Considering swapping my '13 Si sedan for FR-S in Dallas, advice? - Page 2 - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Texas BRZ · 10-14-2014, 10:07 PM

Your '13 Civic Si will probably be the better commuter car... Maybe you'll find it more comfortable for daily driving, I'm thinking... I've only test driven a standard level Civic, therefore I may not know as much.

FR-S / BRZ will make some compromises but should give you a more responsive sports car feel overall, even without any modifications.

My honest opinion... If you're going to be driving a lot on the highway with the FR-S / BRZ, you won't enjoy it as much... Maybe it's just me, but I enjoy this car much more in the city where there are quick turns and opportunities to heel-toe... And stretch this car's athleticism a bit.

As far as the Bluetooth goes, it worked fantastic on my prior FR-S with the base Pioneer audio. Don't know how my incoming BRZ's system will turn out, but I don't think I should be too worried.

Good luck with the decision.

Foxman13 · 10-15-2014, 07:39 AM

I can't speak to the Civic, but I also use a Windows Phone and the Bluetooth integration might be the best I've ever used compared to any of my previous cars. The Pioneer head unit is really simple, but so well designed and built.

icesilvermetallic · 10-15-2014, 08:20 AM

I just made this exact change. Gave my 2013 Civic Si to Carmax in September, got a 2015 BRZ last Thursday.

The BRZ rides firmer but Texas roads are so good (compared to Indiana roads) I doubt you'll feel the difference.

I use a bluetooth headset most of the time so haven't used the car bluetooth as much. For some reason my old Motorola M886 android phone doesn't automatically connect but I haven't spent a lot of time messing around with it.

I've actually gone 2013 BRZ, 2013 Civic Si and 2015 BRZ and the BRZ is definitely more fun to drive because of it's lighter weight and go-kart feel. I suspect the Civic Si is faster in a straight line.

I haven't done so a head-to-head test but the 2015 BRZ seems to ride a lot better than the 2013 BRZ, the car settles on bumps instead of crashing down. So I'd aim for a 2015 car.

I wish the BRZ had a sunroof.

ISM

MokSpeed · 10-15-2014, 05:44 PM

The first 2 months I had my FR-S I was putting 200 miles on it a day with no comfort issues. If anything I ended up having more fun during my commutes. Just something about the drive of this car that makes it fun.

As for the lack of power, full bolt-ons with a tune would decimate a Si any day. You can go FI if you wanted to as well. IMO unless you're going do to a monster build, it's not worth changing the aspiration of the car for a mere 20-30% HP increase. Especially at 12.5:1 compression. Again that's just my opinion though for that.

N_A · 10-16-2014, 12:10 AM

The FRS is perfect for me. I put 25k miles this past year averaging 29mpg. The bluebooth works great with my iphone. I spend an hour everyday on a conference call during my commute to work. No complaints here. As long as you realize that this is a $25k car, you'll be fine.

madsedan · 10-16-2014, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MokSpeed

As for the lack of power, full bolt-ons with a tune would decimate a Si any day. You can go FI if you wanted to as well. IMO unless you're going do to a monster build, it's not worth changing the aspiration of the car for a mere 20-30% HP increase. Especially at 12.5:1 compression. Again that's just my opinion though for that.

True, but this would be the case with the Si as well. From what I have read both cars can get about 40 hp with about $2,500-3,000 in bolt ons.

I am going to go ahead and get my new rims refinished this week and install the short shift kit and intake charge pipe this weekend, will test drive some '13s this weekend and see what I think, will report back.

MokSpeed · 10-16-2014, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madsedan

True, but this would be the case with the Si as well. From what I have read both cars can get about 40 hp with about $2,500-3,000 in bolt ons.

I am going to go ahead and get my new rims refinished this week and install the short shift kit and intake charge pipe this weekend, will test drive some '13s this weekend and see what I think, will report back.

I owned an 8th gen Civic and the drive isn't even comparable. The FR-S/BRZ is way more fun to drive hands down.

Texas BRZ · 10-26-2014, 08:05 AM

Just thought about this thread when I ran into one of our new forum members @k24evo who made the switch from a '13 Si to a BRZ.

Here's his brief take on it, although I'd gladly PM him for further info / explanations:

Quote:

Originally Posted by k24evo

si get better power，better interior of cause better room. Si stock suspension just feel like a boat lol. BrZ better style , way much better handle . Day to day I would say si is better. I am the guy more like the handle that why I go for brZ. Lol

k24evo · 10-28-2014, 05:07 PM

SI
Good :faster , big room, backup cam, save gas than the brz get 330+ miles on 10 gallon (maybe the brz need brake in time) etc...
Con :understeer , potential ..etc..

Brz
Good: seat position so great, style, handle, a lot of potential, a lot of parts,
GPS(FREE) , easier to hit 3000 rpm than si ,Fun car that not cost a lot of money to own

Bad : Small, rear seat?(should make this car 2 seat), Gps unit hard to use,no backup cam,

Evo 9
Good : Power, handle, potential,

Bad :maintenance price, parts price, gas price, lot of maintenance and gas
The worstest interior car in the world

madsedan · 10-31-2014, 09:53 AM

Thanks guys, I really like the drive of the scion and Subaru version of the car, driven both now. I sort of planted a seed with my local Toyota dealer, you could tell when I left that they were shocked I didn't drive one home that night, the salesman was half my age and scared sh!tless after out test drive lol.

I told them I owed more on my civic that they would ever offer on trade so Ill wait a few months and sell it for payoff, then negotiate a price for cash buy. When I said they the sales manager came out and said he would try to find a used manual tranny car with comparable mileage to mine and I wouldn't get hammered on a trade. They've called me every 4 days since then to see if I've bought anything yet.

