Sold the BRZ after only 4 months...here's why.

[Monogram]

I regularly commute 200 miles per day in my FR-S. The stereo works great with $3,000.00 in JL Audio speaker/amp upgrades. The car is much quieter with the sound tube plugged, the large openings covered with sound-board between the quarter panels and rear seats, and a healthy smattering of sound-mat stuck here and there ... and average fuel economy over 11,000 miles is right about 34mpg.

It beats the hell out of the '71 240Z I drove for 15 years!

[kberkel]

I'm a windows-down guy whenever possible.. so road noise is always drowned out by wind.

Thus, had to upgrade the stereo to play louder, and upgrade the exhaust to hear it as well.

Who thought this would be quiet?

[inertia]

Originally Posted by Rampage

You would have spent less money and have a less compromised vehicle than the 2JZ Twin.

Three words:

He has sponsors

[ap5512]

Oh man if the twins are loud on the hwy, then you would hate the S2K. I used to have one and boy it was hard to have any conversation...phone or with someone in the car. With that said...I really miss the S2K...

[PhoKingCool]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

Or Certified Pre-owned with a 6yr/100k warranty, or have a full garage set-up at home and know how to work on them yourself. They certainly can get pricey when sh*t starts to break. Luckily for me the only unscheduled repair I've dealt with in 9 months was a faulty coolant temp sensor which I replaced for $27. If my transmission goes, however (and they're notorious for this), say goodbye to six grand.

I had both a bad TCM and faulty CVT in my A4 and it was over $2500 to repair. After getting burned with that, paying a crazy amount just to change the timing belt and water pump, intermittent AC climate controller, and replacing defective wheel bearings, I swore I would never buy a used Audi again. The car had less than 100k on it. I understand the certified pre-owned benefits but I rather not deal with the previous owner's headaches.

What is up with these "luxury" German cars that have black plastic dipped buttons that are white which peel off and get scratched up showing the original color (white) below? Why didn't they make the buttons in black instead?? This happened on both my Audi and Mercedes. What a disappointment!

[PhoKingCool]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Congratz to the OP for recognizing that he got the wrong car (for him) and moving on. There are too many here that bought a twin and then spend countless dollars trying to make it into something it is not. Exmple:

Want a cheap drag racer? Buy a Mustang!
Want a Porsche killer? Buy a C7!
Want a great track car? Buy an Elise or 05 Z06!
Want a Reliable and comfortable family car? Buy a Camry!

Want a relatively inexpensive, fun to drive sports car that is a blast on twisty roads but can still be used for trips for two, driving to work, getting groceries, track days, autox and daily driving that looks great and will get you gobs of complements everytime you drive it? Get a FR-S/BRZ!

*Correction*

Want a cheap drag racer? Buy a Camaro/TransAm!
Want a Porsche killer? Buy a GTR!
Want a great track car? Buy a FD/FC/DC2 or a Miata!
Want a Reliable and comfortable family car? Buy a Honda Accord or a Nissan Maxima!

[stonenewt]

Do the German premiums get made in the US? I just ask because in the UK BMWs & Mercs are used by all our hardware service engineers because they're good for 5 years & 250-300k miles with very few faults.

[aznatama]

Originally Posted by stonenewt

Do the German premiums get made in the US? I just ask because in the UK BMWs & Mercs are used by all our hardware service engineers because they're good for 5 years & 250-300k miles with very few faults.

All cars are subject to their own issues here and there. The thing is that it's usually more expensive to fix when something in a German car breaks. German cars also require more attention be paid to maintenance schedules.

Basically, cost of ownership may not necessarily be greater in the first 5 years. However, after warranty period is over, you need to factor in the repair costs (which can arguably be spread over the first 5 years if you bought it new).

I personally had a BMW with well over 300k miles on original engine which I auto crossed... Ran fine provided I kept up with the maintenance. =)

[BlueDubbinTDI]

I pretty much agree. I just refuse to take a loss right now lol

[B-R-Z]

I bought mine because it's relatively cheap for what you get, fun, rwd, good on gas, looks cool, and reliable. In my book these things outweigh the annoyances that I am unable to fix or haven't fixed yet.

I get what you're saying though, definitely not for everyone. Good luck with your new ride

[PhoKingCool]

Originally Posted by aznatama

Ran fine provided I kept up with the maintenance.

Exactly but for other used cars on the lot, how do you know if the previous owners kept up with the maintenance? Yeah you can pull a CarFax or pull service history at said dealership but not all of the maintenance history is recorded.

[PhoKingCool]

Originally Posted by stonenewt

Do the German premiums get made in the US? I just ask because in the UK BMWs & Mercs are used by all our hardware service engineers because they're good for 5 years & 250-300k miles with very few faults.

Both my Audi and Mercedes were made in Germany. Well according to the VIN and stickers/imprints on the car parts.

[aznatama]

X5s and X3s are built in North Carolina, I think the Jetta is built in Mexico, and ummm... Can't remember... But not a problem usually, since the sourced parts are usually what causes problems, not general assembly. Many parts are all made in China...

[Darnold]

Originally Posted by ap5512

Oh man if the twins are loud on the hwy, then you would hate the S2K. I used to have one and boy it was hard to have any conversation...phone or with someone in the car. With that said...I really miss the S2K...

@ap5512 BRZ is a lot quieter? I'm getting rid of one of my s2000s now and looking at a BRZ limited as a replacement