thinking of trading FRS for BRZ
 

Hey everyone. I'm a big fan of my FRS but have been thinking about how much more of a package the BRZ is when it comes to interior. My question is if they both drive the same. I know there basically the same car but I here there both tuned slightly different like the FRS is more fun and track oriented then the BRZ. I dont see my self tracking or anything that often. Do all the same turbo kots and upgrades work with both the BRZ and the FRS since there the same engine. Im assuming yes but want to be sure. For is the fbm stage 1 turbo complatible with the BRZ. There's not a single BRZ here I can test drive so I'm asking the forum before I do trade my FRS in. Are the twins handling very similar like I assume or am I wrong?

The only big difference aftermarket wise would be cosmetic i.e. certain body kits/lips are compatible with certain twins. I'd say save your money and keep the FRS (you'll lose a bit if you trade), you can always mod the interior to your liking. The nav is crap and really the main reason why I got the BRZ was because it was more grip oriented and it was a push start. Most performance mods are compatible with both models.

Handling between the two is very close especially after 2015 when they calmed the FRS down just a tiny bit. For the average street driver I doubt most could even tell the difference between the to cars.
You will take a financial beating by trading so be prepared.

do it! Such a better car!

Do the BRZs have the smart key where you can just keep it in your pocket since its a push start?

Yup! I haven't taken my key out of my pocket after leaving the house since I got the car. I can unlock and lock the doors, open the trunk, and start the car without touching the key fob.

get some leather seats. My FRS buddy has katskin and I looove his interior. you can always install a (way better) navi and subwoofer too.

You will take a hit once you trade in your car. I would personally say that it won't be worth it if you have to pay anything more than 5k out of pocket.

But the brz is really nice though lol

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Say when you do trade in your FRS for a BRZ and you lose a tone of money, you're going ok with that? Well whats stopping you and your urges not to get the next new FRS/BRZ when they come in?

It'll be a used one. IDC which year or about the warranty since I plan on getting a fi kit for the car a few months after I get it if I get it. I just want all the interior add ons the BRZ has over the FRS but if it drove completely different I wouldn't want a BRZ. I'm going to look for a dealer that will take my car plus anything under 6000 dollars for the BRZ. If I don't find one I'll stick to my frs. I see used BRZs with under 40000 miles going for around 18 to 20k I'm hoping I'll get at least 15 to 17k for my car with 30k miles on it and then Id pay the difference.

Once you go push start its so hard to go back, it's ridiculously convenient. I had an E350 before the brz, wasn't a believer of push start until the merc.

If it's the interior that's bugging you, just swap the seats for a set of recaros and maybe a better head unit. Jpm coachworks might be a good source for you as well. To be honest I might've been ok with the scion... If I shaved all the emblems lol.

another option if you want FRS handling with BRZ convenience is a Monogram or Series 10. Still gonna take a beating.
This can be a slippery slope once you start changing cars every couple of years because you now think the XXXXX is more what you want. You can go broke fast and never see it coming.

This is dumb! If you want to lose 6 grand, just use that to change what you don't like about your FRS!. You want stock BRZ seats and door panels, find someone selling them or buy some nice aftermarket bride or recaros. Not all BRZ are push start, only the limited but so are the special edition FRS. Do you like the bumper more? trade with someone. The only reason to go from your FRS to a BRZ is if you just HAD to have the push button start and dual climate control. Im sure you could get that put in your car for under 6Gs though. Every part you could just buy either second hand or from the dealer.

+1 for all the push start comments.
And lets not forget that this also includes all the keyless entry features. The only time I need to touch the actual key is when I'm trying to find my car in a parking lot.

Not sure how much of a pain it would be to get all that stuff retrofitted in a FRS.

There's also:
- Heated mirrors
- Heated seats
- The whole climate control section of the center console
- Nice LED DRLs
- The boomerang headlights (I was gonna get Spec-D headlights if I went the FRS route, but having OEM makes me way happier)
- Courtesy lights in the doors

There was a recent thread about the BRZ Premium vs Limited. You can look there if you want more info: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100295
(BRZ Premium is basically the same as the FRS in terms of creature comfort type features).

All the engine upgrades and FI kits will fit both.
The main difference in availability of aftermarket stuff is just cosmetic mods that depend on the front bumper.

It really depends on what you value. Some are happy with a more basic car with a cheaper price of entry, but I've always been of the mind that if you're locking yourself into a couple of years of repayments then you might as well spring for something more optioned up for longer term liveability.

From what I've read it can get really expensive trying to retrofit some of the higher options like the climate control AC.

What I would do is do some research over what exactly had changed and see if you can find some of those bits on the cheap to swap over yourself. Things like satnav, reversing cameras, headlights, frameless rear vision mirror etc can all be catered for by the after market.

I like the interior of the brz and yes the keyless system is super convenience.

But not worth trading the frs for a brz, the stealership is going to rob you blind!

Just get a cool head unit and nice seats. I have seen many frs on car meets that look badass with interior mods.

