Frs as mini replacement?

[~el~jefe~]

Originally Posted by Indydog812

So my poor old mini needs replacing (2006 r53). I can't exactly trust it to get me to work on time and it's stressing me out. I went to look at new cars cars today and stumbled onto a 2014 frs manual w/ 30,000 mi for $18500. Its a tiny bit more fun to drive then the mini and a lot less practicle.
Slight problem I tested a 2016 Miata and it's in a whole new league of fun to drive (and impracticality).

So how reliable is the FRS? I keep cars for the long haul and the mini has been a major dissapointment in reliability these past 10yr 110k mi. This site is giving me a bad feeling about reliability especially since there is no real long term history for the frs/brz.

I was thinking with these 2 seater rwd sports cars I could hold on to the mini as a winter beater and hauler but insuring both doesn't look as cheap as I guessed.

The wrx and the Mazda 3 are looking like more practical options but the Mazda isn't as fun and wrx fuel economy is terrible...

Honestly I want to keep my mini but with a so far an undiagnosable issue where on rare occasions it doesn't start in the morning and Increasing demand for general repairs. (Seriously 4 power steering pumps and 3 engine mounts) I'm afraid I have no choice.

I have an R53 2006 Mini S manual. I am looking for comparison in ride comfort between BRZ 2017 and what I have. So, i found this article in google search. I have a few things that came to mind and cleared up MUCH of my worries concerning which car to buy. But it is not like one would guess...

First, Your 4 power steering pumps dying is a result of VERY BAD MECHANICS. VERY BAD. I am a vague mini problem expert at this point and the solution was to replace the pump, remove the steering rack and objects, and soak them to remove road build up. This caused each pump to keep failing. I am surprised it was not 20 steering assist electric motors (it's not a pump) to fail. THis was the fault of a bad mechanic.

Also, the mechanic should have told you that the upper motor mount never lasts and to never bother replacing it, it only leaks its fluid once, but works fine for 150k miles or more.

So, this person might not even be on forums anymore but it shows me a new lesson today. Vast majority of "issues" with a car is the mechanic. NOt the "dealer" or the "manfacturer" it is just the mechanic. There are few out there who can truly fix an issue or know what really needs to be or not be done. I have a mini s for 10 years and my issues have been quite small and infrequent at 171,000 miles of hard NYC driving.

The ride in a standard 16" wheeled R53 Mini is more jarring than a BRZ/FRS. A 15" reduction size I did with more tire still has more of a jarring ride but made the Mini S tolerable. I wish BRZ would have 16" wheels and the top WRX premium would have 17" wheels. there really is no point to such massive wheel sizes on roads that are terribly paved and have no banks and are filled with crappy drivers and weather.

I did necro this thread yes.

[bcj]

It's quite possible to get 16" 5x100 wheels for the twins.
Some people said they like them a lot.

[Sapphireho]

Anytime you replace a very poorly built BMW for anything Toyota or Subaru you are improving.

[SlammedSilly]

i for one can tell you, i had an 06 cooper s prior to my frs... AND i miss the shit out of it. i totalled it, apparently the accident was my fault, which i dont remember. i woke up in the hospital after the accident with a broken jaw, shit sucked! but in my opinion, if you can keep the mini and frs, do that. there are gonna be days that you wanna hear the whine of the supercharger! i really miss it, if i could go back to that day, i wouldnt have taken the long way home to enjoy the weather :/

[ToySub1946]

"We helped my son get into a 2015 FRS and at less than 20k miles, the clutch is done. We knew going in this was a weak point but come on, he is a great driver and just drives back and forth to work.....he learned to drive in the Mini above before he got his 3-pedal Jeep (we don't do autos in our house)."

Surely it's not the fault of that 2015 FRS. Either it was purchased used (already worn clutch), a 'friend' tried it out, or son not telling the whole truth.
Have you considered waterboarding ?


Clutch is still perfect on MY 2015 FRS with 39k miles. And I've had zero reasons to take it to dealership for any warranty repairs within the first 36k miles, or even now.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________________________

Edit 12-23-16: Post I quoted above seems to now have disappeared, far as I can tell. I hope that I did not upset that person.


And for guybo, below:

And honestly, regarding my own car: I did have an alignment done because steering wheel got off center (why I have no clue) and tires seemed to be wearing inside edges. I have had moisture in both tailamps and headlamps just recently, but it goes away in time. Other things I've read about in forums, so just live with them...those being high pressure fuel pump crickets, noise whilst side windows roll down, sometimes. No issues with squeaks and rattles in my car as 2013 owners report. Overall nothing to gripe about this car, well so far. Compared to tons of minor issues with my Mustang when it was almost new, this FRS is a breeze. A breath of fresh air. Reminds me of some Hondas I've owned.

I do wish I owned a 2014, before they changed the suspension to attain less oversteer. I'd like to experience those earlier cars.
Don't think I'd want a 2017 as they've made the car even more soft, compliant in it's suspension, and quieter inside with more insulation.

Well the Mini Cooper has a very hard ride I've heard. And the FRS/86/BRZ can give a rough ride on potholed, rust belt areas of the country. Helps me understand why many might like a softer ride for the car. Here we've got all asphalt streets and no freezing, therefore I'm happy with what I've got in a car.

[aslanteye]

I'm honestly surprised about all the things I heat about the clutch. I'm still on my stock one at more then 60k miles, 35k na and 25k boosted.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[guybo]

What you hear on a site like this are the cases where people have problems because they 1) mod and 2) come here specifically for help with problems. Also you hear from people who have no problems, but not data and you can't get an idea of reliability at all. It's kind of like when you post on Facebook about how shitty Dodges are and a dozen guys post about how their uncle/father/cousin/friend has one with 150k miles and it has had no problems- nice anecdote but we know it's a crock of shit. Same here- anecdotes tell you nothing.

http://www.truedelta.com/Scion-FR-S/reliability-1096 check out this site. It compiles data from owners. The quarterly questionnaire asks if you've had repairs and what they were and has data from owners and reviews. The Twins are pretty reliable.