talk me out of buying other cars and wait for the 86!

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by pastuch

You're the Korean version of me! I've driven almost every car on your list and I agree with almost every comment you made. I'm also a former WRX and G35 owner, now I'm driving an NA Miata that I love but I hate the Girls's car stigma.

1. The newer model WRX in the US is a terrific value... it's too expensive in Canada, so much so that it's a rip off. Have you considered a newer WRX? (You didn't mention what year yours is) (Driven)

2. Fact: Infiniti's least reliable car is the G37 but it's still more reliable than a Corvette. I'm surprised you said the Infiniti interior is "Gorgeous", I found it a total let down. The silver center console makes me (Driven)

3. The Genesis Coupe vs G37 argument is one I agonized over but in the end I decided neither was right. I've driven several of each car. My G35 was a reliability nightmare but if the FR-S disappoints I'll probably buy an 09 G37 anyway because so few cars impress me. (Driven Many)

4. 370z is Nissans least reliable model and it's less practical than a Miata. While it's an undoubtedly sexy car I was disappointed with the ride, steering and mostly the M6 tranny. I'm very picky about Manual Transmission feel and Nissan/Infinitis have let me down every time. (Driven)

5. VWs definitely aren't my taste and the reliability statistics and parts pricing keep me out of their dealerships. Haven't had the chance to try an R32 yet.

6. Haven't driven the Boxster but I'm sure it's stellar. My Dad's 1994 911 C2 is out-fucking-standing! Why not look at an 08 Cayman? It's a little more practical and about equal on the fun scale.

7. Miatas are for girls. I own one and getting made fun of at every light sucks. Trust me. Also chicks don't respect men in Miatas.

8. I haven't like the look of one BMW since Chris Bangle started designing them in 2003. He's a fucking retard. The entire E90 generation of 3 series look like Camrys. The E30, E36 and E46 were all beautiful in their own way but the E90 is just brutal. I HATE that car. (Driven)

9. If you want to pay to store your car at a maintenance garage buy a Mini.

10. I agree with everything you said about the RX8. It's an absolute joy to drive, I love the torque curve, the steering and most of all the orgasmic transmission. I don't like 10MPG, rotary reliability and horrible resale value.(Driven many)

11. RSX-S is a boat. Understeer like mad with horrible quality interior and it's pretty old at this point. (Driven)

12. I got to drive an S2000 this fall, mint 2004 with low mileage, WOW! Maybe the best manual transmission I've ever tried.It has to be the smallest interior and least practical car on this list though.

13. "promises to be the exact car i have been wanting, but just worried that it may be a bit too hardcore for me to drive everyday. 2 liter square boxer motor will feel great when revving to the redline but when i want to just cruise, will it settle down and drive quietly? will it have the torque to pull me over the hills without downshifting? if it really turns out to be a bargain cayman with rear seats, this will be the perfect car for me, but as i have stated before, i feel like i dont have the spirit like the most of you on this forum. cayman/boxster package is amazing because it has the performance AND the comfort IMO... but asking for that at a price of $25k and under is nonsense to begin with."

Your more of a Tuner than I am. I think a huge number of us won't be planning FI or Turbo swaps. I want a FUN TO DRIVE car with decent comfort. I plan on buying an FR-S and driving it 'mostly stock' for years. Like you said about your friends NB Miata, power and torque numbers don't mean much. I don't think expecting this car around $25k is unrealistic at all given the sparse interior and weak economy. I'm more worried it will become a "girls car" because it looks cool.

Just want to share this again... Consumer Reports 2011 Brand reliability chart

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by mokinbird87

expensive maintenance, poor fuel efficiency, heavy steering at low speeds, etc... meh. i`m sure it makes sprited driving very fun, but i drive like a regular person, cruising at about 90% of the time. i also want something either equivalent or newer than 2003 year model.

Actually the E46 M3 is a GREAT cruiser, it's a horrible spirited driving/track car.

I'm not convinced that you've driven these cars based on some things you've written. :shrug:

[pastuch]

Originally Posted by fatoni

the build quality on the c6 is good (albeit a strange interior design), i dont know where you are getting that from.

Consumer Reports for one... build quality is average with common issues being Electrical systems, engine cooling, squeaks and rattles.