Yes but getting it retrofitted seems like a pain in the ass. The prices dont seem too bad. I'm finding good deals on BRZs. I just contacted a dealer who has a BRZ up for about 3k more then what my expected trade in value is. Its a 14 limited BRZ.

Where you located, I just bought a 2013 Brz Satin White perfect condition 12.5k miles for $20250. So there are deals to be had. (At least in the south)

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Now when you're looking for what brz to get, keep in mind the 2015+ have slight cosmetic changes. Last thing you want is to get a pre-2015 and want a post-2015 later lol. If you can get a 2015+ for around the same price, then do that instead

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Assuming your financial priorities are being met, why not follow your heart? You only live once.

I feel you op, I don't think I could have bought a frs, even if this car is so much fun. The front end looks way different/the touchscreen is nice

I hope you mean 20,250 including taxes and such. otherwise you got taken for a ride

some of guys kill me :suicide: trade in for the same car lol @raven1231 you always crack me up :bonk:

I don't quote dealer trash talk 20250 OTD including new tag. Not to mention came with some brand new Eibach multi pros (coilovers) that I "quickly" removed and sold got 650 in my pocket out of them!

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The cars are essentially identical. Push button start is nice, but I always found myself hitting the unlock button in my pocket anyway so I wouldn't have to wait the half-second for the car to unlock when I touched the handle. Dual climate control in this little car? What? Just silly. You can always close the vents on the passenger side. Leather seats? Slippy slidy. Cloth is better. Looks? Personal preference.

Remember, if you get a used car, you don't know how it's been treated. You could be inheriting somebody else's problems. For about 3k, you could have push button start/keyless installed AND get heated and ventilated mods for the stock seats.

I'd just keep the FRS...really stupid decision to lose money and get basically the exact same car.

It's like someone trading the 2014 FRS for a 2015 because the 2015 had the shark fin and padded knee upgrade. Not worth the loss.

I'd only trade in if it was something major, like you have automatic and want manual (vice-versa) or a turbo model comes out.

Check your state's tax laws. In some states you'd pay sales tax on the difference, but in a few states (including California) I think you'd have to pay tax on the entire purchase price of the BRZ. Ouch.

Knee pad was the 14's. Don't take that away from them...

Going from a FR-S to a BRZ or vice-versa is like swapping the hand you -redacted- with. For a week it will be new and exciting and then you will realize that it is not really different.

What do you mean we have to quote sources? I definitely have have no idea what you're talking about....

In all seriousness you can add most of those things for less than you will lose to go to a different car so soon.

Ummm....Source please? :iono:

years and years of personal "hands on" experience is my guess!

You -redacted- with only one hand?

Ignoring all the other stuff you said, I just wanted to address this. Dual climate control is actually really handy for me. I keep my passenger side at 74 for the gf and my side at 68. Works great cause she's usually cold and I have way too much body heat.

And the seats are alcantara in the middle, no slippy slidy. :P

I'm definitely glad I bought my BRZ Limited over a FRS. Would never go for a FRS unless it was some crazy cheap deal for a mint condition used car. But if I already owned a FRS, I probably wouldn't trade it for a BRZ, too much money loss and trouble involved.

I'm not especially strong-feeling either way because the cars are the same. In all the years I owned a BMW, I think the dual climate control knobs varied only when the settings got messed up. Manually closing vents seems to make my wife happier. I also hate digital HVAC controls. I want a god-damned knob.

The main reason I got an FR-S is that they had one in stock in 2013. If I had gotten a BRZ, it would have been the cheap version.

To each their own I guess. Closing off the vent for my gf or myself wouldnt work out. Like you said, the car is tiny. So if the car is set to 68 degrees and her side's vent is closed, she'll feel cold pretty quick anyway since the cold air would fill the tiny cabin.

I like how the digital controls on the BRZ are. I'm used to dialing in a specific temperature since thats how my window AC at home works. And the physical dials have little bumps you feel every time you change the temp by a degree. It lets me adjust the temp up/down quickly and precisely without ever taking my eyes off the road. I do wish the bumps were more pronounced though.

Sadly not all digital HVAC controls are this nice... Drove a Chrysler 200 rental this past summer when I was on a business trip. That thing was terrible. The temperature was controlled by two buttons, up and down. The display for the temperature setting was simply a blue to red gradient bar, about one inch long and 1/4 inch thick on the top left corner of the screen in the center console. No idea wtf temperature it was, and had to keep taking my eyes off the road to adjust it. The only way to set an actual temperature was to dive into the menu, no way I was gonna do that while driving.

But yea, those are just my reasons anyway. Not trying to convince you. Mainly trying to give the OP my point of view at most.

I'm all for this and all but why not trade front bumpers and swap the emblems? I don't know if you can swap the headlights, you can just buy the Spec D's I think those are the ones with the LEDs that go around the headlight. I think it'll save you a lot more money and it also sounds more fun lol.

FYI: I didn't real all 3 pages of this I just read the OP post and just commented.

Sounds like you didnt even read the original post.

Analogy: You're going to divorce your wife. Take a financial beating. Then marry your wife's identical twin sister. But .... it's your decision.

DONT DO IT!! you can't get scions anymore! They will be more rare then BRZ's