay to play.

[ARTBRZ]

I'm also wondering why individuals who finished modding their cars suddenly sell it. Do people recoup the money that they invest into their cars? Is their a good market for that? Just curious.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by ARTBRZ

I'm also wondering why individuals who finished modding their cars suddenly sell it. Do people recoup the money that they invest into their cars? Is their a good market for that? Just curious.

No they almost always lose money.

There are a couple reasons: boredom, the thrill is in the building and hunting less of the driving and owning, irresponsible or shortsightedness too much money tied up in the car, baby on the way, realizing it isn't what they wanted and that car X is a better fit, grass is always greener.

This car has limitations, it will be very difficult to make it as fast as a >$50k sports car unless you're willing to shell out nearly as much or more and deal with the unreliability or maintenance, there are already over 60,000 on the roads there is no uniqueness, you will line up with a dozen others with similar mawds at the car show, you will never measure up to a V8 owner with a similar budget in a straight line.

The value of this car is in it's most basic form: lightweight, fun, attainable, reliable. When you try to stretch it beyond it's limits sacrifices must be made whether your goal is a laptime, a strip time, or a trophy from a car show, there are easier and cheaper paths to all three depending on your mindset.

If you can wade through this and make sense of it, this guy tried to make his BRZ into a Porsche killer and failed, it's only a few pages back:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=25