When did you "know"?

[dpesce]

The Shitstang blew another head gasket! Mazda had 240K miles on it and couldn't pass inspection without another $500 thrown at it. BRZ was just staring at me with those little puppy dog eyes, got 0% and 3K off MSRP. Pulled the trigger and never looked back!

[calidus]

I knew when I realized that I would have to spend another 10k to get a car that I would enjoy more.

[DeepHunta]

I am a big fan of Initial D.

When that anime was showing around 2009, the FT-86 concept came out. They said it was the spiritual successor to the AE86 and that it will be a production car. So I decided at that moment.

What sucks, is I had to wait 3 friggin years for the car. Talk about patience.

[Kuri]

Never thought I would own a BRZ.

I first looked at it when it debuted, and I was like NOPE. NO FI, NO Buy!

Now I commute to work and it was hurting in gas with a 2008 WRX
-Transmission issues

It was time for me to trade it in. I wanted it before I test drove it but as soon as I plopped in for a test drive. I had to have it.
-Better Cornering then 08 WRX
-Lower to ground then 08 WRX
-Always wanted RWD and it was a first subaru in years to not have awd

I was astounded to how it handled stock vs stock 2008 wrx.

I had a tune + TBE + 25mm FR/22MM Rear Sways + STI Pinks etc.

If anyone didn't know, 2008 owners got shafted by the 2009 models having optionals (2008) as standard (2009). stiffer suspension setup, bigger turbo, etc.

[d3lirious]

Originally Posted by weepel

Yeah, definitely some better selection that what we get here stateside - Peugeot, Honda Euro (many of which are badged as Acuras here), Renault, Citroen etc... too bad it's all twice as expensive! Although I was amazed at the number of Quattroporte rolling around town!

i was driving an Accord Euro before my BRZ... still got it, so many of them here

yeah... my brz was expensive, Subaru was so "strictly no discounts"!
i got the premuim pack and the sti pack... walked out 52k (AUD) less ... haha

[jeffchap]

I knew as soon as I test drove my #2 choice, a Civic Si. It drove just like my teenage daughter's Civic LX-S. That was enough for me.

[Dave-ROR]

I actually like the BRZ for road trips. It's quiet (well quieter than my other cars anyways). Has low RPMs on the highway (again compared to my other cars). Has sat radio which repeats as much as pandora but the two combined make it work. Has acceptable space and gets good fuel economy.

Sadly I'm spoiled by power in my other cars and if I keep my BRZ it will be boosted

[CatDaddysBBQ]

I (like many of us) was engrossed with the 4+ years of concepts, spy pics, speculation, etc and could not wait until the car came out to the market. I was currently driving a reasonably modded MKV Gti, so I was definitely set back a bit (like many of us) when the HP/TQ specs came out about 5 months prior to release, but not deterred completely. I really wanted to get into a RWD car, and had little use for a mustang/camaro with my 50+ mile round trip commute for work. A light, good handling 4cyl sports car was really what I was looking for.

When the early reviews started coming up, and hearing how drift happy it was with the prius tires, etc, I got happy and excited again. When Chris Harris was drifting it around the circuit and absolutely loved it, I basically was all-in.

Then I started reading the size specs, and how it was closer to a miata in size than a genesis or something and got really worried. I am nearly 6'3" and 235lbs with a loooong torso, and have not fit well in anything that size since I was 10 years old. I can't fit in s2000's, gen 1/2 miatas, Nissan Z's, early boosters, etc.

I had to wait until the Chicago auto show to get in one and see if it would work. But 2 weeks before the show, I blew my knee out, and had two surgeries. I wouldn't actually be able to walk for 3 months, let alone hop in and out of sports cars.

I finally sat in one at a subaru dealership a few months later. It was tight, but totally do-able. I went home and adjusted my GTI seat a bit further forward to mimic the new driving position I'd be in if I did get the 86. After a few days, I realized that it was worth it.

IT wasn't until a few months after that it was financially a good time to trade up. I still hadn't driven one of the twins yet, and I needed to finally make up my mind, as i couldn't think about much else for the previous months...

