Considering the BRZ as a second car?

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by ermax

As long as it's your experience and opinion. Bye bye.

This wasn't about you, but about the OP. Every driver has his own experience and opinion especially on manual transmission can be relevant. But it looks that you are too childish and stubborn to understand this.

By the way, I saw your youtube channel. Nothing professional their and just a project playing with headlights and playing a lot of computer games. If you are a real professional you should promote a bit better your work. Then you'll get respect.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Pilot1226

How about TPMS sensors - I've used the QuickSet in the past, but I couldn't wake up the sensors that were in a factory sleep mode and had to pay a local shop a few bucks (not much) to "wake them up" using a tire tool.

When I swapped rims, I just got a new set of TPMS modules and loaded them using the Quickset. I had to drive it down the block for the car to recognize them, but then it was fine. I don't recall seeing anyone complaining that they had an issue resetting their factory rims after swapping back from winter. (Mine are not winter rims, but RPF1s. I kept my original TPMS in the original rims in case I ever decided to go back to stock.)

You shouldn't have any trouble finding a set of winter rims. 5x100 is used on a variety of GM, Toyota and VW vehicles.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

This wasn't about you, but about the OP. Every driver has his own experience and opinion especially on manual transmission can be relevant. But it looks that you are too childish and stubborn to understand this.

By the way, I saw your youtube channel. Nothing professional their and just a project playing with headlights and playing a lot of computer games. If you are a real professional you should promote a bit better your work. Then you'll get respect.

Sorry, I'm not interested in random strangers on the internet respecting me. I'm not looking to become an internet personality. Not only that but I've been working on cars long before the internet boom much less YouTube. Judging someone's technical ability off their YouTube channel. Hahaha. I do have some driving footage but I'm not interested in that being publicly visible to insurance companies, also why I don't use my real name on car forums.

But I'm flattered you are stalking me.

And BTW, I wasn't "playing with the headlights". I'm a software dev and I was testing some code I wrote that controls lights (among other things) via CAN bus.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by ermax

Sorry, I'm not interested in random strangers on the internet respecting me. I'm not looking to become an internet personality. Not only that but I've been working on cars long before the internet boom much less YouTube. Judging someone's technical ability off their YouTube channel. Hahaha. I do have some driving footage but I'm not interested in that being publicly visible to insurance companies, also why I don't use my real name on car forums.

But I'm flattered you are stalking me.

You are not looking to become an internet personality, but you suggest people to trust you.

I just like people to be serious and not pretend to be something else of what they are in reality. Especially on topics that people want help on their decision to buy or not a particular car.

There are other topics here that we can be more relaxed and have fun, but not on the particular one. This is not a computer game and since you are a software engineer you should know better.

I don't have anything with you and I'll not continue to stalk you. You just caught my attention and thats all.

[extrashaky]

It's pathetically hilarious that someone would create a YouTube channel to shout to the world, "Hey look at me!" and then accuse anybody of "stalking" him when they mention his channel.

That would be like Donald Trump complaining that people were "stalking" him when they criticize his tweets. "I have the best tweets and videos, the best, believe me, but if you watch them you're a stalker. Stalkin' Niki. So sad."

[ermax]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

You are not looking to become an internet personality, but you suggest people to trust you.

I just like people to be serious and not pretend to be something else of what they are in reality. Especially on topics that people want help on their decision to buy or not a particular car.

There are other topics here that we can be more relaxed and have fun, but not on the particular one. This is not a computer game and since you a software engineer you should know better.

I don't have anything with you and I'll not continue to stalk you. You just caught my attention and thats all.

Yeah your probably right. I really shouldn’t offer any opinions on my experience with this car or any other cars until I have some videos up on YouTube to prove I’m not just making stuff up. I hope everyone who has contributed to this very serious thread has video proof of their experience too. I mean, how can we know if someone really fits in the back seat without some proof. Hahaha. This is serious stuff.

Anyways sorry if I stuck a nerve when I pointed out that our clutch is really nothing out of the ordinary. I just felt it would give a potential buyer a false impression that the car is unusually had to drive. That is all.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

It's pathetically hilarious that someone would create a YouTube channel to shout to the world, "Hey look at me!" and then accuse anybody of "stalking" him when they mention his channel.

That would be like Donald Trump complaining that people were "stalking" him when they criticize his tweets. "I have the best tweets and videos, the best, believe me, but if you watch them you're a stalker. Stalkin' Niki. So sad."