Honestly I could just write a check for the car now and sell the Si later but that's a stupid financial decision and poor use of potential free or super cheap money rate on finance deals right now. Meanwhile I continue to spend money on upgrades for the Civic like an idiot.

10-14-2014, 10:07 PM	#15
Texas BRZ Sports Car = Anti-Drug Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: 2014 Honda CBR600RR Location: Plano Posts: 917 Thanks: 371 Thanked 307 Times in 193 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Your '13 Civic Si will probably be the better commuter car... Maybe you'll find it more comfortable for daily driving, I'm thinking... I've only test driven a standard level Civic, therefore I may not know as much. FR-S / BRZ will make some compromises but should give you a more responsive sports car feel overall, even without any modifications. My honest opinion... If you're going to be driving a lot on the highway with the FR-S / BRZ, you won't enjoy it as much... Maybe it's just me, but I enjoy this car much more in the city where there are quick turns and opportunities to heel-toe... And stretch this car's athleticism a bit. As far as the Bluetooth goes, it worked fantastic on my prior FR-S with the base Pioneer audio. Don't know how my incoming BRZ's system will turn out, but I don't think I should be too worried. Good luck with the decision. __________________ "Did you know that this car comes with 300 horsepower in its stock form? 200 from the engine, 50 in its chassis, and the final 50 within the driver who can make the most of it." Texas BRZ

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10-15-2014, 07:39 AM	#16
Foxman13 tweet me @JasonGFox Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: 2013 Asphalt FR-S Location: Keller, TX Posts: 116 Thanks: 6 Thanked 22 Times in 19 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I can't speak to the Civic, but I also use a Windows Phone and the Bluetooth integration might be the best I've ever used compared to any of my previous cars. The Pioneer head unit is really simple, but so well designed and built.

10-15-2014, 08:20 AM	#17
icesilvermetallic Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Drives: 2008 Toyota Tacoma 2WD Location: indiana Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I just made this exact change. Gave my 2013 Civic Si to Carmax in September, got a 2015 BRZ last Thursday. The BRZ rides firmer but Texas roads are so good (compared to Indiana roads) I doubt you'll feel the difference. I use a bluetooth headset most of the time so haven't used the car bluetooth as much. For some reason my old Motorola M886 android phone doesn't automatically connect but I haven't spent a lot of time messing around with it. I've actually gone 2013 BRZ, 2013 Civic Si and 2015 BRZ and the BRZ is definitely more fun to drive because of it's lighter weight and go-kart feel. I suspect the Civic Si is faster in a straight line. I haven't done so a head-to-head test but the 2015 BRZ seems to ride a lot better than the 2013 BRZ, the car settles on bumps instead of crashing down. So I'd aim for a 2015 car. I wish the BRZ had a sunroof. ISM

10-15-2014, 05:44 PM	#18
MokSpeed Granny Shifter Join Date: Apr 2014 Drives: 2014 FR-S Location: United States Posts: 2,094 Thanks: 539 Thanked 1,289 Times in 711 Posts Mentioned: 24 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	The first 2 months I had my FR-S I was putting 200 miles on it a day with no comfort issues. If anything I ended up having more fun during my commutes. Just something about the drive of this car that makes it fun. As for the lack of power, full bolt-ons with a tune would decimate a Si any day. You can go FI if you wanted to as well. IMO unless you're going do to a monster build, it's not worth changing the aspiration of the car for a mere 20-30% HP increase. Especially at 12.5:1 compression. Again that's just my opinion though for that.

10-16-2014, 12:10 AM	#19
N_A Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: 2013 Raven Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 394 Thanks: 115 Thanked 181 Times in 121 Posts Mentioned: 4 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	The FRS is perfect for me. I put 25k miles this past year averaging 29mpg. The bluebooth works great with my iphone. I spend an hour everyday on a conference call during my commute to work. No complaints here. As long as you realize that this is a $25k car, you'll be fine.

10-28-2014, 05:07 PM	#23
k24evo Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Drives: 2015 brz 2011 EVO X Location: ` Posts: 47 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	SI Good :faster , big room, backup cam, save gas than the brz get 330+ miles on 10 gallon (maybe the brz need brake in time) etc... Con :understeer , potential ..etc.. Brz Good: seat position so great, style, handle, a lot of potential, a lot of parts, GPS(FREE) , easier to hit 3000 rpm than si ,Fun car that not cost a lot of money to own Bad : Small, rear seat?(should make this car 2 seat), Gps unit hard to use,no backup cam, Evo 9 Good : Power, handle, potential, Bad :maintenance price, parts price, gas price, lot of maintenance and gas The worstest interior car in the world

10-31-2014, 09:53 AM	#24
madsedan Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: '13 Civic Si sedan Location: Rockwall Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Thanks guys, I really like the drive of the scion and Subaru version of the car, driven both now. I sort of planted a seed with my local Toyota dealer, you could tell when I left that they were shocked I didn't drive one home that night, the salesman was half my age and scared sh!tless after out test drive lol. I told them I owed more on my civic that they would ever offer on trade so Ill wait a few months and sell it for payoff, then negotiate a price for cash buy. When I said they the sales manager came out and said he would try to find a used manual tranny car with comparable mileage to mine and I wouldn't get hammered on a trade. They've called me every 4 days since then to see if I've bought anything yet. Honestly I could just write a check for the car now and sell the Si later but that's a stupid financial decision and poor use of potential free or super cheap money rate on finance deals right now. Meanwhile I continue to spend money on upgrades for the Civic like an idiot.

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