I knew it would be fun, i was worried about the lack of torque, and the daily driving experience. That would be the killer - putting to and from work for nearly two hours of misery each day.

So my test drive was interesting. The dealership I bought it from shares a "test track" with the other local dealers on the block. It's neat - there's a little handling area, a few good turns, and if you're driving a 4wd, there's a steep dirt hill to climb and descend as well. Neat.

I actually told the guy "hey, I know what this thing can do, I really need to see if it is dreadful to putt around in". So I lugged it around, did a few 2nd gear starts from a stop. I found it not to be as bad as I feared (so much more tug than an anemic honda motor), so then I said "ok, now I need to turn the t/c off and slide it a bit". He answered "let's do it".

Fast forward 90 min, and i'm driving it home. Haven't regretted it a day since. Sure, I miss the 250lb/ft of torque that a chipped 2.0t motor can make, but I get to slide the ass out every single day with ease under 30mph. There is no substitute. I adore this car.

[meeskee2]

It was back in late 2012. I was looking around at new cars, Maxima, Altima, EvoX, WRX. One day I see this commercial for Scion FR-S and I start watching and reading reviews online, thats when I found the BRZ. I was hooked! Even better once I found out that my car insurance would be lower with the BRZ than my 08 Lancer I had at the time. Picked up my my BRZ slightly used (3,000 miles) in Feb 2013. Best car I have ever owned.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by Flo

I find this true more often than not. Every time I go ride my motorcycle in a group there is aways some bad ass on a 1000cc super sport that goes real fast on the highway but falls to the back of the group once we reach the real roads.

Someone else here (I wish I could quote it but I read it before I registered) said he is still learning how to be properly fast with 200hp. You don't need more power to be a better driver you need more skill.

From your posting it sure sounds like a BRZ would be a good match for you.

Just think of it this way: what you really want is a Lotus, but you're getting a BRZ instead because it's so much more practical.

[Turkish]

I test drove both the BRZ and a WRX, both were fun to drive. I thought about how much I would think about "what if I bought... instead" with both. I then realized that if I bought the WRX, I would always wonder about if I had bought the BRZ instead. No such feeling with the BRZ.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

From your posting it sure sounds like a BRZ would be a good match for you.

Just think of it this way: what you really want is a Lotus, but you're getting a BRZ instead because it's so much more practical.

That, or a catterham .

Seriously, OP, sounds like a brz is exactly what you're looking for.

On phone I am. Therefore, if mistakes I make, Frank Oz blame you should.

[mjh712]

Bought mine in Sept 2013 when the Accord lease I was driving ended, my parents ended up buying out the Accord for my siblings use.

[gily25]

I was searching for a used Cayman and not finding one that I could afford that didn't have hideous things done to it or high miles. I decided I needed to wait for the Porsche but I wanted a sport car so bad I started looking on cars.com app under "coupe" body style, filtered by RWD and sorted by price. I was hoping maybe I would see a specific Genesis, Camaro, or Mustang that would pop out at me (color, package, great deal) but instead the FR-S popped up and I wondered how the little bugger got past me. I spent the rest of the day obsessing, then I started tracking them down. Chose the BRZ over the FR-S simply because the Scion dealer was a jerk and Subaru was willing to negotiate below the FR-S "pure price."

Note that...the BRZ is a blast to drive, the MT has decent pick-up if you shift high, it has a sporty interior and a backseat, the trunk is a decent size, it gets good mpg, it's a head turner, you'll smile everytime you walk up to it, there is a lot of aftermarket support...etc etc...however...there are TSBs for rattles and leaks and crickets, not every child seat fits, the backseat is small, there aren't any storage cubbies, there's no armest, it doesn't have luxury finishes, there's a lot of haters, you'll need snow tires if you have winter, and number 1...this car is going to open up something inside you that wants more power. It just happens that way...the car isn't really "underpowered" it just begins to feel that one once your inner "Mario Andretti" is awakened. *2 cents*