[mokinbird87]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Actually the E46 M3 is a GREAT cruiser, it's a horrible spirited driving/track car.

I'm not convinced that you've driven these cars based on some things you've written. :shrug:

i have not driven the e46 m3 but all the other cars i have driven.

[mokinbird87]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Consumer Reports for one... build quality is average with common issues being Electrical systems, engine cooling, squeaks and rattles.

i overlooked the terrible interior design because the car offers so much go (i still cannot forgive the chevy designers for choosing the enigine on/off button with the most craptastic plastic button when that is the button you press to turn the car on EVERY time). however, as soon as i opened the rear glass hatch and saw the rear fenders with every single bolts not lining up properly from the designated holes i was speechless. i sort of expected the build quality to be bad, and i drive a wrx so its no winner in that segment either, but the corvette seems to be built together by blind people that are missing at least 2 fingers on each hands really.

[Ryephile]

Wait until the 86 arrives at dealers and drive one before making a decision on your next car. That's what I'm doing. If the 86 ends up being as good as the media has portrayed, it'll be an easy sale. Right now you should be narrowing down your top picks by determining what attributes you value greatest [i.e. social stigma, steering & chassis feel, powertrain experience, cargo capacity, fuel economy, brand loyalty, etc.]

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Wait until the 86 arrives at dealers and drive one before making a decision on your next car. That's what I'm doing. If the 86 ends up being as good as the media has portrayed, it'll be an easy sale. Right now you should be narrowing down your top picks by determining what attributes you value greatest [i.e. social stigma, steering & chassis feel, powertrain experience, cargo capacity, fuel economy, brand loyalty, etc.]

An easy sale if that's what you want in a car.. there will be a lot of people that will hate this car after driving it I'm betting. That's fine too, different people have different needs/wants.

From his list he doesn't seem to have any specific type of car that he wants..

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

An easy sale if that's what you want in a car.. there will be a lot of people that will hate this car after driving it I'm betting. That's fine too, different people have different needs/wants.

From his list he doesn't seem to have any specific type of car that he wants..

Why do you think this? I'm betting that it has a pretty good comfort level even though it sounds like a spectacularly good handling car. That is one of the main benefits of dropping the CoG, less spring is needed to resist roll, dive, etc... And probably a design goal as well. They are trying to cast a pretty wide net, I think.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Dimman

Why do you think this? I'm betting that it has a pretty good comfort level even though it sounds like a spectacularly good handling car. That is one of the main benefits of dropping the CoG, less spring is needed to resist roll, dive, etc... And probably a design goal as well. They are trying to cast a pretty wide net, I think.

A few reasons, a lot going off the reviews. Reviews have commented that the ride is somewhat stiff, not unpleasant, but stiff. Some people hate that. Reviews have stated that the car is loud. Some people hate that too. Space is very limited, some people will hate that too. Some will hate it because it doesn't beat a new pickup truck in street racing. A Legacy buyer might take one for a drive and abolutely hate it because it's not like a Legacy. We all know that, but there will be plenty that simply don't like the car because of what it is... and then there will be those of us who absolutely love the car.

Some of the reviews reminded me of the reviews of the ITR, and plenty of people absolutely hated the ITR.

Oh and my comment wasn't specifically meant to relate to the people on here.. I think most if not everyone here "gets it"...

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

A few reasons, a lot going off the reviews. Reviews have commented that the ride is somewhat stiff, not unpleasant, but stiff. Some people hate that. Reviews have stated that the car is loud. Some people hate that too. Space is very limited, some people will hate that too. Some will hate it because it doesn't beat a new pickup truck in street racing. A Legacy buyer might take one for a drive and abolutely hate it because it's not like a Legacy. We all know that, but there will be plenty that simply don't like the car because of what it is... and then there will be those of us who absolutely love the car.

Some of the reviews reminded me of the reviews of the ITR, and plenty of people absolutely hated the ITR.

Oh and my comment wasn't specifically meant to relate to the people on here.. I think most if not everyone here "gets it"...

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

A few reasons, a lot going off the reviews. Reviews have commented that the ride is somewhat stiff, not unpleasant, but stiff. Some people hate that. Reviews have stated that the car is loud. Some people hate that too. Space is very limited, some people will hate that too. Some will hate it because it doesn't beat a new pickup truck in street racing. A Legacy buyer might take one for a drive and abolutely hate it because it's not like a Legacy. We all know that, but there will be plenty that simply don't like the car because of what it is... and then there will be those of us who absolutely love the car.

