What should I look out for when buying used?

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

The one time a fellow BRZ driver waved hi to me on the road was actually an elderly lady in her brand new 50th anniversary BRZ.


To the OP, check to see that there are matching VIN stickers on the major body panels - hood, both front fenders, trunk, etc. If it is missing on that panel, most likely an accident.


I was in the market for a used BRZ for the longest time (~1 year). The price for decent ones were between $21k-23k (2015+ models). The ones that were more affordable were sketchy what's with all the "tasteful" mods, higher mileages, and missing VIN stickers. It's safe to say any of these used cars have been "driven as intended". I finally said eff it with looking for the right used one, and for the peace of mind... I just bought one new and never looked back.

I'm not in a rush to buy a new (to me) car. So because of that I can wait and be picky to find the right one. I like to buy a few year old car with low miles because, at that point, it's done with the big initial depreciation. Make more financial sense to me. I do think the new models look nice and have some nice factory upgrades done to them though! We'll see, I may end up doing the same as you, haha. Get tired of waiting and just get a new one.

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by 8RZ

Check the typical used car problem areas, oil or coolant leaks under the car, excessive smoke out the exhaust of engine bay, rust under the body, etc.


More importantly, test drive it and listen for any weird noises (fuel pump chirp is NORMAL).

I have test driven a used 2015 one before at a dealership just to see how I like the car. It didn't have the chirping noise, but It had the ticking noise which I believe is normal as well. I also didn't think it was as slow as a lot of people say. It's not super fast, but it's also not slow. I'd say it's a pretty peppy car.

Saw a reviewer once say that the BRZ was slow. Then in another review, he was reviewing some normal 4 door family sedan.. "It's pretty quick! Does 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds" Thought that was pretty funny.

[Chuckls]

Why did you leave discord?

[Sasquachulator]

Originally Posted by FineVisionz

I have test driven a used 2015 one before at a dealership just to see how I like the car. It didn't have the chirping noise, but It had the ticking noise which I believe is normal as well. I also didn't think it was as slow as a lot of people say. It's not super fast, but it's also not slow. I'd say it's a pretty peppy car.

Saw a reviewer once say that the BRZ was slow. Then in another review, he was reviewing some normal 4 door family sedan.. "It's pretty quick! Does 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds" Thought that was pretty funny.

its slow because you cannot mash gas and go...you have to downshift...
and it doesn't have 300hp and does 0-60 anywhere between 6-7 seconds....

fast nowadays is 400hp, instant go, and 0-60 in 5 seconds or less....
its actually quite ridiculous.

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by Chuckls

Why did you leave discord?

Haha, I'm surprised anyone noticed! It was an accident. I rejoined!

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

its slow because you cannot mash gas and go...you have to downshift...
and it doesn't have 300hp and does 0-60 anywhere between 6-7 seconds....

fast nowadays is 400hp, instant go, and 0-60 in 5 seconds or less....
its actually quite ridiculous.

Yeah, that makes sense because the BRZ's power band is in the higher RPMs so you have to get passed the torque dip that these cars have been cursed with.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by FineVisionz

Yeah, that makes sense because the BRZ's power band is in the higher RPMs so you have to get passed the torque dip that these cars have been cursed with.

LOL another torque dip hater that doesn't even own the car. There is no need to drive around above the dip all the time. For street driving it is a non issue. It may cost you a 100fh if a second on your drag strip times though.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by ST185RC

check the door frame lining where the window meets the rubber. mine has a nasty habit of getting pushed up after getting my door repainted due to someone sideswiping my car.

Does your window index 20mm, or 10mm?

[Adam_L]

Try for a 2016 FRS or BRZ , it's going on 3 years old now. $20k , probably with $25-35k miles , more dollars for less miles I'd think. Give it a try

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

LOL another torque dip hater that doesn't even own the car. There is no need to drive around above the dip all the time. For street driving it is a non issue. It may cost you a 100fh if a second on your drag strip times though.

I'm not hating. I just know it's a common complaint. When I test drove a BRZ, I didn't even find it to even be as bad as some people make it out to be. Quite a fun car to drive! Very peppy!

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by Adam_L

Try for a 2016 FRS or BRZ , it's going on 3 years old now. $20k , probably with $25-35k miles , more dollars for less miles I'd think. Give it a try

Hmmm, interesting. After you pointed this out, I did some research. The 2016 BRZ with less miles is around the same price if not a little bit cheaper than the 2015 BRZ Series.Blue with a little bit more miles.

[carsebuco]

If I were to buy used, I'd either go with 2013 or 2017. The biggest changes came to the 17, but the 13 has the lowest value which could, in turn, be used to fix the early issues.

I'd only ever go for 16 for Hyperblue. Boy, I love that color.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by FineVisionz

I'm not hating. I just know it's a common complaint. When I test drove a BRZ, I didn't even find it to even be as bad as some people make it out to be. Quite a fun car to drive! Very peppy!

Sorry regulars you have to sit though this story again but my final point is relevant.

I am very much an oddball on here since I had no clue these cars even existed until the day I bought one.
Although I had seen some of the concept stuff back in 2009 being a diehard DSM/Mitsubishi guy I did not follow either Toyota nor Subaru so did not know it was actually being built. One day in mid 2014 I was having my oil changed at the Mitsu dealer and got bored so decided to go next door to the Scion dealer to look at the tC that I had seen for the first time ever the weekend before.
I walked through the door and stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting in the middle of the showroom was a sleek, low, gleaming orange angel. I crawled in, under (well looked under), and all through it. After finally convincing a salesperson that I was indeed interested (not sure why they ignored a 55 year old guy in a Marylyn Manson tee shirt and ratty jeans) they let me take a nasty beat up trade in for a test drive. I had to have it even though my other car was only 2 years old and I would take a beating on trade in. We went back in and eventually hammered out a deal. Keep in mind I knew NOTHING about these cars.
So after leaving a deposit on the very first one I ever even knew existed (the one in the showroom) I went home and started doing research. I read dozens of reviews that very clearly said "needs more power". I though that the one I test drove seemed fine but OK maybe I didn't try to push it hard enough so missed something. I eventually stumbled across this forum and read all this stuff about the horrible "torque dip". I honestly started to have second thoughts and almost changed my mind based on the comments. I figured I would go ahead with the purchase but planned on getting a header, tune and supercharger to deal with this dip and lack of power. A few days later I took delivery and started my 4,000 miles a month driving. It took me all of 2 days to realize that the guys complaining about power and dip were just plain wrong.
So now at 120,000 miles the car remains as I picked it up and I have found that no performance enhancements have been needed. I have never had any issue passing anybody or merging due to the dip. Minivans do not smoke me on launch. Overall the car has proven to have very few of the "issues" that I read about.
Soooo... When I read statements from people that have no wheel refering to the dip or lack of power I automatically go into counterpoint mode.

[FineVisionz]

Originally Posted by carsebuco

If I were to buy used, I'd either go with 2013 or 2017. The biggest changes came to the 17, but the 13 has the lowest value which could, in turn, be used to fix the early issues.

I'd only ever go for 16 for Hyperblue. Boy, I love that color.

A 2017 would be nice. It's out of my price range though. One of the main reasons why I want a 2015, is the Series.Blue in WRB. I personally love the looks of that car. Comes with a lot of the exterior extras I would personally do, but installed by the factory.
When it comes to the 2013, I have heard to steer away from those because since they were the first year for the BRZ, they were more common for problems than other years. I am also looking for something with less than 35k miles. So all of that considered, the 2015 seems to be right in my sweet spot.