I created the account initially to post videos on my kids privately for family. After I got into autoxing in 1996 I went on a hunt for something on the computer that was closer to reality than video games like Gran Turismo on the playstation. I wanted a way to fill the gap between events. That lead to GPL, rFactor, GTR, GTR2, iRacing, rFactor2, ect ect. I'm not talking about video games on gamepads. I welded up a cockpit using one of the OEM seats from my WIP SCCA ITC car. The entire F1 field and NASCAR field uses a sim called rFPro which is based on the sim I use. It's obviously not going to be 1:1 to real life but this isn't GT or Forza. I think it's fairly common for real life drivers to get heavily involved in sim racing. The league I race in has a ton of real life racers (not club racing but pro racing). So yeah I posted a lot of simracing videos over the years. I have some real life racing on there too but it's almost all private, if not all of it. I am in a private SCCA Facebook group for my region and people link to their in car videos all the time but these videos are almost entirely private too. I have heard too many stories of people having problems with insurance companies due to their online presence. So I use a fake name on all car forums and my YouTube channel and keep most of my real life stuff private.

Anyways, there are people that have YouTube channels and promote them and actually make a living off it. If that was my case then yeah I could see it being "pathetically hilarious" for me to find it funny that someone was triggered enough to stalk my channel.

[ermax]

@Pilot1226, welcome to the forum.

[Pilot1226]

Originally Posted by ermax

@Pilot1226, welcome to the forum.

Good thing I brought this helmet.

Is it ever advantageous to just run one set of rims with two sets of tires to avoid the investment in a second set of rims that you now have to store? Or is that counterintuitive because the steelies hold up against road damage better (especially if you downsized to a smaller tire)

[yurikaze]

Originally Posted by Pilot1226

Good thing I brought this helmet.

Is it ever advantageous to just run one set of rims with two sets of tires to avoid the investment in a second set of rims that you now have to store? Or is that counterintuitive because the steelies hold up against road damage better (especially if you downsized to a smaller tire)

You still have to store the tires, which take up the same amount of space, plus pay to have the tires switched out. It's better to just have two complete wheel/tire sets.

Also, if you have a high-quality set of aluminum wheels, they'll hold up at least as good as steelies. Most of the problems people run into with road damage involve lower quality wheels with high porousity aluminum, which tend to develop cracks more often than forged or high-pressure cast wheel.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Pilot1226

Is it ever advantageous to just run one set of rims with two sets of tires to avoid the investment in a second set of rims that you now have to store? Or is that counterintuitive because the steelies hold up against road damage better (especially if you downsized to a smaller tire)

The investment to change the tires every year back and forth will cost you much more than to buy a second set of rims. A set of steelies is not that expensive. There is even a set of OEM ones.

Part. no: SU003-00758

[olsonpg]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

You are not looking to become an internet personality, but you suggest people to trust you.

Lul wot?

[Pilot1226]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

The investment to change the tires every year back and forth will cost you much more than to buy a second set of rims. A set of steelies is not that expensive. There is even a set of OEM ones.

Part. no: SU003-00758

Thanks. I appreciate the part number. I’ll see if I can find programmable or cloneable TPMS sensors.

[perryair]

Originally Posted by Pilot1226

Hi all,

I frequent the LegacyGT and Outback.org forums - this is my first post here.

I'm a Subaru Ambassador in the the Northern NJ area, and I've been looking to upgrade my current Subaru - a 2011 Outback 2.5i - to something a little bit more fun to drive. Don't get me wrong - the Outback is a great car, super versatile and tons of utility. But, it is a little lackluster in the smiles per gallon department.

Primarily, I was looking at both the Legacy and Outbacks in the 3.6R trim - and it looks like 2019 will probably be the last year for that. They just discontinued the Forester XT entirely in 2019, and I'm wondering if they'll either just flat-out drop the 3.6 trim in the Outback or move the FA24DIT from the Ascent over to it in the 2020 redesign.

Very rarely, I still need the utility, so I wasn't even considering something like a BRZ or WRX because there is that small chance I needed something bigger. Funny enough, my WRX-driving coworker suggested I look into keeping the 2011 (which I believe is in great mechanical shape) and consider a second car, like the BRZ.