Some of the reviews reminded me of the reviews of the ITR, and plenty of people absolutely hated the ITR.

Oh and my comment wasn't specifically meant to relate to the people on here.. I think most if not everyone here "gets it"...

I was thinking of the general 'sporty coupe' potential buyer that it will be marketed to, in addition to the enthusiasts (base Integra/Celica/Civic coupe buyers). I think the primary deal breaker would be comfort and features for them.

It looks like they are trying to generate a high level of 'credibility' with the enthusiasts that will indirectly market to the coupe-buyers. "Dave-ROR bought an FR-S, and he RACES! It must be good!" But at the same time, it can't really be as harsh as the ITR, which cared less about the non-enthusiast buyers, they had RS and GS-Rs available for them. So I think it is trying to span the ITR and base markets.

[ashtray]

OP: you could do what I did and buy an NA Miata to keep along with your WRX. I've had my WRX for 9 years now, the Miata for the past 4. I do find myself driving the Miata at least half the time, and almost any time that I want to have fun driving.

The WRX I drive when it rains (so about 5-10 days/yr), when I need more space, when I want more comfort, when I'm in a rush (it may not corner as fast, but it takes off in the straights - Cobb Stage 2), etc.

I'm trying to wait for the BRZ, but if they can't get me the color/pkg I want before December 2012 (limited availability), I may consider other options. The BRZ seems like the perfect blend between the WRX and Miata though.

[Vasilis]

I cannot comment on the other cars I have not the joy to drive them (I like mostly older cars so my experience is with them) buuut I wanted to comment on the RX8 as a current owner of one and also looking into the GT86/BRZ.

I'm at 61k miles, compression is high as it should, so far only maintenance I've done is just servicing/tires (the regular stuff), replacing the coils once (at 61k miles), putting in a new clutch (also at 61k miles - didn't fail but I had the cash to do it and wanted to start fixing / replacing things, freshen it up a bit !).

So if you asked *me* about the reliability I'd say it's top notch... I guess it rotaries are more sensitive to the care drivers show to them or the mechanics they choose also! A lot of garages treat them like piston engines leading to failures and horror stories...

10mpg ? I never managed to do that even when driving it like a bat out of hell

I'd say my average is 17-20mpg and I really redline it at least once (or twice :P) per session... It's so addicting that I itch to do it :P

What else? Well, it's not really a 2+2, it feels like more a 4 seater (I even had passengers 6ft tall and they were happy - for long trips too). Has a nice usable boot, my complaint is the smaller openning than you'd expect so some items may not fit the openning but they'd fit if you somehow managed to get them in there :P


Sometimes the general public opinion about rotaries is not very close to the truth. Sure, there are horror stories for every car but it depends on the care given. Personally I had a Toyota MR2 engine blow on me - Not even the turbo one! If I tell this to someone they tell me I'm a liar, Toyota engines don't blow up

Talking about public stigma and so on, we have an MX5 NB in the family. 150,000 miles, just servicing, oil changes and tires
It really is a 50-50 case tho, you either consider it not to be a mans car and don't feel comfortable in it or you just don't care and feel confident and enjoy it However, if you forget the stigma and just drive it, an MX5 is really a great drivers car just lacks practicality.

If I had room, I'd have an NC in my garage any day !

Anyway I talk too much so I'll finish up
I love the AE86 heritage however as well as the rotary cult and the fact my car is also paid off makes me think really hard if it's worth jumping on the GT86 wagon

Depends on the final price when it comes to my country I guess... Also I don't know about you guys but for us here in Cyprus within the EU, a rotary engine is taxed as a 1308cc engine (56eur per year road tax / $75 USD) but a 2000cc GT86 will be ~220eur / ~$300 USD).

You have to consider if the GT86 is really worth 20,000$ (or whatever the price difference would be) over your current Subaru.

We also own a Subaru Forester 2.0 Turbo in the family and even if it does look dated, I've never driven an SUV that even holds a candle to it

The fact i used to be a Toyota fan + my newly discovered admiration for boxer engines led me here to the GT-86