need some advice on a used 86

[soundman98]

Fyi, 15 was a midcycle refresh for the platform, so besides the tweaks to the motor mechanicals, they also added stiffening plates in key areas throughout the frame that the 13-14 don't have.

Which would make a '15+ to be slightly more preferable, but not a deal breaker.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by soundman98

Fyi, 15 was a midcycle refresh for the platform, so besides the tweaks to the motor mechanicals, they also added stiffening plates in key areas throughout the frame that the 13-14 don't have.

Which would make a '15+ to be slightly more preferable, but not a deal breaker.

That was in 17 not 15.

[soundman98]

oh the years, they run together...

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by coolguy1o1

So Im specifically looking for a 2015 frs with under 60000 miles. I heard the 13-14 had some problems which were resolved with the 15. Is this right? Also the 15 is more in my price range than the 16-17. Im looking to get a AT, are there are major issues with this transmission? Is there anything else I should look for? I found a 15 with 46000 miles for 15.5k, which I think i can get for at least 15K. Would that be a fair price for that year and mileage? Any help would be really appreciated.

I have a 2015 AT that's been running like a top and reached 48k recently. I've had a majority of scheduled maintenance done at the dealer by simply asking right off the maintenance schedule and having it done. Only "technical issues" I ran into transmission wise was buggering them to to do the TCM update when the car was new, and a recall that was done to make it so you can slide the key out in drive. They've applied those two recall/TSB in the past and it's been absolutely perfect.

Don't listen to the clueless people saying it's dumb or slow, it's very fast and the only time I've noticed it lagging behind is before the software update and when comparing it to other dual cars or the newer 8 speeds. This car can definitely be killer in auto form with 4.88 gears if that's the only mod you do. Make sure you call a dealer and have the owner of the car you want to buy take it there, it's worth it. As well as run carfax on the VIN, alot of times if it's at a well maintained dealer you'll see more than just the registration renewal stuff, you'll see actual work that's been done to the car.

[coolguy1o1]

So the car looks in great condition and is completely stock. I’m kind of reluctant because the CARFAX shows no history of any maintenance but this could just mean he did the maintenance himself. I won’t know if it’s good until I test drive it. But I’m planning to go in a week or two and finally get rid of my retarded bmw.

[soundman98]

anytime i see 'carfax', it reminds me of this:

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trus...8#.UbOr4_nrxyU

it's typical sensationalist crappy journalism, but the main takeaway is that carfax is a aggregate of vehicle information. there is no law requiring anyone to report anything to them, just as there's no requirement that they need to collect anything. the sole drive they have is to collect your money from looking up any specific vin.

so while i still always do carfax's on vehicles that i'm serious about, i still highly recommend either training yourself to look for signs of damage, or taking it to an experienced auto body guy and/or mechanic to be inspected.

personal story-- i bought a 2001 eclipse around 2008, at the time where carfax was heavily pushing it's services. the dealer shoved the clean carfax in my face, appearing to show the entire registration history of the car with no accidents and i bought it, no other questions asked. a year later after an accident, i took it to a family friends body shop for the repair, and within 5 minutes of pulling it in, he showed me how it was rear-ended hard enough to tweak the door alignment, some rear wheel well overspray, and the parts that they had replaced and tweaked in the trunk area.

TLDR: carfax is good to check, but trust it like a used car salesman--re-check yourself, and never trust only in what the report says.

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by soundman98

anytime i see 'carfax', it reminds me of this:

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trus...8#.UbOr4_nrxyU

it's typical sensationalist crappy journalism, but the main takeaway is that carfax is a aggregate of vehicle information. there is no law requiring anyone to report anything to them, just as there's no requirement that they need to collect anything. the sole drive they have is to collect your money from looking up any specific vin.

so while i still always do carfax's on vehicles that i'm serious about, i still highly recommend either training yourself to look for signs of damage, or taking it to an experienced auto body guy and/or mechanic to be inspected.

personal story-- i bought a 2001 eclipse around 2008, at the time where carfax was heavily pushing it's services. the dealer shoved the clean carfax in my face, appearing to show the entire registration history of the car with no accidents and i bought it, no other questions asked. a year later after an accident, i took it to a family friends body shop for the repair, and within 5 minutes of pulling it in, he showed me how it was rear-ended hard enough to tweak the door alignment, some rear wheel well overspray, and the parts that they had replaced and tweaked in the trunk area.

TLDR: carfax is good to check, but trust it like a used car salesman--re-check yourself, and never trust only in what the report says.

This as well, reports can easily be doctored with pdf editors and low level OCR technology. Best to look up the cars yourself instead of trusting the report someone throws at you.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by FRSBRZGT86FAN

This as well, reports can easily be doctor with pdf editors and low level OCR technology. Best to look up the cars yourself instead of trusting the report someone throws at you.

yeah, i never did look up the carfax myself. at that point i was sort of stuck with it--the family friend poured over that past repair and gave it a stamp of approval, so i never pursued it anymore..

when i sold it, i was upfront about the entire history as i knew it before the new buyer ever looked up the carfax for it. live and learn i guess.

[iag48st]

I bought a 14 BRZ with 60k, rear minor damage reported BUT it was certified pre owned which to me is a big plus. $14,999.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by soundman98

TLDR: carfax is good to check, but trust it like a used car salesman--re-check yourself, and never trust only in what the report says.

Aerial reconnaissance will give you an idea but nothing beats boots on the ground.