So, there you have it. My wife drives a Honda Pilot (we had a need for a third-row SUV. The Tribeca wasn't quite a true 7/8 passenger vehicle, and they were well out of production at the point we needed to buy...) so that SUV is our family vacation car.

The purpose of the BRZ (or WRX, if that's what you all suggest) is to essentially, occasionally, be my midlife crisis/solo drive car. When I go to work, and there's nobody with me, you bet I'd take the fun car. I have two small kids, 6 and 4, both in car seats. I know the BRZ's car seats are laughable - especially when the little ones get bigger - so when I drive them either to or from school (depending on work schedule), I'll probably take the wagon.

Again, I have been doing my own maintenance on the Outback for about a year now. Nothing special at 85k - but, I did hit up a rear differential fluid change, tire rotation, a couple oil changes (M1HM 5w30), and a new serpentine belt amongst some other weird repairs, like re-gasketing the third brake light with permatex...) and it seems to drive nice.

My biggest concern about the Outback is the CVT. I know they've had issues with them, and the torque converter is a ticking time bomb. That's the part of me that says "get rid of this while you can!" and jump into the 3.6R with the high-torque CVT which hopefully has all the bugs out of it.

But, there's a price to pay - the Outback 3.6R Limited will run me just about 40k. The Legacy is around 35k, but again, I think I need the occasional cargo space. I don't mind the fact that it's a wagon.

I love the Subaru brand, so I'd be happy considering the mish-mash of Toyotabaru parts, and I love their fuel injector setup to prevent carbon issues on the valves.

That being said, I'd definitely get the 6MT version. It's been a long time since I drove a stick - I did learn on one, but it's been probably close to 20 years since I did any type of real driving. The biggest complaint I've heard is that the clutch is hard and the shifter is notchy. Considering I learned on an old 1990 Camry 5-speed (I think?) I don't really know how to compare the two. I'm trying not to be a toolbag when I go in for a test drive. I posted this on Reddit a few days ago and people suggested things like removing the helper spring and turning off incline assist - but I might actually enjoy them since I would probably consider myself a novice. I did drive a stick Jeep last summer and I was okay except for a weird stall when my leg started getting tired and I clutched out too quick.

I'm looking at the Premium, since it won't be my daily driver as much as I'd like it to be. I might consider the Limited if the new year's design as something amazing to it. I use Waze which doesn't work with CarPlay right now so I don't need navi or anything.

So, the big concern is under-use of the car. A car is made to be driven. I'm sure that there are a lot of issues that will pop up if I don't drive this thing enough. I'm sure bouncing back and forth between the Outback and the BRZ won't help my "re-learning" of a stick, too. But I envision myself throwing a car cover on it when snow gets here, maybe digging it out once or twice every week during the winter. That seem plausible?

I live west of the NYC metropolitan area, so we do get some snowy winters. That would be the job for the Outback. It's also interesting to note I've never run winters. I've only had all-seasons on my Outback, and it's been fine for 7 years and a lot of snow/blizzard/unplowed roads.

Is it worth considering a certified pre-owned BRZ from a few years ago, or are the newer ones vastly improved to warrant the expense? What about a lease, while I learn to get my "feet wet" again? If I love it, I'll buy it outright at the end. If I don't, or if there's a new model, I can always slide over to that.

No modding - I don't track, I don't offroad. My commute is about 10 miles through a city - brutal on a stick - but I'd probably take a highway toll road route that will be about 20 miles each way to be easier on my left leg and my throw-out bearing.

Would something like the BRZ make sense here and be worthy of taking up that coveted spot in my driveway, should I consider something with more passenger room like a WRX? Should I just trade-in and get the 3.6 Outback?


Questions that popped up from Reddit:

Is the clutch hard to learn? Is it forgiving?
Should I consider another brand?
Are there any special maintenance or preventative maintenance things to watch out for?
Thoughts on changing the summer performance tires to an all-season tire?

Thanks... Pilot

i had the brz as a second car for almost 3 years but i live in tennessee where driving season is about 8-9 months long. to be honest if i were you i think you'd have much more fun in a wrx where you dont have to be swapping summer/winter tires all the time to be safe. plus the brz is a low car so scraping and such is a reality if you take it on un/semi paved roads on bad weather.

that being said, if you go brz you'll certainly enjoy it when you can drive it. if so, a few minor mods like header/tune will make it immensely more enjoyable.